Well, the first thing I wanted to do was see if I could verify the marriage date. A quick search on Family Search (see link on right) clarified another facet: John and Irene were married on July 4, 1860. Not January 15 according to Dallas County court documents. And remember what I said about taking that extra click to view the document. Here it is:
Aside from the date, what does this document tell me? For one, it tells me that they were married in Dallas County where the Baker family was living and where Irene was working as a teacher, possibly at the Centenary Institute. I find it interesting that John went to Irene's home to get married and not the other way around. Why? That's a question I'll pursue next time.
Anyway, to get back to the original question. Why was Irene still recorded as living at home if she was already married by July 4, 1860? And since she was married, why wasn't John recorded in the August 29, 1860 census?
Here's where a little knowledge of American History and Public Administration come in handy. It's that darned red tape. The procedure for the 8th United States Census (the 1860 one) was to inquire as to those individuals who lived in the household as of June 1, 1860. Even if census takers collected information well beyond that date, all information was collected from the June 1, 1860 date. This explains why the August 29, 1860 census records Irene living at home. As of June 1, 1860 she was still living at home. John and Irene married in July 4, 1860 after the school session had ended. So even though Irene was not physically in the home in August, she was counted because she would have been there in June.
Where did John and Irene go? That's a question for another article.
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