Census Sunday – The Same Family 10 Years Later?

There are Alfords climbing all over my family tree. some are swinging on the branches and waving at me. Others ar e hiding behind the trunk. My great grandfather was Edwin Barksdale Alford [1792 – 1878 MS]. I found him in the 1850 census but not the 1860 census. That 1850 census shows his half-brother, William Alford [b c 1800] living nearby. Perhaps, if I found William in 1860, I would find Edwin as well. I did not end up finding Edwin but went off in a different direction, tracking down William.

I looked at the details about William & family in 1850, Pike Co., MS. His wife was Eveline and they had nine children. I already had William & Eveline’s names from: Creel, Bevin J. A Patriot's Legacy: The Family of Richard Dillon and Ann Lawrence From Bertie County, North Carolina To Southern Mississippi and Louisiana. Franklinton, Louisiana: Privately Printed, 2002. I copied down the 1850 information.

Then, with a quick search, I advanced ten years and found William & Eveline Alford in Pike Co., MS in 1860. Once I looked past the names & location I had second thoughts. The names of the children were different, or were they? I was not sure at all. I made a simple excel spreadsheet to help me untangle and compare the two reports.

William Alford Family

William Alford Family in 1850 & 1860 US Census, Pike Co., MS

Understanding that these reports are not always accurate with ages and name spelling, and knowing that children marry or die between reports, I believe these are both the same family. What do you think?