Table of
Contents

June 1860 Name Age Occupation Where Born Alphonso Taft 49 Attorney Vermont Louise Taft 32 Housewife Massachusetts Peter Rawson Taft 78 Gentleman Massachusetts Sylvia Howard Taft 68 Vermont Charles P. Taft 16 Student Ohio Peter Rawson (Rossy) Taft 14 Student Ohio William Howard Taft 2 Ohio Henry Waters Taft 1 Ohio Anna Torrey 19 Massachusetts Margaret Mulligan 28 Cook Ireland Rosa Mulligan 20 Nurse Ireland Edward Mulligan 22 Hired Man Ireland

June 1870 Name Age Occupation Where Born Alphonso Taft 59 Judge of Superior Court Vermont Louise Taft 42 Housewife Massachusetts Charles P. Taft 26 Attorney Ohio William H. Taft 12 Student Ohio Henry W. Taft 11 Student Ohio Horace D. Taft 8 Student Ohio Fanny L. Taft 4 Ohio Mary Farrell 30 Servant Ireland Mary Conner 23 Servant Ireland John McGrath 19 Hired Man Ireland Peter R. (Rossy) Taft 24 Law Student in Europe Ohio

June 1880 Name Age Occupation Where Born Alphonso Taft 69 Lawyer Vermont Louise Taft 52 Housewife Massachusetts Peter R. Taft 34 Lawyer Ohio William Howard Taft 22 Lawyer Ohio Henry W. Taft 21 At College Ohio Horace D. Taft 18 At College Ohio Fanny L. Taft 14 Ohio Mary O'Connell 30 Servant Ireland Mary Vale 28 Servant Ireland Mary Devany 29 Servant Ireland

(U.S. Census Data)

Document 1 lists the residents and occupations of those in the Taft household during a 20-year period. It provides information on what life was like for an upper middle-class family from 1860 to 1880.

Questions for Document 1

1. Does the Taft household look like what is now called an extended family? Why do you think the older boys continued to live with their parents? Do you have grandparents or grown siblings living in your house? If so, do you think the reasons are the same now as they were in the 19th century?

2. How might Anna Torrey have been connected to the Taft family? (You may want to refer back to Reading 1 for a clue.) Why might she have been living with the family?

3. Why do you think the "occupation" column is blank for Sylvia Howard Taft, Anna Torrey, and Fanny Taft?

4. Note the place of birth of the servants. How did they reflect immigration patterns of the time?