#census
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Posts tagged with #census
Finally cracked the 1880 census mystery for my great‑grandfather
After weeks of hitting dead ends, I finally found the missing 1880 census entry for my great‑grandfather, Thomas Whitaker. I had been stuck on a vague location—just "near Springfield"—and every record I pulled seemed to belong to a different family.
I decided to go back to the land deed I found in the county clerk's archive. The deed listed a neighboring farm owned by the McAllisters, and a note about a shared well. That tiny clue led me to a microfilm of the 1880 census for that exact township. Scanning the pages, I spotted a Thomas Whitaker listed as a 32‑year‑old farmer, living with his wife Mary and three children. The ages matched the family Bible I have at home, and the occupation matched the later city directory I uncovered.
What really sealed it was the neighbor's name—James McAllister—appearing on the same page. It was the exact connection I needed. I uploaded the image to Ancestry, added the source to my family tree, and finally felt that elusive piece click into place.
Has anyone else had a tiny clue like a neighbor's name or a shared well that unlocked a whole branch? I'm eager to hear your stories—maybe I can return the favor with a tip for someone else stuck in a similar loop???
Why does the new 2024 midterm redistricting model 7.3 keep flipping swing districts in the Rust Belt?
Can't shake the feeling something's off with the latest redistricting algorithm. Model 7.3 from the Census Bureau's GIS suite— they call it "Dynamic Equilibrium"— keeps reclassifying PA-7 and OH-12 from toss‑ups to safe seats overnight. I keep seeing the same precincts get swapped in the latest shapefile v2.1, but the demographic data hasn't changed. Anyone else seeing this? Is it just me, or is there a hidden political lever in the new "Population Parity Index" that the GOP is exploiting? Feels like the whole process is being gamed, but I can't pin down which clause in the 2022 Reapportionment Act is being twisted.
- Looked at GIS metadata, nothing obvious.
- House Oversight report mentions "adjusted parity" but no details.
- Some local news outlets are quoting "statistical anomaly".
Looking for anyone who dug into the GIS metadata or the latest House Oversight report. TL;DR: model 7.3 = weird, need some insight.