If you can read this, stop for a moment. Think about all the little things you do throughout your day in which you need to be able to read and write: Paying bills, looking for birthday cards, texting, working at a computer, cooking from a recipe, reading instructions, doing taxes, helping your kids with homework. Now imagine if you could not do those things because you cannot read or write.
I am blessed. My life has always been about words: reading,
writing, editing. I can’t remember a time when I couldn’t read or write. My
grandmothers, both former teachers, were my daycare. They made sure I could
read and write before I hit kindergarten. And, when I was young, my parents owned
a bookstore. I had access to books, and encouragement to read them, around the
clock.
I’ve been privileged to work in the field of adult literacy.
There are no greater unsung heroes in our society than the adult students who
return to school, against all odds, to obtain an education they missed out on
as a child. I’ve gained precious insights into the lives of
these adult learners. While reading and writing has always been like breathing
to me—for some, the inability to read and write can throw up huge obstacles
that constantly frustrate navigation through everyday life.
Because of my experiences in literacy, I felt deeply moved by
a little hash mark, when I found my second-great-grandmother, Nancy Hold, in
the 1850 U.S. census. She’d been married in 1847 to Jeptha Gilead Speaks, my
second-great-grandfather.[1]
She was just 20 years old in 1850. They had a baby girl, Mary Ann, who was eight-months-old.
The family lived in Highland township, Vermillion County, Indiana. Nancy had
been born in Ohio. And, there was that hash mark next to her name on Column 12.
That’s the one that says “Persons over 20 years of age who cannot read or
write.”[2]
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| 1850 U.S. census, Vermillion, Indiana, Schedule 1, Highland Township, p. 129, dwelling 225, family 225, Jepthah Speeks. |
That little hash mark in Column 12 of the 1850 U.S. census,
was one of the pieces of indirect evidence that helped determine who Nancy
Hold’s parents were: Wilson Hold and Hester Ann Cox. Both of them also had hash
marks by their names in Column 12 in 1850, as did some of Nancy’s siblings.[3]
Illiteracy wasn't uncommon in the United States in the middle of the 19th
Century. Five other people, “20 years and older,” in Nancy Speaks’ immediate neighborhood
in that census, were also unable to read and write.[4]
 |
United States Government, Independence, Kansas,
Osage Ceded Lands, promissory note, entry 8356, Nancy Speake, 25 October 1880.
|
It is likely that Nancy may never have become literate. She made payments on a 40-acre farm in Montgomery County, Kansas, a
few dollars a month between 1880 and 1882. The few signatures Nancy made on the promissory
notes and receipts concerning the property were made with an “X,” her mark.[5]
In contrast, I had the opportunity to translate the diary of
twenty-year-old, William Adams Peirce. William lived at the village of
Bitterne, near Southampton in England. He worked with his father as a saddler.[6]
He jotted notes in his small leather diary almost every day from January 1860
to January 1861.[7]
William was highly
literate. His handwriting is lovely calligraphy. His personality jumps
off the pages through the brief daily entries. William was involved in several
societies. He regularly visited the village reading room. He was active in the
church as a lay preacher. He regularly read and commented on books of Christian
philosophy. He wrote sermons, and even tried his hand at writing music. William’s
family was working class. But, he and his siblings all attended school.[8]
They were a literate family.
 |
| W. A. Peirce, “Diary 1860,” (MS, Hampshire, England, 1 January 1860—4 January 1861) |
 |
| 1871 census of England, Hampshire, South Stoneham Union, Bitterne, District 3, p.27, Enumerator: William Adams Peirce |
As I researched William Adams Peirce, I found myself looking
through the 1871 census of England in the village of Bitterne, and thought the
handwriting looked familiar. Sure enough, William had served as a census
enumerator in 1871.[9] Because he could read and
write well, he was often the secretary or treasurer for the groups he joined.
I’ve discovered a lot about William’s life, probably because he was literate. William
left a paper trail.
As you follow your family back in time, often those who read
and wrote can be followed much more easily than those who could not. History
is, literally, written by the literate. Literacy is something that makes a
difference in family history research. Less literacy means less documents. You may
not find letters and diaries if your family members were unable to read and
write. Sometimes (not always) those who were uneducated were also poor, and so
may not have owned property or had much to leave behind. So, no deeds or wills to find.
Working with adult students helped me understand
that an adult who faces literacy challenges, often relies on an ally to
get through daily life. They may have help from a literate spouse or friend or
family member. People adapt and do what they have to do to survive. It’s not
different now then it was 200 years ago. Those who needed help in situations
where literacy was necessary in the past, turned to people around them who were
able to read and write.
