Betty's Critters - & History Views

 The majority of the 1890 United States Census was destroyed by a fire in 1921 in the National Archives; but a portion of the Census that was not touched by the flames was the Surviving Civil War Veterans Census that was conducted at the same time.  Joseph Taylor Kenney was the post master on Chincoteague from 1871 through 1885, and he was the enumerator for the 1890 Census.  He was a veteran himself, and he listed 34 residents in his documentation; someone in Washington, D. C. added two more names at a later date.  I have verified the identity of one man, but cannot find any record of his military service.  The second name added to the list is someone whom I can't find in the 1880 or 1900 Census, anywhere in Accomack County, nor can I verify his service.    What started me down this path was seeing an old photo of a grave stone in Mechanic Cemetery, where my grandparents are buried.  It was a Veteran's US Government marker, so I dug around, and f...

The 1910 United States Census is the first one for Chincoteague to list the names of the streets and lanes that the residents lived on.  The person who was chosen to enumerate the citizens of the Islands District (004) was Edgar H. Bratton, who lived on Church Street.  After listing the citizens of the incorporated Town of Chincoteague, he began enumerating the people who lived outside the town limits on Chincoteague, Assateague and Wallops Islands.  He started on April 28th, and finished on May 13th, 1910.   Mr. Bratton listed 20 streets, roads, lanes and areas on Chincoteague, plus the village on Assateague Island, and the single family who lived on Wallops Island.  At this point in time, no house numbers were listed.  (I honestly don't believe the houses were assigned numbers until several years later.)   In putting this listing of residents, streets and areas together, I have used my own idiosyncratic list markers.  First, I will list the name...