1880 Census Records
By Steven Jackson

Here is a photocopy of the 1880 census form that documents James Ririe in Weber County, Utah. The title line reads:

Inhabitants in Huntsville Precinct, in the County of Weber, State of Utah

Here is a close-up of the lines relating to the Riries. The name is listed first, then race, gender, age, and relation to head of household.

Here, the "profession" of each person is listed. James Ririe is listed as a "Farmer", Alexander is listed as "Work on farm", and Elizabeth's "profession" is "Keeping House."

It is interesting to note that only James, Alexander, Elizabeth and Isabel are listed. Of course, the older children were all married and living away from home by the time this census was taken in 1880. However, James' wife Ann, the twins Joseph and Hyrum (age 8 in 1880), and Agnes (age 6) are not listed on the census form. Is it merely an oversight or inaccurate record keeping? Maybe Ann and the younger children were away when the census taker came to the farm? When I first saw this, I thought that perhaps Ann was living away from James because of her disapproval that he had taken a second wife (Betsey), but then I discovered that they were divorced in 1877. If anyone has any information or theories, please let me know.

Return to James Ririe
Return to Family History Main Page