The question kept coming up of why wasn’t my granddaddy, James Paul Stalls Jr (1917-1987) on the 1920 census with his parents. I just couldn’t understand where he could have been, since he would have been about 3 years old (depending on what month the census was enumerated). The Census record I found that his parents were on was done on January 17, 1920 in Memphis, Tennessee. You can plainly see that his parents are living with the Richards family (James Paul Stalls Jr’s mother’s family). Listed are Jerome Richards (Minnie’s father), Minnie Richards (Minnie’s mother), Paul Stalls (granddaddy’s father), Minnie Stalls (granddaddy’s mother), Bluford Richards (granddaddy’s uncle), Willie Richards (Bluford’s wife) and Nannie Taylor (the servant/nanny).
The possibilities of why he wasn’t living with them were A) perhaps that’s when he had scarlet fever and maybe he was in the hospital-but you would assume they would still have listed him as living in the household with the family, or B) maybe he was living with his grandparents, James Paul Stalls Sr’s family. So I looked them up.
Lo and behold, there he is. But wait! His parents are there, too! Listed (and misspelled) are Frank Curtius and Mary Curtius (JPS Sr’s step-father and mother). Mary’s mother is also there, Francis Bondurant. What’s this? The STALLS family is listed as Curtis’? Crazy! But there they are! Paul Curtis, Mamie Curtis and Paul Curtis Jr. That’s not right, is it? Nope. As you can see, Curtius is misspelled. As is Bondurant. Minnie’s name is written as Mamie. And Paul Sr, Minnie and Paul Jr should all be Stalls. I’m not even going to get into the age differences (only two of the ages listed are correct).
So the Curtius census was enumerated on January 3-4, 1920, also in Memphis, Tennessee.
The questions this raises are: was the Stalls family actually living with the Curtius family and moved within the 14 days between enumerations to the Richards household? Was granddaddy living with them after the move or was he in the hospital (we need to find out when he had scarlet fever)?
This isn’t the first time that someone is listed on more than one census record for the same year. Another example (which this may or may not be the same person, but the names and ages are the same):
My mom noticed on the House of Proctor website that someone had cited the 1870 Nashville, Tennessee census, enumerated July 15, 1870, as listing Amanda Summers. She is 18 years old and is a boarder in the Wyatt household.
In the 1870 Stewart County, Tennessee census, enumerated August 22, 1870, Amanda is living with her parents, Pink and Emily, her siblings, Greenberry and Clementine, and two boys that may or may not be her siblings, Anderson and Rufus (in another post I mentioned that they were not on the 1860 census, even though they would have been 5 and 3 in that year). On this census Amanda is 18 years old, but it isn't actually listed how she is related to the Summers family (but we know she is the daughter, according to other census records).
So, the questions raised by these census records: if the Nashville, Tennessee census is our Amanda, is it possible that she went to Nashville to give birth to Lizzie? If so, where is Lizzie (that question is going to haunt me until I find the answer!)? Either way, Lizzie isn’t listed as living with her on either census. It’s just so strange.
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