HomeMy WebLinkAboutCompton, CharlesCHARLES COMPTON
Charles Compton was the youngest of David and Anna (Linderman) Compton’s
four children. David, the father, was born in New Jersey, Anna in New York. They
were married in Ithaca in 1806. David was counted in Enfield in the 1830 Census
as Head of Household. Except for Charles, the Compton family all lived and died
in Tompkins County. Many are buried in Budd Cemetery, Enfield.
In 1853 Charles who was 32, married Nancy Smith of Newfield. Until then,
according to the 1850 Census, he had been living with his parents in Enfield and
was a farmer. Soon after Charles and Nancy’s daughter (name unknown) was
born, the young family left for Rockford, Winnebago Co., Illinois. Soon after
arriving, Charles died in July 1854—probably from a large cholera outbreak in that
area. He was buried in Cedar Bluff Cemetery in Rockford at the age of 32 years.
Nancy went on to marry Calmo Webster (who deserted her) then Allen Jones
(1824-1881). Both Allen and Nancy are buried in Clinton Cemetery, Clinton, Rock
County, Wisconsin who died 51 years later 11 February 1932 at the age of 94.
Notes about the US Census: Between 1790 and 1840, the US Census only named
Heads of Households. Numbers and sexes of household members were tallied by
age groups: i.e. males under age 6, females 6-10, etc. Beginning with the 1850
Census, individual names and ages were recorded—but not their relationships to
the Head of Household—that did not start until 1880.
Beginning with the 1900 Census (the 1890 Census was lost to fire), social
questions began appearing such as how many years couples were married; who
was divorced; income (up to $5000 in 1939), nationality of parents, etc.
Personal information from Censuses are not made available to the public for 72
years. The last Census made public was 1940 which was released in 2012. The
1950 Census will be released in 2022.