08 October 2012

Were the Frames in the Fire?

1870 U S Federal Census, Cook County, Chicago, Ward 4, page 246--obtained on Ancestry.com

I initially reviewed this 1870 census entry for the Frame family in Chicago in an attempt to determine if the family was in the fire or not. Obviously they all survived as they are listed in later census records.

But there are some interesting items about this 1870 enumeration:

  • Husband Thomas is not listed. Thomas does not die until after 1910, so he's around somewhere.
  • The value of the home is $10,000. This seems rather high given Thomas' occupation of painter and laborer. 
  • The age of Hannah has been corrected. It's not obvious who made this correction.
While it's tempting to get distracted, I need to stay focused. The next step in this research is to find city directories for the 1870 era to determine where Thomas was located or where the Frames were actually living in 1870. Of course given the value of real estate, the family owned their home. But records of purchase were likely destroyed in the fire. 

I also need to find accurate maps showing where the fire actually destroyed property.