Kerr: Census captures snapshot of Stafford before and after the Civil War

In capturing the “before and after” of the American Civil War in Stafford County, nothing quite illustrates the stark differences than the U.S. Census conducted in 1860 and again 1870.  

In 1860, Stafford was one of the largest and most prosperous communities in Virginia.  The population was 8,555.  The occupations in the census report reflected a dynamic community.  There were several doctors, a bank president, wheelwrights (men who made and repaired wagon wheels), coopers (barrel makers) and several blacksmiths.  However, by far, the most common vocation was farmer.

There were some unusual listings in the 1860 census reports.  These were professions that reflected the more lively nature of this pre-Civil War world.  Edward Piperbring, born in Prussia, was listed as a candy maker.  John Cox was a fifer.  Stafford was also home to future novelist Emma Garrison.  She was 23 years old in 1860 and already writing for various periodicals. She would later write a number of popular novels.

Like the rest of the South in 1860, Stafford had a sinister side to its character: slavery.  Of that relatively large population listed in the 1860, 3,314 were slaves.  Under the U.S. Constitution, they were counted as three-fifths of a person for representation purposes, but otherwise weren’t recorded by name in the census.  They were property.

That’s not to say African Americans didn’t leave a mark on the census report.  There were numerous freemen, including a self-employed boatman named Robin Daggs, independent wagon driver Robert Jennings and  free blacks who were farm hands, factory workers and housekeepers.

But, what a difference a decade can make.  Five years after the end of the Civil War, Stafford was devastated.  By the time the 1870 census was completed, it was a shell of its former self.  Its population, thanks both to the flight of African Americans from bondage, as well as many whites looking for a new start somewhere else, had fallen by 25%.  The musician was gone and so was the candy maker. Emma Garrison had moved to Washington.  Farming was still the principal occupation; however, much of it was at the subsistence level.  

Still, there were bright spots.  There were mill operators, a few doctors, plasterers and grocers.  Several African Americans were listed as owning their own farms. That was a major change in their status.  They were also listed as working as blacksmiths, wheelwrights and coopers.

However, the county was not what it once was.  Its economy was broken and stagnant.  It wouldn’t recover economically, nor would it recover its pre-war population, until well into the 20th century.

David Kerr, a former member of the Stafford School Board, is an instructor in political science at VCU. He can be reached at info@insidenova.com.