JOHN WHITAKER 1795 CENSUS ANALYSIS

1830 US CENSUS, Vermillion County, Illinois Page 108 John Whiteacre
Males 0-5 5-10 10-15 15-20 20-30 30-40	- 2 George, Prior 1 James 0 0 0 1 John Whitaker	Females 0-5 5-10 10-15 15-20 20-30 30-40	- 1 - unknown 1 - unknown 2 Elizabeth, Mary 0 1 Dorcas Whitaker* 0

** We believe one of the unknown females is Melvina Whiteaker, born between 1820 and 1822.

1836 Iowa State Census - Demoine County, Iowa page 86 John Whitaker
Males over 21 - - -4 Males under 21 - - 3	Females over 21 - - -3 Females under 21 - - 1

This census is so out of line that we are not even trying to analyze it. There must have been a second family living with them, or a "whole bunch" of cousins etc.

1840 US CENSUS, Jefferson County, Iowa pg 144 John Whitaker
Males 0-5 5-10 10-15 15-20 20-30 30-40 40-50	- 0 2 - Prior, John C 1 - George 0 3 - James, 2 unknown 0 1 - John Whitaker	Females 0-5 5-10 10-15 15-20 20-30 30-40 40-50	- 1 - Isabel 2 - Rhoda, Francis 0 1 - Unknown 0 0 1 - Dorcas Whitaker

There are two "Unknown female children" in the 1830 census, and one in the 1840 census. More than likely, one of them died before 1840. The one in the under 5 in the 1830 should be in the 10-15 in 1840 and isn't. The other is present in the 1840 census - the one who was in the 5-10 bracket in 1830 and 15-20 in 1840.

We have no idea who the two "unknown males" are in the 20-30 age bracket. However, we do not believe they are children of John and Dorcas Whitaker. Perhaps nephews of one or the other, or cousins.

1850 U.S. CENSUS, Ft. Madison, Lee County, Iowa
page 515b, enum 19 August, 1850
Household 123/123

WHITAKER, John 55 M (does not list occ) $1000 VA
Sarah 41 F
Prior 21 M
Rhoda 19 F
Francis J 17 F
John 15 M
Mary 14 F
Isabel 14 F
Virginia 12 F
Joseph 11 M
Eldridge 5 M

Note: Census does not list state of birth for anyone but John Whitaker

Prior, Rhoda, Francis J., John and Isabel are confirmed children of John and Dorcas Whitaker.

Mary, age 14, must be a Holtzclaw child or someone else living there. In 1840 there was only one child under the age of 5 which had to be Isabel (confirmed by her marriage record in Missouri listing Whitaker as her last name).

Virginia, age 12, must be a Holtzclaw child or someone else living there. In 1840 there was only one child under the age of 5 which had to be Isabel (confirmed by her marriage record in Missouri listing Whitaker as her last name).

Joseph, age 11, must be a Holtzclaw child or someone else living there. In 1840 there were no males under the age of 5.

Eldridge - age 5. This is Eldridge Campbell, born January 17, 1845 to a James Campbell and Melvina Whiteaker. His last name is confirmed in the 1860 census. James Campbell and Melvina Whiteaker were married in Claiborne County, Tennessee as follows:

Marriage License issued to James Campbell and Melvina Whiteaker August 14, 1843, by Wiley Huffaker, Clerk. John Hurst, J.P. celebrated the Rites of Matrimony August 15, 1843.

QUESTION OF WHY ELDRIDGE CAMPBELL IS LIVING WITH JOHN WHITAKER IN 1850 AND 1860

We believe it is fairly obvious that something happened to his parents, James Campbell and Melvina Whiteaker, sometime between January 17, 1845 (when Eldridge was born) and 19 August 1850 (date of 1850 census). It is also quite obvious that John Whitaker took him into his home at a tender age and raised him. Why?

John Whiteaker is listed as the legal guardian of Eldridge Campbell, a minor, in estate papers in Claiborne County, Tennessee in 1859. However, the full estate papers have not yet been found listing who the deceased was and why John Whiteaker was the legal guardian.

It has been asked by a Whiteaker researcher as to why would Melvina travel all the way back to Claiborne County, Tennessee from her home in Iowa to be married on 15 August 1843 to a James Campbell. There were strong ties, familial and legal, between the Whiteaker family, the Campbell family of Dorcas Campbell and various legal issues John Whiteaker was involved in. It could be argued that perhaps Melvina was in Claiborne County to help with her grandparents. If she is the firstborn of the two unknown females, then she was born between 1820 and 1825. Thus in August 1843 she would have been between 18 and 23. No parental consent is shown on the marriage records, so we are presuming she was above 21 - putting her birth date between 1820 and 1822. The other unknown female would have been born between 1825 and 1830.

We believe there is a preponderance of circumstantial evidence using the various documents and United States Government Census Returns to prove that Melvina Whiteaker, mother of Eldridge Campbell and wife of a James Campbell, was indeed one of the two unknown females listed in the 1830 census - the one in the "5 to 10" bracket. And that she was the only unknown female listed in the 1840 census - the one in the "15 to 20" bracket. We may never know the identify of the other younger unknown female, as we believe she died between 1830 and 1840.