Census

The Suiters and Freemans

1850 Census - LeClaire, Iowa

1850 Census, Scott County, Iowa, Unknown Twps (District 4) – enumeration date Oct 8, 1850.  Information for June 1, 1850.  In the 722nd dwelling to be visited by the enumerator:

name                -       age     -    occupation   -  birthplace

Some points to note:

• A sister, Margaret Ann, had been born two years earlier but had died at about age 1.

• Living with the John Suiters are younger brother William Suiter and his wife, Alice Disney Suiter.  

• Living next-door were John's sister Mary Ann "Polly" (age 26), her husband Charles Lambaugh (age 36, a cabinet maker born in Germany) and 2 children (William E., 5, and Caroline E., 3) -- also  Frederick Knikup(?) (age 22, a carpenter born in Germany).

• Living next-door to Polly and Charles Lambaugh were father Philip Suiter (age 50, a farmer), with his 3rd wife, Hannah (age 42) and his 6 younger children (ages 6 to 21).  Also living there was William C. Madox (age 20, a lumberman(?)) -- perhaps Hannah's son from her first marriage.

1860 Census - LeClaire, Iowa

1860 Census of LeClaire Twp, Scott County, Iowa.   Information for June 1, 1860.   Page 89  – dwelling no. 605:

Some points to note:

• Mother Eliza J. Suiter is here 4 years older than her husband, John H.  In the 1850 census she was 2 years older.
• Agnes Suiter is supposed to have entered Abingdon College at age 14, so here in 1860 (at age 16) she would have been a college student, and may have already been in love with James H. Freeman (a fellow student).  
• Zachariah was not listed in the 1850 census, but here he is 12 years old.  Other information indicates that he was 9 in 1860.  Also, George may really have been 7, and Jeremiah 5.
• Little Eliza J. died sometime after this, while still small.   John Halford and Eliza Jane Suiter had one more child after this – William A., born in 1861.
• “Pilot” (shown here) was John H. Suiter’s more well-known occupation.  Most of his neighbors were farmers, and it seems likely that John was both a pilot and a farmer until he retired from the river and became a full-time farmer.   Value of Real Estate for John Suiter in 1860:  $5500.  Value of Personal Estate:  $880.

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1870 Census - Beatrice, Nebraska

1870 Census townships near Beatrice, Gage Co., Nebraska.   Post Office: Beatrice.   The 354^th family to be visited by the census-taker (page #42):

name             -              occupation     -    age   -  birthplace

“Value of Real Estate owned” by Daniel Freeman: 12,000.  “Value of Personal Estate”: 2,150. 

1880 Census - Beatrice, Nebraska

1880 Census for Blakely Township (outside Beatrice), enumeration district 348, Gage County, Nebraska.  Page #13.  The 100^th family visited in this enumeration district:

name   -       relationship to head of household -   age -     birthplace

Daniel’s occupation was farmer, Eliza’s was keeping house, and (daughter) Eliza and Samuel were at school.  Some points to note:

• Frank’s full name was George Francis Freeman, and in some censuses he is shown as George.
• Little Daniel was alive at this time.  He died at age 3 (in the same year as the census), and was the only one of the Freemans’ eight children who did not live to maturity. 

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1900 Census - Beatrice, Nebraska

1900 Census, Blakely Township (ED #46), Gage Co., Nebraska.  In the 56^th dwelling to be visited by the enumerator (sheet 4A):

Daniel and Agnes had been married for 35 years, and had had 8 children, 7 of them still living.  Daniel’s occupation was farmer, and son John’s was farm laborer.  Le Claire and Agnes May were at school.  This farm was owned with a mortgage(?).  

Comment by Agnes S. Freeman's granddaughter (May 2002):  "In the 1900 Census of my Freeman grandparents, I can't imagine there being a mortgage as they were living on the homestead that they got under the homestead act, unless they took out a mortgage for funds to build the big brick house."

Living next-door were son Frank and his family:

In a house - the 57^th dwelling to be visited by the enumerator (sheet 4A):

Frank and Goldie had been married for 3 years, and had 2 children, both living.    

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1910 Census - Beatrice, Nebraska

1910 Census, Blakely Township (enumeration district 48), Gage Co., NE, 1910 census – April 1910.  Sheet 1A.  Living in the first dwelling visited by the census-taker:

George (= Frank) was a farmer employer on a general farm.  George and Goldie had been married for 13 years, and had 5 children, all 5 still living.  Lila, Daniel, and Dorothy had all attended school during that school year.  

Comment by Agnes S. Freeman's granddaughter (May 2002):  "The farm land was part of the homestead and was still owned by Agnes Freeman.  Frank probably had its use rent free.  The Census taker would have had no reason to note that it was the first homestead of the United States." 

