The Atzerodts in the 1860 census?

[Dave Taylor]

Has anyone on this great symposium of ours ever come across ANY members of the Atzerodt family in the 1860 census? I am most interested in George, of course, but I will honestly settle for any members of the family. I have struck out finding any of them.

I am about 90% sure that both George and his brother John C. were living in Charles County in 1860. They advertised their carriage business in the Port Tobacco Times from 1857 - 1859. In June of 1859, John Atzerodt is mentioned in an article out of Port Tobacco about a lightning strike at his home which melted part of a gun. In the 1863 draft lists, both John and Andrew (George), are listed as being unmarried and in Port Tobacco. So, it would be likely that they should be in Charles County in the 1860 census. But I can't find them anywhere even after trying a wide assortment of variations on their unique last name.

I also tried to locate them via some of their other siblings but brother Henry (Harry), and sisters Mary and Catherine are also nowhere to be found. I can't even find their mother Victoria in the 1860 census. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.

[L Verge]

Since he had fathered her child, could he have been enumerated under the household of Mrs. Wheeler?

[Christine]

I found a C Atzrodt age 20 and M Atzrodt age 17 living with a J L Smith family (born 1821 Bavaria Germ) in Westmoreland Virginia. The Atzerodt family lived in Westmoreland in 1850. Pretty sure these are his sister's Catherine and Mary. I will keep looking for others.

[Dave Taylor]

I found a C Atzrodt age 20 and M Atzrodt age 17 living with a J L Smith family (born 1821 Bavaria Germ) in Westmoreland Virginia. The Atzerodt family lived in Westmoreland in 1850. Pretty sure these are his sister's Catherine and Mary. I will keep looking for others.

Christine,

Thank you for finding George's sisters in the 1860 census. J L Smith is John Leonard Smith who married George's oldest living sister Catherine. Catherine is the C Smith in the record you found. C Atzrodt is his sister Caroline and M Atzrodt is his youngest sister Mary who would later marry Gottlieb Taubert.

If you can find any of the Atzerodt brothers or their mother, I will be forever grateful. Heck, I'd actually love to know what happened to Atzerodt's father, Johann. He's in the 1850 census with the family but that's the last record of him I've been able to find. It's assumed that he was dead by 1865, as there's nothing mentioned about him visiting his son in prison.

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Since he had fathered her child, could he have been enumerated under the household of Mrs. Wheeler?

Little Edith Atzerodt was not born until 1863 and I believe that, in 1860, Mrs. Wheeler was still married to her second husband Henry O. Rose. But, to be honest I can't find her or him in the 1860 census either. Nor can I find other Charles Countians who lived around Port Tobacco like Nicholas Crangle (a tailor who later gave statements about Atzerodt and Mrs. Wheeler) and J. Alexander Brawner (who owned the Brawner Hotel where Jones was offered $100,000 for Booth's whereabouts). I'm starting to think that a whole section of Charles County residents were missed in the 1860 census.

[L Verge]

"I'm starting to think that a whole section of Charles County residents were missed in the 1860 census."

With the impending crisis of a civil war, maybe a good portion of Port Tobacco citizens decided to "avoid" the U.S. Census taker since they did not wish to support the U.S. in any way? Do we know who the census taker was for Port Tobacco?

Is John Leonard Smith the Atzerodts' Union brother-in-law who happened to be at Surratt Tavern on March 18, 1865, when George, Herold, and Surratt stopped in to hide the kidnap weapons? Is he also the one who was with the troops who arrested Atzerodt in Germantown?

[Dave Taylor]

Is John Leonard Smith the Atzerodts' Union brother-in-law who happened to be at Surratt Tavern on March 18, 1865, when George, Herold, and Surratt stopped in to hide the kidnap weapons? Is he also the one who was with the troops who arrested Atzerodt in Germantown?

Yes, John Smith was a deputy U.S. marshal under Baltimore Provost Marshal James McPhail. He was present at the tavern when his brother was there hiding weapons. In addition to giving information which led to his brother-in-law's arrest, Smith actually took down George's "lost confession" which Joan found. I've been working on a blog post about the Atzerodt boys.

[L Verge]

Is John Leonard Smith the Atzerodts' Union brother-in-law who happened to be at Surratt Tavern on March 18, 1865, when George, Herold, and Surratt stopped in to hide the kidnap weapons? Is he also the one who was with the troops who arrested Atzerodt in Germantown?

