Ratliffs in First VA Census, 1790
The VA 1790 U.S. Census Records were burned in the War of 1812 but Congress ordered a reconstruction from surviving state enumerations 1782 to 1785. These covered about half of the population, 39 counties (and the city of Richmond) 370,000. Still missing are 41 counties with 377,000 population. KY was part of VA. Travel was not easy. In many areas there were no roads and those available were frequently impassable. A journey from New York to Washington [a project, not a city--Philadelphia was the capital of the United States] took eight days under the most favorable conditions. Mail was irregular, expensive and uncertain. People were not familiar with a census and fearful of folks asking questions because they associated that with some form of taxation. So even if your Ratliff relatives were around, these conditions may have contruibuted to their nor appearing in the surviving records. And, like mine, they were probably in the records that did NOT survive!
With the various spellings as shown, here are "Ratliffs" in surviving county records of the date noted:
Fairfax County
1782
John Ratcliff 4 whites 7 blacks
John Ratcliff Sr. 3 whites 5 blacks
Richard Ratcliff 6 whites 4 blacks
1785
John Ratcliff 2 whites 1 dwelling 3 other buildings
Richard Ratcliff2 whites 1 dwelling 2 other buildings
Monogalia County
1782
John Ratcliff 7 whites
William Ratcliff 10 whites
New Kent County
1782
William Ratcliffe 4 whites 4 blacks
1785
Thomas Ratcliffe 10 whites [no dwelling or buildings!]
Anne Ratcliffe 6 whites 1 dwelling 5 other buildings
William Ratcliffe 5 whites 1 dwelling 5 other buildings
Francis Ratcliffe 5 whites 1 dwelling 4 other buildings
Chesterfield County
1783
Phillip Ratlif [sic] 3 whites 1 black
Hampshire County
1784
Benjemin Ratcliffe 6 whites 1 dwelling 2 other buildings
Harrison County
1782
Benjamin Radcliff 5 whites
Richard Radcliff 7 whites
Stephen Radcliff 6 whites
1784
Stephen Radcliff 7 whites 1 dwelling 1 other building
Richard Radcliff 8 whites 1 dwelling
1785
William Radcliff 10 whites [no dwelling or buildings]
John Ratcliff10 whites [no dwelling or buildings]
Prince Edward County
1785
James Rathall 2 whites 2 other buildings
Stafford County
1785
John Ratcliff 5 whites 1 dwelling 4 other buildings
Richard Ratcliff 4 whites 1 dwelling 3 other buildings
This material abstracted from "Heads of Families At the First Census of the United States Taken in the Year 1790; Records of the State Enumerations: 1782 to 1785, Virginia." (Athens GA: Iberian Publishing Co., 1990.) Oeginally printed by the Government Printing Office, Washington, DC, 1908.
More Replies:
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Re: Ratliffs in First VA Census, 1790
MELISSA CROW 4/10/06
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Re: Ratliffs in First VA Census, 1790
Rob Roy RATLIFF 4/07/06