In the next dwelling:

LeClaire’s occupation was farmer on a general farm (working on his own account).  This farm was rented.  LeClaire and Sibyl had been married for 3 years, and Harvey was their only child so far. 

Meanwhile, in the town of Beatrice -- 1910 Census, Beatrice, Enumeration District 46 (sheet 3A).  At 602 N. 10^th Street:

(Daniel Freeman had died in 1908)

Agnes Freeman was widowed, and Agnes Quackenbush (Agnes May, the Freeman's youngest child) was married, but had been for only part of a year .   Their boarder, Edith, was single, with no occupation.  Agnes Freeman’s occupation was “own income”, and Agnes Quackenbush’s occupation was teacher at a school.  The home was owned by Agnes Freeman, with a mortgage. 

Agnes May Quackenbush's new husband, Clifford Quackenbush, was found elsewhere in the census, living with his parents.   It is likely that Agnes May and Clifford had married part-way through the school year, and that Agnes May had to remain in her mother's home in town so that she could teach the remainder of the school year.   Agnes May was also at this time expecting her first child, who was born about 5 months later.  Agnes May and Clifford later moved into their own home together.  

Comment by granddaughter of Agnes S. Freeman (May 2002):  "If Agnes May was teaching, and I think she was, she would have had to continue living in town with her mother until school was out.  In that day and age it was highly frowned on for the teacher to be married and/or pregnant.  That would account for Clifford continuing to live with his parents, also."

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1920 Census - Beatrice, Nebraska

1920 Census for Blakely Township (outside Beatrice), enumeration district 53, Gage County, Nebraska.  Sheet no. 1A.  Living on a farm (the 4^th family visited in this enumeration district):

Youngest son LeClaire and his family were living on a rented farm, and LeClaire’s occupation was farmer.  His four older children had all attended school for all or part of that school year.   

Comment by granddaughter of Agnes S. Freeman (May 2002):  "In the LeClaire Freeman family, the name Helen is misspelled, probably an error of the Census enumerator.  I believe their farm was on the hill back of the homestead and the children went to the Freeman school for a few years until they moved away."

On the next census page is another son, George (Frank):

1920 Census for Gage Co., ED #53, sheet no. 1B.  Living on a farm (the 12^th family to be visited in this enumeration district), and next door (the 13^th to be visited):

Living next door to George Francis (actually across a field) is:

George's occupation was farmer on a general farm, and his son Daniel’s occupation was farm labor on home farm.  Agnes Freeman is listed as having no occupation, but the nature of industry or business she was engaged in was "landowner".  Her home was owned free of mortgage.  Two of George's children, Maxine and Edward, had attended school sometime in that school year. 

Comments by Agnes S. Freeman's granddaughter (May 2002):  "The George Freeman family, George Francis, or Uncle Frank -- I believe in 1920 they were living on the original homestead in a house they had built.  They may have been living on the homestead in 1910 as well.  The house was a two story, with 3 bedrooms upstairs, living, dining rooms and kitchen on the main floor.  I'm almost positive my mother told me Frank had built the house.  

Grandma Agnes Freeman lived in a small cottage "next door" also on the homestead, and you are right, it was across a field from her son Frank's place.  I remember a field of corn in between."

Other comments (regarding the 1920's and '30's) by Agnes S. Freeman's granddaughter:  

"Samuel Freeman and his wife Olive lived on a farm near Ellis, Nebraska, another small town southwesterly from Beatrice.  Olive and Frank's wife Goldie were sisters.  John and Irene lived in the city of Lincoln when I knew -- but I don't know how long they lived there.  They had one child, a daughter."

"I think James lived in Beatrice.  He died when I was pretty small so I don't know much about him.  I just recall that he came out in his car to visit Grandma when I was about 4 or 5.  He took me for a ride in his car and bought me an ice cream cone.  That made a big, unforgettable impression on a small country girl."

"[Before 1923] the Quackenbushes [Agnes May and husband Clifford] lived on a farm west of the little town Blue Springs, Nebraska.  That farm may have been their first home after they established a home together.  It was about 10 miles south of Beatrice."

"Grandfather Daniel had acquired farms in various places in the Midwest.  After his death, I was told, some of my cousins who were older would approach Grandma asking her to give them one farm or another.  My uncle Jim (James Freeman) went to her, seeing what was happening and said "You haven't done anything for Sis" (Agnes May) and got her to deed 80 acres of the original homestead to her, and that's when the Quackenbushes moved there [in 1923], into the house that Frank had built, which I described earlier.  Frank and Goldie had moved into town, which may have been when he quit farming and took a job for the State of Nebraska.  Webster Carre worked at Dempsters Mfg. Co. in the south part of Beatrice for years.  They manufactured farm equipment, I think, such as windmills."

This census information was transcribed from the original census images, and may contain errors.  The census images were viewed by subscription at ancestry.com.  They are also available through family history centers and elsewhere.

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