The Gettysburg Census of 1860 – Part 2
As mentioned earlier, I’ve transcribed the 1860 U.S. Federal Census of Gettysburg and will include all of those people in a future version of Pocket Gettysburg.
In addition to the previous analysis of the census, here is some interesting financial data about the residents of the Borough in 1860…
| Value of Real Estate | ||||||
| Males | Females | All People | ||||
| White | $799,500 | 87.9% | $100,800 | 11.1% | $900,300 | 99.0% |
| Black | $3,500 | 0.4% | $2,650 | 0.3% | $6,150 | 0.7% |
| Mulatto | $3,400 | 0.4% | $0 | 0.0% | $3,400 | 0.4% |
| All Races | $806,400 | 88.6% | $103,450 | 11.4% | $909,850 | 100.0% |
| Value of Personal Estate | ||||||
| Males | Females | All People | ||||
| White | $545,335 | 91.2% | $49,125 | 8.2% | $594,460 | 99.5% |
| Black | $1,210 | 0.2% | $400 | 0.1% | $1,610 | 0.3% |
| Mulatto | $1,600 | 0.3% | $0 | 0.0% | $1,600 | 0.3% |
| All Races | $548,145 | 91.7% | $49,525 | 8.3% | $597,670 | 100.0% |
| Value of Total Estate | ||||||
| Males | Females | All People | ||||
| White | $1,344,835 | 89.2% | $149,925 | 9.9% | $1,494,760 | 99.2% |
| Black | $4,710 | 0.3% | $3,050 | 0.2% | $7,760 | 0.5% |
| Mulatto | $5,000 | 0.3% | $0 | 0.0% | $5,000 | 0.3% |
| All Races | $1,354,545 | 89.9% | $152,975 | 10.1% | $1,507,520 | 100.0% |
If you look at just the heads of households….
| Male Heads of Households | |||||
| # | % | Average Real Estate | Average Personal Estate | Average Total Estate | |
| White | 347 | 82.4% | $2,103.17 | $1,356.08 | $3,459.25 |
| Black | 17 | 4.0% | $164.71 | $55.88 | $220.59 |
| Mulatto | 3 | 0.7% | $1,033.33 | $283.33 | $1,316.67 |
| All Races | 367 | 87.2% | $2,004.63 | $1,287.08 | $3,291.72 |
| Female Heads of Households | |||||
| # | % | Average Real Estate | Average Personal Estate | Average Total Estate | |
| White | 44 | 10.5% | $1,165.34 | $233.18 | $1398.52 |
| Black | 9 | 2.1% | $261.11 | $33.33 | $294.44 |
| Mulatto | 1 | 0.2% | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| All Races | 54 | 12.8% | $993.06 | $195.56 | $1188.61 |
| All Heads of Households | |||||
| # | % | Average Real Estate | Average Personal Estate | Average Total Estate | |
| White | 391 | 92.9% | $1,997.63 | $1,229.72 | $3227.35 |
| Black | 26 | 6.2% | $198.08 | $48.08 | $246.15 |
| Mulatto | 4 | 1.0% | $775.00 | $212.50 | $987.5 |
| All Races | 421 | 100.0% | $1,874.88 | $1,147.08 | $3021.96 |
Among other interesting conclusions here is that the value of the combined estates of all blacks and mulattoes in the Borough was less than that of four average households headed by white males.
The top 10 estates were owned by…
| Given | Surname | Occupation | Value of Total Estate |
| George | Swope | President, Gettysburg Bank | $86,000 |
| Samuel S. | Schmucker | Professor, Theological Seminary | $32,800 |
| Mary | Myers | $31,000 | |
| Samuel | Fahnestock | Merchant | $30,000 |
| Robert | McCurdy | President, Gettysburg R.R. | $26,500 |
| Joseph | Wible | Wagon maker | $23,000 |
| William A | Duncan | Attorney-at-Law | $23,000 |
| Moses | McClean | Attorney-at-Law | $22,500 |
| David | Zeigler | Merchant | $21,000 |
| Henry | Rupp | Tanner | $20,500 |
And when looking at just real estate…
| Given | Surname | Occupation | Value of Real Estate |
| Mary | Myers | $30,000 | |
| Robert | McCurdy | President, Gettysburg R.R. | $23,000 |
| Joseph | Wible | Wagon maker | $20,500 |
| Henry | Culp | Farmer | $18,000 |
| Moses | McClean | Attorney-at-Law | $16,500 |
| William A | Duncan | Attorney-at-Law | $15,000 |
| David | Zeigler | Merchant | $15,000 |
| Andrew | Polly | Tinner | $15,000 |
| James | Paxton | $15,000 | |
| Samuel S. | Schmucker | Professor, Theological Seminary | $14,300 |
That is, due apparently to a substantial inheritance, a woman, Mary Myers, was the single largest landholder and the third richest person in the Borough!
Abraham Cole, a 40-year-old Methodist clergyman, owned the most land ($1000) and had the largest total estate ($1100) among black residents of the Borough.
Here’s a list of the 25 most common surnames in the Borough as of 1860…
| Culp | 73 |
| Little | 62 |
| Zeigler | 61 |
| Sheads | 32 |
| Tate | 29 |
| Myers | 27 |
| Gilbert | 26 |
| Buehler | 25 |
| Warren | 25 |
| McCreary | 23 |
| Martin | 22 |
| Jacobs | 20 |
| Tipton | 20 |
| Codori | 19 |
| Fahnestock | 18 |
| Kitzmiller | 17 |
| Scott | 17 |
| Snyder | 17 |
| Wisotsky | 17 |
| Devan | 16 |
| Minnigh | 16 |
| Stuck | 16 |
| Welty | 16 |
| Degroft | 15 |
| McElroy | 15 |
Lastly, you can have your own copy of the 1860 U.S. Federal Census of Gettysburg. I’ve uploaded a fully-searchable PDF file with my transcription here.
Bob Velke
SegTours, LLC