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The following Montgomery Families are listed in the 1870 Census for Monroe County. It appears that much of the county was referred to as Dennerds Bluff. The census areas were divided into "Beat" followed by the number.
Each census sheet included a page number and "in the county of...". Inquiries numbered 7, 16, and 17 are not to be asked with respect to infants. Inquiries numbered 11, 12, 15, 16, 17, 19 and 20 are to be answered by all merely by an "affirmative mark" as "/". Additionally, the 1870 census heading included "Schedule 1 Inhabitants in ______ in the County of "Monroe, State of Alabama, enumerated by ______ on the date, year (1870), Post Office and the enumerators name.
Other headings are Category 1, Dwelling - business, numbered in the order of visitations. Category 2 included Families: numbered in the order visitations; Category 3 requested the name of every person whose place of abode on the first day of June, 1870, was in the family. Category 4 asked Age at last birthday. If under 1 year, give month in fractions, thus 3/12. Category 5 requested that each person be identified as "Males (M) or Female (F). Category 6 asked the Profession, Occupation or Trade of each person, male or female.
The overall heading "Value of Real Estate Owned" was followed by Category 8, "Value of Real Estate". Category 9 requests "Value of Personal Estate". Category 10 asked for "The Place of Birth, naming State or Territory of U.S., or the Country, if of foreign birth".
Category 12, 13, and 14 requested the following "Mother of foreign birth; if born within the year, state month (Jan, Feb., etc.); If married within the year, state month, year, state month (Jan., Feb.,. etc.)". Questions 15, 16 and 17 related to education: " If attended school within the year, Cannot read; Cannot write, and Whether deaf and dumb, blind, insane, or idiotic". The final two Categories 19 and 20 appear under heading Constitution Relations; Male Citizen of U.S. of 21 years of age and upwards,. and Male Citizens of US of 21 years of age and upwards whose right to vote is denied or abridged on other grounds than rebellion or other crime".
(I was unable to locate this name.)
(During the 1870 census it appears that the Andrew Montgomery household was enumerated on August 9, 1870 (Beat No. 10, Samuel Bare, the enumerator). "Addom" was enumerated by Samuel Bare on August 8, 1870 (Beat #9) as the head of the house. The names of the wife and children are the same as that of the A. Montgomery household enumerated on August 9, 1870. (In an analysis of the 1880 Census, the following information was revealed, Alice was 18 years of age, Price 16 years, William 14 years of age and Warner was 2 years of age.) I was aware of the names of three of Andrew's children: I had been told that Alice did not know the date or year of her birth but she told her granddaughter that she was born during the "War", i.e. the "Civil War". Price Montgomery was referred to by my father as "Uncle P.M.", William, the third child was my grandfather. More on this later.
As many of you might know, Bennie compiled a list of the following Montgomerys who appeared on the 1867-68 Monroe County Colored Voter Registration Log:
Only four of the names listed appeared in the 1870 Census. The ommission of the names may be a result of loss of data, incomplete microfilming or (considering my paranoia based on experiences during the 1960 and 1970 census in Pittsburgh) they were deliberately not counted. I should note that all of the Montgomerys listed in the 1870 Census indicated that they were born in South Carolina.
I should also note that none of those counted were listed as being able to read or write. Considering that most of the heads of households-male and female-were born during the period of enslavement, it is understandable that they would have been circumspect in acknowledging the ability to read or write. The punishment for such an acknowledgment during the period of enslavement, dependent upon the owner of the plantation, may have been death, severe lashing, blinding, amputation or some other discipline.
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