Introduction to the Tenth (1880) U.S. Census Portage County, Wisconsin
	Portage County, from an 1895 Rand McNally Atlas  Click here or on the map for a larger view of the area (288KB) Click HERE to search the Indexes Read the Introductions: 1850 | 1860 | 1870 | 1880 | 1900

The 1880 census, regarded by some as the first “modern” census of the United States, was taken during the month of June, 1880, and was the first to use a specially-appointed staff of more than 31,000 enumerators. Earlier censuses had been the responsibility of existing local officials, typically sheriffs and federal marshals. The enumerators went door to door, counting and compiling data on the 50 million inhabitants of the country, not including Native Americans not taxed, who were counted separately. The twenty-seven governmental units of Portage County (seventeen townships, six villages and four city wards) were enumerated by seventeen persons, with varying penmanship skills and spelling ability.

The data gathered in 1880 had been considerably expanded from earlier times. This census was the first to include the relationship of each person in the household to the head, and marital status of each.

The census taker was instructed to record:

• Name of street, and house number (in cities)
• For each person residing at that place on June 1:

1. Name
2. Color: White, black, mulatto, Chinese, Indian
3. Sex
4. Age at last birthday prior to June 1; if under 1 year, give as a fraction, together with month of birth
5. Relationship to head of household
6. Single, married, widowed
7. Whether married during the past year
8. Profession, occupation, or trade (not asked of children)
9. Number of months unemployed during the past year
10. Whether sick or temporarily disabled on the day of the visit, and if so, the complaint
11. Whether blind, deaf & dumb, idiotic, insane, maimed/crippled/bedridden or otherwise disabled
12. Whether attended school during the past year
13. Cannot read; cannot write
14. Place of birth
15. Place of birth of father; place of birth of mother

Although the boundaries of Portage County had been fixed by 1856 as they are today, the township boundaries remained unsettled until 1899. Small areas were being traded back and forth among Plover, Grant, Buena Vista, and Pine Grove townships, the political reasons for which are interesting (see Our County Our Story by Malcolm Rosholt).  In 1880 the town of Carson was much smaller than today, comprising only the western part; most of the area west of the city of Stevens Point made up the town of Stevens Point, which existed until 1899, when its territory was divided between Carson and Linwood. The town of Dewey did not yet exist at all. At that time the town of Eau Pleine extended to the east of the Wisconsin River, and the town of Hull extended north to the Marathon County line. It should therefore be kept in mind that finding families in different townships in different censuses does not necessarily mean that they had moved.

The Stevens Point city limits were, on the west and south, the same as they are today, but present-day Maria Drive formed the northern boundary, and the approximate location of the future Frontenac Avenue was the eastern limit. North Division Street did not extend beyond Franklin Street, where it ended in undrained marsh lands. The city was partitioned into four wards, the first being the central city, the second the southwest quadrant, the third the southeast quadrant, and the fourth the northwest part. The northeast part, along “Jordan Road”, which later became Stanley Street, was unplatted.

In producing this index, considerable care and effort has gone into deciphering the penmanship, but as with all records of this type, large allowance should be made for variant spellings and misspellings. In some cases it is only possible to make a reasonable guess as to the enumerator’s intent.