Edward Marden Sr. in Census Records

It is time to get to work locating Edward Marden Sr. and Jr. in census records. But, before I do, I want to take a moment to remind my readers about the hazards associated with census records.

Census records are not proof of anything. The census taker may have made an error in recording information at the time he visited the family. The census taker may have made an error when he transferred his field data to the actual schedule he submitted to the government. The census taker may not have found anyone at home when he was in the neighborhood, so perhaps asked a neighbor to supply the information - there is no guarantee the neighbors knew what they were taking about. The person at home when the census taker visited may not have known the information being asked of them, they may have guessed! The census taker may have missed a family completely. This goes on and on - far too many ways for the information to be corrupted.

Prior to 1870, Native People are seldom found in census records - at least not labeled as "Indian". The census was originally established to determine how many people are paying taxes and how many elected representatives where needed for a particular region. It was about votes and taxes - Native People did not pay taxes and they did not have the right to vote, so there was no need to enumerate them in census records.

Finding Historical Source Documentation

Before I get too deep into other forms of research, I need to take time to verify the information in the compiled genealogies I created. I do this by locating historical documentation.
What do I mean by historical documentation? There may be a number of definitions for the term. I am looking for -

The Marden Family - What Have I Learned So Far?

Entering family data into a genealogical database gives me a good opportunity to get to know the entire family. Once this step is completed, I generally make an inventory of what I know (or what I think I know) and what I still want to learn.

What do I know about Edward Marden and his "Indian" wife?

The Marden Family - Published Genealogies

Before I get too involved in a research project, I always check for published genealogies that mention the folks I am working on.

How do I do this?

The Marden Family - An Introduction

This entry will cover some basic background and explain my involvement with the Marden family.

I have chosen to start with a family I am very familiar with. This should allow me time to get comfortable with the blog format and work the kinks out of my posting skills before I get involved with an active research project.

I am certain some folks will consider writing to me declaring the proper spelling of the name is Mardin. For some branches this is certainly true, but for other branches it is false. In my research I find the Maine records generally use Marden and the New Hampshire records generally use Mardin. Beyond that it seems to be a turkey shoot. For the sake of consistency, I have chosen one spelling and will stick with it throughout this blog and our companion database. However, this should not be mistaken as an attempt to enforce my choice of spelling onto others.

A Few Tips, Cautions, & Problems For Wabanaki Researchers

I know my readers are anxious to jump into some real investigation, but there are a number of items you should be aware of before embarking on this journey

A Wabanaki Timeline

To understand a People, you have to understand their history.

I have prepared this timeline for my readers to provide a basic understanding of Wabanaki history.

The Historic Wabanaki People

The following information is from a historical perspective and does not necessarily relate to modern-day Wabanaki People. The information is also very generalized and should not be viewed as set in stone.

Introduction

Welcome!

This blog is about the investigative journey. I am exploring Wabanaki family mysteries. If I do this correctly, the blog will be a teaching tool as well as a research journal. The topics I discuss could be of interest to any researcher or genealogist.

Who are the Wabanaki?

Wabanaki is a general term referring to a group of Native American People inhabiting a large area of Northeastern North America. The word translates loosely to “Dawnland” and refers to being the first to greet the sun each day.