Thursday, February 20, 2020

Snapshot of Dixon Bartley's Farm, 1880

I searched for and found Dixon Bartley in the 1880 U.S. Agricultural Census where Dixon and his neighbors were enumerated in Parker Township, Butler County, Pennsylvania.  Dixon was not a poor farmer in 1880, nor was he one of the wealthiest among the other 119 farmers recorded in his township's census report. 

Below is a transcription of the 1880 U.S. Agricultural Census for Dixon.

Schedule 2.--Production of Agriculture, Parker Township, Butler County, Pennsylvania, S.D. #10, E.D. #51, pg. 2, line 9, June 3, 1880. 

Column [Column numbers not included had no entries.]
  1    Bartley Dixson
  2    Owner
Acres of Land Improved.
  5    100 acres tilled land including fallow and grass in rotation (pasture or meadow)
  6    20 acres land in permanent meadows, permanent pastures, orchards, vineyards
Farm Values.
  9    $4000 value of farm including land, fences, and buildings
10    $100 value of farming implements and machines
11    $1000 value of livestock
Fences.
12    $50 value of fences, cost of building and repairs in 1879
Labor.
14    $50 paid for wages for farm labor during 1879 including value of board
16    $800 estimated value of all farm productions (sold, consumed, or on hand) for 1879
Grass Lands.
17    12 acres mown land
19    20 tons hay harvested
Horses of all ages on hand June 1, 1880.
22    4  
Neat Cattle and Their Products - On Hand June 1, 1880.
25    5 milch cows
26    6 other
27    4 calves dropped
Neat Cattle and Their Products - Movement, 1879.
29    10 cattle sold living
30    8 cattle slaughtered
33    700 pounds butter made on the farm in 1879
Swine on hand June 1, 1880.
45    10
Poultry on hand June 1, 1880, exclusive of spring hatching.
46    40 barnyard
47    50 other
Cereals - Buckwheat.  1879.
51    4 acres
52    108 bushels crop
Cereals - Indian Corn.  1879.
53    4 acres
54    175 bushels crop
Cereals - Oats.  1879.
55    6 acres
56    180 bushels crop
Cereals - Rye.  1879.
57    6 acres
58    60 bushels crop
Cereals - Wheat.  1879.
59    3 acres
60    45 bushels crop
Potatoes (Irish.)  1879.
78    1½ acres
79    250 bushels crop
Orchards - 1879.
84    6 acres apple
85    700 bearing trees apple
Bees - 1879.
97    200 pounds honey

Dixon owned at least 120 acres of land, with 31 one of those (or 31 addition acres) used to grow food products.  Dixon's farm appears to have been the primary producer of apples -- 700 trees on 6 acres -- and honey -- 200 pounds -- in Parker Township in 1879.

This record for Dixon, and for other farmers in Pennsylvania in 1880, is available at this link to the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission website where you can choose the county where your ancestor lived and view the record.  A large, clear view of this particular image for Parker Township is available here.

–Nancy.

Copyright ©2020, Nancy Messier.  All Rights Reserved. 
Do not copy or use any content from this blog without written permission from the owner. 

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2 comments:

  1. Interesting that it is so detailed an inventory.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think there are nearly 100 columns in that census. I know it had to include products from every area of the U.S., such as cotton, rice, etc., that are usually grown in only one or two geographic areas, as well as products grown across the U.S. I find the agricultural censuses very interesting. Those, combined with either a photograph of the farm or a detailed map, can give me a good idea of the lives of some of my ancestors.

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