John and Delilah's family in 1870

When the 1870 U.S. Census was taken, on the 20th of June, John and Delilah once again had only one child in their Town Creek, North Carolina home. Antonette (possibly Antoinette, sometimes also known as Annetta) is 22 years old and single. Three of their children, twenty-two-year-old William W., sixteen-year-old Mariah A., and ten-year-old Benjamin, live next door.

John, now 49, now describes himself as a farmer. His wife keeps the home. Antonette is described as simply “At Home”.

Next door(1), William is a “day laborer”. Mariah is keeping house. Benjamin is “at home”. Benjamin is also described as unable to read or write, and either “deaf and dumb, blind, insane, or idiotic”.(2)

1. “Next door” is either a separate building, or a living area completely separated by walls.

2. The 1870 U.S. Census Enumerator instructions for using this description state, “Great care will be taken in performing this work of enumeration, so as at once to secure completeness and avoid giving offense. Total blindness and undoubted insanity only are intended in this inquiry. Deafness merely, without the loss of speech, is not to be reported. The fact of idiocy will be better determined by the common consent of the neighborhood, than by attempting to apply any scientific measure to the weakness of the mind or will.”


Extract from the 1870 US Census