Yes, John Smith was a deputy U.S. marshal under Baltimore Provost Marshal James McPhail. He was present at the tavern when his brother was there hiding weapons. In addition to giving information which led to his brother-in-law's arrest, Smith actually took down George's "lost confession" which Joan found. I've been working on a blog post about the Atzerodt boys.

Must have been fun going home that night and, when his wife asked, "What did you do at work today?", having to answer, "I arrested your brother as a murderer."

[Dave Taylor]

Is John Leonard Smith the Atzerodts' Union brother-in-law who happened to be at Surratt Tavern on March 18, 1865, when George, Herold, and Surratt stopped in to hide the kidnap weapons? Is he also the one who was with the troops who arrested Atzerodt in Germantown?

Yes, John Smith was a deputy U.S. marshal under Baltimore Provost Marshal James McPhail. He was present at the tavern when his brother was there hiding weapons. In addition to giving information which led to his brother-in-law's arrest, Smith actually took down George's "lost confession" which Joan found. I've been working on a blog post about the Atzerodt boys.

Must have been fun going home that night and, when his wife asked, "What did you do at work today?", having to answer, "I arrested your brother as a murderer."

In his later years, John Smith gave at least two interviews (one published posthumously) about his role in the manhunt. Like our friend Mr. A.C. Richards, Smith's role became exaggerated greatly and many parts of his story are untrue, but he does mention that his wife, "begged me not to capture" her brother.

[Christine]

Dave, you mentioned you wondered if a section of Port Tobacco was missed in the census. Have you tried a line by line search? I did that once with the 1850 census of a county in North Carolina and still didn't find who I was looking for. I just tried a search on ancestry for Port Tobacco and it doesn't come up. Any other towns close it may have been enumerated with?

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It looks like the locations in Charles County 1860 census are: Allensfresh, Bryantown, Coomes, and Hill Top. Which is closest to Port Tobacco?

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Just found Port Tobacco in Hill Top. The census taker was W T Bowling.

[Susan Higginbotham]

Dave, you mentioned you wondered if a section of Port Tobacco was missed in the census. Have you tried a line by line search? I did that once with the 1850 census of a county in North Carolina and still didn't find who I was looking for. I just tried a search on ancestry for Port Tobacco and it doesn't come up. Any other towns close it may have been enumerated with?

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It looks like the locations in Charles County 1860 census are: Allensfresh, Bryantown, Coomes, and Hill Top. Which is closest to Port Tobacco?

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Just found Port Tobacco in Hill Top. The census taker was W T Bowling.

Coomes? Interesting; that's my husband's last name. His family was originally from MD.

[Christine]

The 1860 census of Charles County starts with Allensfresh, households 1 - 339. 43 images. Images 42 & 43 are Port Tobacco, post office, but no George or siblings on those images.

The next district is Hill Top, with 46 images. Starts with family 340, Port Tobacco is the post office and enumerated on Images 1, 2, 3. No George or his siblings. Lots of Jenkins, though Image 4 begins with Doncaster (or Dancaster) as post office.

So, I didn't see any of the Atzerodts (or anyone born in Germany) listed with the Port Tobacco enumerations.

I did not do an entire line by of the whole county - there are only 168 images, so not too difficult to check them all. I am unfamiliar with most of the people surrounding them, so it would probably be better for someone who knows the history and people of the county to do it, but if you can't I would be happy to.

If anyone is not sure how to do a line by line search on ancestry (and I had to re learn how to do it this morning!), go to search, then census, then US Census collection, and then click on the census you want to search. The top of the page will be the name search. Go to the right of the page "Browse this collection" choose the state and then the county. It should show you all the enumeration districts in that county. Then choose which you want to search and start.

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I was curious about the Smith family - one of the people who caused Frederick Aiken grief when he tried to enlist was a Permelia Smith from Virginia who lodged complaints that he was a traitor to the Union. I wonder if those families are related? Perhaps that was Aiken's connection to Mrs. Surratt and the conspirators? Interesting.

[Dave Taylor]

Christine,

I did a line by line search of the Allen's Fresh district on Friday but didn't come up with any possible Atzerodts. Just to add to what you stated, you can also find those with a Port Tobacco post office on images 25 - 28 of the Allen's Fresh district as well.

I did just find J. Alexander Brawner though. He was the man who owned the St. Charles/Brawner hotel where Jones was offered his $100,000. He's transcribed as John H. Brawner, which must have thrown off my earlier searches. I believe he lived at his hotel right smack dab in the middle of Port Tobacco which is where I'm assuming George and John lived to attend their carriage business. No one around Brawner seems to be a possible Atzerodt though.