Census Occupation Notation

[Little Jo]

I have been reading a census compiled near a military fort and a certain household has peaked my curiosity. Not saying that this particular household was one, I began to wonder how a census taker treated a house of prostitutes.

[CL Preston]

Re: Census Occupation Notation

The ones I have seen (that I have known to have been brothels from other research) have simply listed the women as "boarders" either with no occupation listed or called "servant" and the madam as the "proprietor of lodging house". Apparently they have also been listed as seamstresses and laundresses, though I haven't personally seen any of those listings. I imagine it depended on how discreet they were trying to be.

I did see a census page for Belle Fourche, SD in 1910, with a famous brothel madam listed as Proprietor of Resort, and the women there as listed as boarders, their occupations "inmates in a resort".

[Elaine Kessinger]

Re: Census Occupation Notation

The 1860 federal census of Hagerstown, MD includes a head of household who's occupation is listed as "Bawdy House" and fellow residents listed with the occupation of "prostitute."

Another term often used in period, not used much today is "cyprian".

[Busterbuttonboy]

Re: Census Occupation Notation

Can we produce either a scan or quotation from the census concerning this.

[Little Jo]

Re: Census Occupation Notation

It is listed at the bottom of the page. There are an additional two girls on the next census page (not shown).

[Elaine Kessinger]

Re: Census Occupation Notation

US Federal Census, Hagerstown, Washington Co. MD

Pg. 13
Dwelling #87, "Family" #107
Anne Love, Bawdy House
Margaret Allison, Prostitute
Elizabeth Hurley, "

Pg. 14
Dwelling #87, "Family" #107, con't
Kate Hicks, Prostitute
Mary Farntune, "


Pg. 66
Dwelling # 135, "Family" #150
Catherine Young, Prostitute
Mary E. Hellman, "
Georgiana Bostick, "

pg. 77
Dwelling #220, "Family" #246
Julia Farrest, Prostitute

pg.78
Dwelling #224, "Family" #251
Sarah Jumper, Prostitute

Dwelling #225, "Family" #252
Sarah A. Tall, Prostitute

Dwelling #226, "Family" #254
Roseanna Zimmerman, Prostitute

Dwelling #227, "Family" #255
Mary Shafer, Prostitute

Pg. 80
Dwelling #237, "Family" #267
Jane Matthews, Prostitute

Dwelling #243, "Family" #274
Elizabeth Feigley, Prostitute

Pg. 86
Dwelling #289,"Family" #333
Melinda Walters, Prostitute

[Trish Hasenmueller]

Re: Census Occupation Notation

The ages of the women in Anne Love's house interests me...Anne, 60, George (Her son?) 20, Margaret 26, Elizabeth 30. What about the ones on the next page? I always had been led to believe that a prostitute would be younger in age than these women.

Trish Hasenmueller

[colorsgt26nc]

Re: Census Occupation Notation

Poor George.

[Little Jo]

Re: Census Occupation Notation

http://s1215.photobucket.com/albums/cc513/jo_byrum/Census/

The households that are mentioned by Elaine.

[bizzilizzit]

Re: Census Occupation Notation

The ages of the women in Anne Love's house interests me...Anne, 60, George (Her son?) 20, Margaret 26, Elizabeth 30. What about the ones on the next page? I always had been led to believe that a prostitute would be younger in age than these women.

Trish Hasenmueller

Many Madams/Boarding House Owners were older women - 40s to 60s. Lower class brothels also had older women (30s-40s) working as prostitutes because they could not get work in the middle and upper class brothels which featured young ladies or girls for more $$. Maybe the older ladies looked REALLY good or perhaps they had, er, special skills, that the younger ladies lacked :confused_
Was George's last name Love? I missed that. If not, he may have been an employee - like a bouncer/handyman - depending on the class of house. Or even the Madam's lover :wink_smil
William Sanger's work "The History of Prostitution" shows results of an 1855 census taken in NYC specifically relating to prostitutes, showing their ages, previous occupations, nationalities, etc.

[Elaine Kessinger]

Re: Census Occupation Notation

I found it interesting that in several listings only one woman in the household was listed as a "prostitute", yet all of the household members had the same last name.

[bizzilizzit]

Re: Census Occupation Notation

I found it interesting that in several listings only one woman in the household was listed as a "prostitute", yet all of the household members had the same last name.

Some theorize that women in the same blood family would work together in the same brothel - one gal would "brag" about the "easy" work and great pay, which would entice her sisters, cousins, etc. to join her. Another theory is that the women working in a house would take the last name of the Madam, which was most likely false. This way the girls could have some anonymity and the house could "pass" as a legitimate family household.