I came to know the people in Nancy Hold’s world, who may not
have been related to her, but could read and write. For instance, I am quite familiar
with Thomas C.W. Sale, the enumerator of the 1850 U.S. census taken in Highland
Township (and a lawyer[10]).
I certainly had to become familiar with his handwriting and his avant-garde
approach to spelling.
Where ever Nancy and her family lived, I learned about their
neighbors, particularly those who were literate. I looked for local clergy, school
teachers, business owners and the census takers: People Nancy might turn to as
a young wife, and later as a widow with small children, for help in matters
where literacy was necessary.
When I read a deed, will, or any official document
concerning someone I’m researching who could not read or write, I get to know
the person who copied it into the official record. The town or
county clerk may have been the only truly literate person in the area. That’s
why he (almost always a “he”) got the job. The most literate man in town will
leave a wide paper trail, and in some of that paper, your ancestor, who could
not read or write, may be waiting to be discovered.
To learn more about those who were not literate, you must turn
to those around them who were.
Have you ever thought about becoming a
volunteer in an adult literacy classroom?
Working with adult students is hugely rewarding. You will
get back much more than you will ever give. As a genealogist, you will bring
something special to an adult learning environment. Sharing your knowledge
about family history can inspire those learning basic skills and springboard
them into their own heritage adventures, as they hone their literacy skills.
A simple google
search will help you find literacy programs that serve adults in your local
area. You may also be interested in the following information about adult
literacy:
[1]Hamilton County, Indiana,
Marriage Registrations (various county clerk offices), page 172 (penned),
Jeptha Speak and Nancy Hold, 14 April 1847; “Indiana Marriages, 1811—2007,”
database with images, FamilySearch.org (https://familysearch.org
: 20 January 2019)>Hamilton>1843—1851 Volume A>image 101.
[2]1850 U.S. census,
Vermillion, Indiana, Schedule 1: Free Inhabitants, Highland Township, p. 129
(penned), dwelling 225, family 225, Jepthah Speeks household, and the William
King household; “1850 United States Federal Census,” database with images FamilySearch
(https://familysearch.org
: accessed 20 January 2019), citing NARA microfilm publication M432; image 133.
[3]1850 U.S. census,
Vermillion, Indiana, population schedule, Perrysville, p. 49A (stamped),
dwelling 51, family 51, Wilson Hold; “1850 United States Federal Census,”
database with images Ancestry.com, (http://www.ancestry.com/
: accessed 20 January 2019), citing NARA microfilm publication M432; image 107.
[4]1850 U.S. census,
Vermillion, Indiana, Sched. 1, Highland, p. 129, dwell. 225, fam. 225, Jepthah
Speeks.
[5]United States Government,
Independence, Kansas, Osage Ceded Lands, promissory note, entry 8356, Nancy
Speake, 25 October 1880.
[6]1861 census of England,
Hampshire, South Stoneham, Bitterne, ED Holy Savior, page 26 [printed], line
1-6, Joseph S. Peirce; digital image, Ancestry.com
(http://www.Ancestry.com
: accessed 20 January 2019); citing The National Archives, Census Returns of
England and Wales, 1861, Class RG
9, piece 681, folio 41, page 26.
[7]W. A. Peirce, “Diary 1860,”
(MS, Hampshire, England, 1 January 1860—4 January 1861); privately held by S. G.,
[address for private use] Vancouver, BC, 2015. S.G. is the great-grand-daughter
of diary’s author.
[8]1851 census of England, Hampshire, Southampton, All
Saints, pages 27-28 [stamped] line 25, 1-7,
Joseph S. Peirce household; digital image, Ancestry.com
(http://www.Ancestry.com
: accessed 20 January 2019); citing TNA, Census Returns of England and
Wales, 1851, Class HO107, piece 1669, folio 843, page 27-28 (note: Ancestry incorrectly transcribed
Joseph’s middle initial as an “I.”).
[9]1871 census of England,
Hampshire, South Stoneham Union, Bitterne, District 3, page 27 [stamped],
Description of Enumeration District, Enumerator: William Adams Peirce; digital
image, Ancestry.com (http://www.Ancestry.com
: accessed 20 January 2019); citing TNA, Census Returns of England and
Wales, 1871, Class RG 10,
piece 1195, folio 56.
[10]1850 U.S. census,
Vermillion, Indiana, population schedule, Vermillion, p. 90 (stamped), dwelling
15, family 15, Mary Huff; “1850 United States Federal Census,” database with
images Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com/
: accessed 20 January 2019), citing NARA microfilm publication M432; image 3.
