A portion of the 1870 Federal Census for Millersburg, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, showing the household of Malachi Bird, a 30-year old barber. The household included Malachi’s wife and three children as well as two boarders whose occupations were given as barbers. The place of birth of all in the household was either not given or was outside Pennsylvania, indicating that this family was part of the post-Civil War migration into the Lykens Valley area.
In the 1870 Census, the designation for Blacks was either Black (“B”) or Mulatto (“M”). The three largest concentration of Blacks were in Millersburg, Halifax/Halifax Township, and Gratz, with smaller concentration in Wiconisco Township and Jackson Township. Blacks in Gratz were all part of the Crabb family, which had lived there since the early 1820s. The census shows that one member of this family moved to Lykens Township and another, with his family moved to Wiconisco Township (in 1870, there were parts of Wiconisco Township that were on the north side of Short Mountain).
New families to the Lykens Valley area included Kelley, Pink, Bird, Jones and Brooks. In addition to the families, there were several individuals who arrived in the area.
The two occupations that stand out in this census are blacksmith and barber. There was also one farmer, one teamster one hostler, and several laborers. Many of the Black residents of the valley area were children, and therefore had no occupation given. The occupation of the wives was left blank in all cases; presumably “keeping house” was their obligation as wives.
One white person is listed in the tables below, because she is the wife of the head of the household. The children listed were all hers and they are classified as Mulatto, as was her husband.
The 1870 Census is key to understanding the migration into the Lykens Valley area, which would have occurred from the Civil War period to 1870. Likewise, the 1880 Census is key to tracing what happened to these families, whether they stayed in the valley or not, and why. The 1870 Census is also the first to not include persons held in bondage (slaves), although there were none as such in the Lykens Valley area in 1860. What has not been fully researched is the social impact of the Black v. Mulatto designation, i.e., why the separation into these two categories and whether there was some benefit to advancement in being classified as Mulatto.
The tables below summarize the ages, race (Black or Mulatto), gender, and occupations of those Blacks living in 1880 communities in the Upper Dauphin County area. Most of the communities had no Blacks. For more complete information, for example, the birthplace of the individual and parents, reference to the actual census sheet is required.
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Berrysburg
None.
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Elizabethville
See Washington Township.
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Gratz
| Name | Age | Race | Gender | Occupation | Notes |
| Jeremiah Crabb | 44 | Mulatto | Male | Blacksmith | Head of Household |
| Mary M. Crabb | 46 | Mulatto | Female | Keeping House | Wife of Jeremiah |
| Amanda Crabb | 24 | Mulatto | Female | Daughter |
| Benjamin Crabb | 46 | Mulatto | Male | Blacksmith | Head of Household |
| Mary Crabb | 38 | Mulatto | Female | Keeping House | Wife of Benjamin |
| Ellen Crabb | 17 | Mulatto | Female | Daughter | |
| Jeremiah Crabb | 15 | Mulatto | Male | Apprentice Blacksmith | Son |
| William Crabb | 1 | Mulatto | Male | Son | |
| Laura Crabb | 4 | Mulatto | Female | Daughter |
| Edward Crabb | 37 | Mulatto | Male | Shoemaker | Head of Household |
| Catharine Crabb | 23 | Mulatto | Female | Keeping House | Wife of Edward |
| William Crabb | 4 | Mulatto | Male | Son | |
| Ida C. Crabb | 2 | Mulatto | Female | Daughter | |
| Margaret Crabb | 7/12 | Mulatto | Female | Daughter |
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Halifax and Halifax Township
| William Rowland | 13 | Mulatto | Male | Servant at Hotel | Hotel of John Marsh |
| Jacob Kelley | 61 | Mulatto | Male | Laborer | Head of Household |
| Lydia A. Kelley | 50 | White | Female | Keeping House | Wife of Jacob |
| Mary A. Kelley | 17 | Mulatto | Female | Daughter | |
| Susan Kelley | 15 | Mulatto | Female | Daughter | |
| John Kelley | 11 | Mulatto | Male | Son | |
| Josiah Kelley | 8 | Mulatto | Male | Son | |
| Catherine Kelley | 6 | Mulatto | Female | Daughter | |
| Lovina Kelley | 5 | Mulatto | Female | Daughter | |
| Thomas Kelley | 4 | Mulatto | Male | Son |
| Lewis Jay | 7 | Mulatto | Male | Servant | James Freeland Household |
| Noah Pink | 45 | Black | Male | None stated | Head of Household |
| Sarah Pink | 43 | Black | Female | None stated | Wife of Noah |
| William Pink | 11 | Black | Male | Son | |
| John Pink | 6 | Black | Male | Son |
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Jackson Township
| George Kelley | 61 | Mulatto | Male | Farmer | Head of Household |
| Mary Kelley | 45 | Mulatto | Female | Wife of George | |
| William Kelley | 13 | Mulatto | Male | Son | |
| Catherine | 10 | Mulatto | Female | Daughter | |
| Julita Kelley | 7 | Mulatto | Female | Daughter | |
| Annie Kelley | 4 | Mulatto | Female | Daughter | |
| Manda Kelley | 1 | Mulatto | Female | Daughter |
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Jefferson Township
None.
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Lykens Borough
See Wiconisco Township.
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Lykens Township
| George Crabb | 40 | Mulatto | Male | Blacksmith | Thomas Hall Household |
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Mifflin Township including Uniontown (Pillow)
None.
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Millersburg
| William Peirce | 23 | Black | Male | Servant | Francis Wenrick Household |
| Lydia Feidt | 54 | Black | Female | Domestic Servant | Jesse Auchmuty Boarding House |
| Malachi Bird | 30 | Black | Male | Barber | Head of Household |
| Ellen M. Bird | 21 | Mulatto | Female | Wife of Malachi | |
| Elizabeth Bird | 6 | Black | Female | Daughter | |
| Martha J. Bird | 4 | Black | Female | Daughter | |
| George W. Bird | 2 | Black | Male | Son | |
| William Sensey | 20 | Black | Male | Barber | Boarder |
| Henry Green | 19 | Black | Male | Barber | Boarder |
| Robert Jones | 28 | Black | Male | Teamster | Head of Household |
| Francis Jones | 23 | Black | Female | Wife of Robert | |
| William K. Jones | 1 | Black | Male | Son |
| John A. Brooks | 23 | Black | Male | Laborer | Head of Household |
| Sarah J. E. Brooks | 21 | Black | Female | Wife of John | |
| Thomas Hardy | 20 | Black | Male | Laborer | Boarder |
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Reed Township
| Benjamin Calbert | 30 | Mulatto | Male | Hostler | Melchor Miller Hotel |
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Rush Township
None.
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Uniontown (Pillow)
None.
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Upper Paxton Township
| Alexandria Jones | 18 | Black | Male | Servant | Henry Billman Household |
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Washington Township & Elizabethville
None.
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Wiconisco Township & Lykens Borough
| Adam Cox | 45 | Mulatto | Male | Barber | Boarder of Abel Wise |
| Peter Crabb | 25 | Mulatto | Male | Shoeing for Coal Company | Head of Household |
| Annie Crabb | 23 | Mulatto | Female | Keeping House | Wife of Peter |
| Wellington J. Crabb | 7/12 | Mulatto | Male | Son |
| Wench Cox | 12 | Mulatto | Female | None stated | Jacob Coller Household |
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Williams Township including Williamstown
None.
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Census information from Ancestry.com.
Corrections and additional information should be added as comments to this post.