What Happened to Adam Easton - More Information From the 1860 Census

In my last blog entry, I reported on some statistics from the 1860 census as part of a small project to report on Bovina 150 years ago. I noted that noted under occupation, Bovina had 185 farmers, as well as 50 servants and 22 ladies.

From there, the number of people in each profession drops into the single digits. The census recorded eight merchants, including two recorded specifically as grocers - Alexander Kinmouth and Robert Sloan. The six merchants were James Adee, William Archibald, James Elliot, Thomas E. Hastings, John M. Murry, and Walter Telford.

Bovina also had eight shoemakers. Some of the shoemakers appear to have been in close proximity to each other. Three families enumerated in a row had four shoemakers. These included father and son Sloan and David Orr, as well as John Downie and Richard Smith. Other shoemakers in Bovina included John Halsted, Charles F. Smith and William Boggs. Listed in the census as a tanner, William Lull was also listed in the 1860 industrial census as also being a shoemaker and owning his business. Boggs also was listed in this industrial census.

Bovina's six blacksmiths were George Frelts, John Johnston, Bartholomew McFarland, Almeron McPherson, Patrick Murphy, Robert Penell. George Frelts was living with Almeron McPherson, likely in an apprenticeship (and Frelts is only a guess - the handwriting was very hard to decipher). Bovina also had four carpenters, two millers, two harness makers and two cabinet makers.

There were a few professions for which there was only one representative each. These included a bookbinder (Thomas Georgia), butcher (John Thompson), clothier (Thomas H. Johnston), innkeeper (Dorcas Hamilton), milliner (Margaret Jones), seamstress (Margaret White) and tailor (John Phyfe).

914 of the 1241 Bovina citizens enumerated in the census were not listed with any occupation noted. This would include many of the wives and almost all the children.

One other occupation in the 1860 was that of laborer. Bovina recorded seven such workers. Laborer might simply have been a way to explain someone in the house. Sometimes they were related, other times they were not. One laborer stood out because he was only 9 years old - at least if the census taker can be believed. While many of the children in Bovina certainly worked on the family farm, this is the only child specifically given that as an occupation. He was living with William and Rachel Rutherford with two teenagers also seemingly unrelated. The 9 year old, Adam Easton, does not show up in any future Bovina censuses. So we don't really know what happened to little Adam Easton. If anyone does, let me know. I hate to have him disappear from history!