Do Census Enumerator's Notes exist for the 1870 U.S. Federal Census (California)?

Thank you for starting this discussion. 

Census enumerators received a set of instructions on how to record the responses received during their work.  The instructions for the earlier census years were usually vague.  Reviewing them, we found that the instructions don’t give any information about taking notes or listing groups separately.  Frequently, the enumerators, as government clerks, made their own decisions while in the field.  Therefore, it could be that an enumerator in a specific county or area chose to complete these forms in a certain way and we may never know why.  NARA does not have a separate series of census enumerator notes or reports. 

It would help if we knew exactly what county you’re looking at and if you’ve compared it to others to see if this practice was widespread.  If it was, then there could have been a policy for that state, even though the instructions don’t say anything.  You can email NARA a copy of what you’re referring to at archives1reference@nara.gov.  I don't know if that will help us figure out the situation, but we could do a bit more digging into the administrative records. 

I hope this helps you with your research. 

This response was compiled by Ms. Cherkea Howery.