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The Lanhams of Maryland and the District of Columbia Compiled by Dr. Howard G. Lanham

Lanhams in the 1820 Maryland and District of Columbia Census



1820 census

William and Lewis Lanhams in the 1820 Census of Prince George's Co., Maryland
The above image is of two pages from the Vansville District of Prince George's County showing the compiler's ancestors Lewis Lanham and his son William Lanham. Census records will often help confirm and support other records. We have no birth record for William Lanham but the census places him in a 26-44 category (born between 1776 and 1794). One boy is in the household, who would be his son, William L. Lanham. There are no females in his household. His second wife, Willy Ann Clarke, had died and his daughter, Mary Ann Thomas Lanham is missing and may have been sent to live with relatives. On November 21, 1820 William would marry Tabitha Beall. Notice the number of Beall households in the neighborhood. Census records are useful in this regard in that she may have come from one of these households. On December 31, 1820 William Lanham died. His father Lewis Lanham appears on the next page. Two of Lewis' sons do not appear separately in the census and may account for two of the three other males in the household. Lewis' wife, Martha Mitchell accounts for the oldest female. She died September 10, 1820. There are no records naming all of Lewis' children so we are uncertain regarding the other two females, but it may be the young child is the missing Mary Ann Thomas Lanham, granddaughter of Lewis. We do not know the exact date that these households were enumerated but it appears to have been the fall of 1820. Benjamin Lanham married Harriett White April 23, 1820 and she may be the third female age 16-25, rather than an unmarried daughter of Lewis. I present this as an exercise in census interpretation.

The following is a transcription of Lanham entries in the 1820 census. The District of Columbia first appears separately in the Census 1800. There may be some missing individuals but the list is fairly complete when compared to other sources.



District of Columbia

White Males 0-9 White Males 10-15 White Males 16-18 White Males 16-25
Head of House 		White Males 26-44 White Males 45 & up White Females 0-9 White Females 10-15 White Females 16-25 White Females 26-44 White Females 45 & up Slaves Free Black
Elisha Lanham
5th Ward 		2 0 0 1 5 0 1 0 1 2 0 0 0
Elisha Lannum
Georgetown 		1 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0
John Lanham
6th Ward 		0 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0
Sarg Lannum
1st Ward 		0 0 0 13 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Verlinda Lanham
4th Ward 		1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0
William Lanham
2nd Ward 		1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 1 0 0

The unusual household of Sarg Lannum appears to be a military unit with the senior noncommissioned officer as Sergeant Lannum. That would explain the large number of males all the same age and no females. The next name is "Colonel Lavall." Retired Colonel Jacint Laval (c.1762-1822) served as a military storekeeper and may be the Colonel Lavall of the census. As a military storekeeper he would have been associated with a military post. I do not know who Sergeant Lannum might have been or which military post within the district.



Frederick County, Maryland

White Males 0-9 White Males 10-15 White Males 16-18 White Males 16-25
Head of House 		White Males 26-44 White Males 45 & up White Females 0-9 White Females 10-15 White Females 16-25 White Females 26-44 White Females 45 & up Slaves Free Black
William Lanham
1st E.D. 		0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0


Montgomery County, Maryland

White Males 0-9 White Males 10-15 White Males 16-18 White Males 16-25
Head of House 		White Males 26-44 White Males 45 & up White Females 0-9 White Females 10-15 White Females 16-25 White Females 26-44 White Females 45 & up Slaves Free Black
Aquilla Lanham
3rd E.D. 		0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 2 0 10 0
Eleanor Lanham
4th E.D. 		0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0
Lloyd Lanham
4th E.D. 		0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0


Prince George's County

White Males 0-9 White Males 10-15 White Males 16-18 White Males 16-25
Head of House 		White Males 26-44 White Males 45 & up White Females 0-9 White Females 10-15 White Females 16-25 White Females 26-44 White Females 45 & up Slaves Free Black
Bartheba Lanham
Piscataway Dist. 		0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 11 0
Cloe Lanham
Piscataway Dist. 		0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0
George Lanham
Piscataway Dist. 		0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0
Geo H. Lanham
Piscataway Dist. 		2 0 1 2 0 1 2 2 0 1 0 19 0
Henry W. Lanham
Piscataway Dist. 		0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 0
Horatio Lanham
Piscataway Dist. 		1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 5 0
Ignatius Lanham
Queen Anne Dist. 		0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
Julia Lanham
Piscataway Dist. 		0 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 14 0
Lewis Lanham
Vansville Dist. 		0 0 0 1 2 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0
William Lanham
Vansville Dist. 		1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 0

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