Archibald Gardner: 1900 Census

Between the 1880 and 1900 censuses, Margaret Livingston had died in 1893, and Laura Althea Thompson had died in 1899. In 1900, Archibald was living with Jane Park and their son Reuben in West Jordan. Serena was living in Spanish Fork, Utah with her children, and Mary Larsen was in Afton, Wyoming with her children. Following is the census image for Archibald. (1900 U.S. Census of West Jordan, Salt Lake, Utah, ED #67, p. 223, sheet 9A)

The next image is for Serena's census entry. She was living with her son, so her surname was listed as Evenson. (1900 U.S. Census of Spanish Fork, Utah, Utah, ED #166, p. 288, sheet 17B)

The last image is the listing for Mary Larsen and her family. Notice that her mother, Sena Heiselt, was living with her. (1900 U.S. Census of Star Valley, Uinta, Wyoming, ED #64, p. 207, sheet 8B)

Archibald Gardner: 1880 Census

By 1880, Abigail Sprague Bradford had passed away, and Elizabeth Lewis and Elizabeth Dowding had divorced Archibald. Elizabeth Lewis moved away, and Elizabeth Dowding married Allen Hall. Four of the remaining wives were listed in the Gardner household in West Jordan, and Serena was still living in Spanish Fork. She was enumerated with her first husband's surname. Below is the West Jordan listing of the Gardner household. (1880 U.S. Census of West Jordan, Salt Lake, Utah, ED #59, p. 306, families 119-120)

The second image is the listing of Serena and her household in Spanish Fork. At Ancestry.com, she is indexed as Lerina Evanson. (1880 U.S. Census of Spanish Fork, Utah, Utah, ED #83, p. 203, family 124)

Archibald Gardner: 1870 Census

By the time the 1870 census was taken, several of Archibald's wives were no longer with him. Mary Ann Bradford Gardner had died in 1864, and the census supports the family tradition that Mary Ann's children were raised by Elizabeth Eleanor Lewis during this time period. Sarah Jane Hamilton had divorced him and married Samuel Howard, and Harriet Armitage had divorced him and remarried her first husband, Henry Larter. The remainder of the family was listed together in West Jordan, Utah, except for Serena, who was enumerated in Spanish Fork. It is interesting that the wives were not listed by their maiden names this time, but they were all listed as Gardners. Fanny, the Indian girl, was enumerated in Althea's household. (1870 U.S. Census of West Jordan, Salt Lake, Utah, p. 535, families 1-7)

Below is the record of Serena and her family. (U.S. Census of Spanish Fork, Utah, Utah, p. 308, family 54)

It's unfortunate that the writing is somewhat faint for this census, as well as the fact that the images are blurred at Ancestry.com and FamilySearch.org Historical Records. It looks like they may have both been scanned from the same blurry microfilm. The above images were located at HeritageQuestOnline.com.

Archibald Gardner: 1860 Census

In 1860, Archibald Gardner was enumerated in the census of Utah in two different locations. In Salt Lake City, he was listed with Althea, but the next five households enumerate six more wives under their maiden or previous married names. Because the mother's surname is dittoed, the children are listed under their mothers' maiden names. (1860 U.S. Census of Salt Lake County, Utah, p. 245.) Clicking on the images will show a larger view.

In Spanish Fork, Archibald was enumerated with Margaret and Serena. Since they are all listed in the same household, the children are listed as Gardners. Because of the practice of using dittoes, Serena's Evensen children are also listed as Gardners. (1860 U.S. Census of Spanish Fork, Utah, Utah, p. 213-214.)

Archibald Gardner: 1850 census

When searching the population schedules of the 1850 federal census in Utah, it's important to remember that polygamy was widespread and also illegal. When the government representatives visited to record information about a household, many of the women used maiden names or earlier married names rather than document their polygamous marriage in a federal record. It's also important to realize that the 1850 census of Utah was actually enumerated in 1851. Although the data was supposed to be recorded as of the census day, 1 June 1850, ages and household residents frequently reported information accurate for 1851.

In 1850, Archibald Gardner was married to three women, and he married a fourth wife in 1851. However, the census appears to record one wife. Below is the census record of Archibald's household. Notice that he is enumerated with his first wife, Margaret, and their children. [1850 U.S. Census of Salt Lake County, Utah, p. 100, household and family number 471.]

On the next page of the census, the first household enumerated is that of Abigail Bradford, Archibald's second wife, who was using a previous married surname. Abigail's first child was Mary Ann, who was also married to Archibald, but was listed under her maiden name. The household listing then includes the remainder of Abigail and Hial Bradford's children, ending with two of Archibald's children. Abigail Gardner, daughter of Abigail and Archibald, was listed as Abigail Bradford. Mary Elizabeth Gardner, daughter of Mary Ann and Archibald, was listed as Elizabeth Bradford. The last person in the household, Elizabeth Lewis, appears to be an unrelated person. In fact, she was Archibald's fourth wife. [1850 U.S. Census of Salt Lake County, Utah, p. 101, household and family number 472.]

Notice that Archibald's brother, Robert Gardner, was listed next, with Archibald's parents, Robert and Margaret Gardner, a few entries further down the page.