Resolving Conflicts in Censuses – A Hork Family Example

My great-grandfather, Johan Anton Hork, appeared in just two U.S. census records: 1880 and 1900. He arrived in the United States in November of 1870, so missed that one. He likely appeared in the 1890 census, but that one does not survive. He died in 1906.

1880 Census
The 1880 enumeration was conducted in Aurora, Kane County, Illinois.[1] The surname is indexed on Ancestry as Hark, but the vowel could easily be an o. His wife, Julia, and their first four children are listed in the correct order. Mary, who was born in 1873, is 7 years old. Ida, who was born in 1875, is 5 years old. Susan, who was born in 1877, is 3 years old and listed as Susie, a close enough name to Susan. And Albert, who was born in 1879, is listed as 10 months old. His wife, Julia, who was born in 1854, is 25. So far, these facts match with what is known about the family whose last name is Hork. Anton’s age of 36, suggests a birth year of 1844. That matches the age he put down on his marriage record when stating he was 28 in 1872, which makes an 1844 birth.

1900 Census
Twenty years later in 1900, John A. Hork is living with his wife, Julia, and seven children in Hamilton, Ravalli County, Montana.[2] The only child still in the household as the 1880 listing was Albert, who had an Aug 1880 birth listed, which would be off one year, if he was 9 months old in 1880. In this census, John is listed as 44 years old, born in October 1855. He aged only ten years, not the expected twenty years.

One must remember that we do not know who the informant was. It could have been John himself, wanting to make his age closer to his wife’s. It could have been Julia, who did not know her husband’s age or birthdate, though October was correct. It could have been one of the oldest children in the household, and they had just guessed his age.

Correlating With Other Sources
What other documents contain John’s age? He was naturalized on 1 Nov 1876 in Kane County, Illinois, and gave his age as 33, making his birth about 1843.[3] This is consistent with the census and marriage records.

The arrival passenger list in November 1870 listed him as 27 years old.[4] That makes a birth year of 1843. All the records created in the U.S. point to his birth about 1843/44 except the 1900 census.

Resolving Conflict
I have several documents that point to one answer and one that points to another. We cannot just throw out the odd one, saying there are more documents say this answer, so it must be right. We must analyze and correlate the information and evidence. It is likely that John gave the information to the ship purser, to the court clerk for the naturalization, and to the priest for the marriage. Perhaps he was present for the two census enumerators, but there is no evidence he gave the information because the informant is not known. It could have even been a neighbor who guessed about his age.

One last document has been found. Johannes Anton Horoch was baptized on 10 November 1843 in Oberhundem, Westfalen. He was born the previous day.[5] So even the month given in the 1900 census was incorrect. Julia Ann was born in October. 

As it turned out, several of the younger children’s birth years were off by a year in the 1900 census, when compared to their entries in the family bible entries.[6] The informant was probably someone who was unsure of the information and made guesses.

Conclusion
With the German baptism record and the other records that we are sure John was the informant, it is likely he was born in 1843 and the 1900 census can be dismissed. Not ignored, as it must be acknowledged and the conflict discussed, as this is one of the elements of the Genealogical Proof Standard, that conflicts must be resolved, and the last element is a clearly written conclusion is presented, which this piece of writing does.

#52Ancestors: Week 7 - What the Census Suggests

This is my ninth year working on this year-long prompt, hosted by Amy Johnson Crow (https://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/) at Generations Cafe. I write each week in one of my two blogs, either Mam-ma’s Southern Family or My Trails into the Past. I have enjoyed writing about my children’s ancestors in new and exciting ways.

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[1] 1880 U.S. census, Kane Co, Illinois, Aurora, ED 73, p. 79 (stamped), dwelling 380, family 392, Antoin Hork.

[2] 1900 U.S. census, Ravalli Co, Montana, Hamilton Precinct, ED 81, sht 15a, p. 33 (stamped), dwelling/family 285, John A. Hork.

[3] Aurora (Illinois) City Court, Final papers, v. 59, old book 4, 26 Oct. 1872-22 Mar. 1888, p. 131, Anthony Hork, imaged, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS9Q-LWW7-J : accessed 9 Feb 2026); IGN 007792617, image 902 of 1355.  

[4] "Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at New York, New York, 1820-1957," digital images, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/7488/images/NYM237_336-0226 : accessed 9 Feb 2026); SS Idaho, line 39, no. 1030, Joh Hork, 5 Nov 1870.

[5] Katholische Kirche Oberhundem (Kr. Olpe), Taufen (baptism) 1826-1847, p. 139, no. 36, Johann Anton, Intl 1257842. These are locked from home.

[6] Hork Family Bible, Heilige Schrist,  privately held by Alice Irene McGee, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE], Lexington, Kentucky (Philadelphia: John E. Potter and Company, n.d.). Photocopy of the title page and birth, marriage, and death information was sent to author.

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