Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1871-09-27
The vt. Census of 1871.
COMMUNICATION FROM Ex-oov. HALL.

To The Editor of the Free Press q Times -
notice that in your paper of Wednesday
question is made in regard to the correct
ness of the statement of al. j. R. the
Washington correspondent of the New York
Tribune, that the printed report of the Yer
mont census of 1871 was erroneous N cherg
ing sixteen slaves to the State There is no
manner of doubt that the printed reports
was wrong, and that the correspondent of
the Tribune is right.
The report Of the population of the State
by that census, by counties, will be found in
he history of Vermont ny DR.. Williams,
edition of 1894, at page All, and also in his
second edition, from which it viii be seen
that the column for all free coZored persons in
the State foOts up $50, of which number 20
are credited to Bennington county, and that
there Is charged to that county Is sIares In
no other county Is single slave found, which
Is quite incredible il slavery did really exist
in the State.
But the evidence recently brought to light
is entirely conclusive, that the statement Of
there having been 10 slaves in Bennington
county was bunder in the census off crr in
making up the summary reports. as after
wards published. l have carefully examined
the original returns of the census for 1871 OF
Bennington county, which IS certified by
Daniel Robinson, assistant to the Marshal,
with whose handwriting am familiar. and
there is no doubt whatever OF It's genuine
uess-o tIis, it must be sufficient further to
ct tie, that the number OF inhabitants in each
oi the sixteen towns in the county agrees
exactly with the reported number found in
Williams history of 1894.
The returns OF the marshal Is wholly i'm
ms nuscript, plainly written on sheets OF
ioOlscap, pasted together, forming a roll over
seven yards in length. The names OF the
heads OF families are given, and against them
the number Of persons. in six separate col
umns. The first column is for = Free white
males Of 10 years and upward" the second
Tor Free white males unuer sixteen years,
and the third for Free white females of
ali ages. TIE other three columns are headed
-'FaEE BLACKs,' the first OF which is for
those lover sixteen of males, the second
for those under sixteen and the third for
females" OF these free blacks there are
found in the whole c0unty-I7 males over
sixteen, males under sixteen, and Is ic-
males, making 50 IN the whole These three
last columns are plainly headed % Free
BIacts, and there is NJ column fox slaves
ami none are returned.
Il is beyond question that the ID slaves
thus rep rted from the census Office OF 1871
were returned by the marshal as ffc. H1els
and were clreiessly inserted 10 the column
of slaves in preparing the general report
Iaey were doubtless made up oi the - ie-
males in the last column. and one male an
dor sixteen, at tbs close OF the return from
WinLau, which was marked 81 near the last
column that u was hastily taken belong
INK % 1t.
For the discovery and exposure No this yr-
ryr in the census OF 1871 we are indebted {,
Col. u ID. Harrington, ot the Census Blu
rllu. lie is native u this state, 4 former
resident Of Bennington county. and well ic-
serves the thanks 0t tie Inhabitants
Tn the comm unication to the IriIus Jh,
name Of H.mau Allen was given as thc mar
>lal who made the return 1T 1901. Uhic.
was calculated 10 cast dIsyrust upon it, a@ h,
VAS not marshal till isis This wac au e..
rlr. a- tie name ol Mr. Allen nowhere al.
pears in connection with che return. Tie
marshal ID 1871 was Lewis " r. Morris ri
" .om DAVID Robinson, who witnessed cns
return, was an assistant.
uIL.ND uALL.
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