60 Acres, 11 Pigs, and 2 Cows - Details of President Obama's Ancestors Now on Ancestry.com

PROVO, Utah, April 21 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Ancestry.com, the world's largest online family history resource, today launched online the Non-Population Census Schedules, 1850-1880 -- a unique collection of agriculture, industry/manufacturers, and social statistics that contain the names and details of more than 4 million people and businesses from the 1800s. No other collection that outlines agriculture and industry statistics this extensively is available online.

"The Non-Population Census Schedules capture one of the most interesting slices of American history," said Gary Gibb, vice president of U.S. Content for Ancestry.com. "The records offer insights into the humble beginnings of our farming ancestors, which made up a sizeable group of our early American ancestors, and those businesses that made their start in 19th-century America."

The Non-Population Census Schedules lists include Agricultural Schedules that detail total acreage of land, the value of the farm, machinery and livestock, and amount of staples (wool, cotton, grain, etc.) produced.

These schedules contain ancestors of some of the country's most famous celebrities, including (original images available):

• President Barack Obama – The President's 3rd great grandfather, Jacob Dunham, is recorded in the 1880 Kansas Agricultural Schedule as an owner of 60 acres of tilled improved land valued at $1,200. He farmed corn, oats, wheat, potatoes, tobacco, apples and peaches and owned 11 pigs, 2 cows, 2 mules, 1 horse and 20 chickens.
• Angelina Jolie – The Oscar-winning actress' 2nd great grandfather, Louis Bertrand, is recorded in the 1880 Illinois Agricultural Schedule to have owned 120 acres of tilled improved land valued at $3,400. He owned 6 horses, 5 cows, 5 pigs plus 40 chickens that produced 160 dozen eggs.
• Reese Witherspoon – The Legally Blond actress' 3rd great grandmother, Mrs. E.D. "Ellen" Witherspoon, is listed in the 1880 Texas Agricultural Schedule as an owner of 100 acres of tilled improved land that was valued at $800. The widow farmed 50 bushels of corn, 4 bales of cotton, and 500 bushels of wheat.
• Jennifer Garner – Second great grandfather to the Alias actress, George Lancaster, was listed in the 1870 and 1880 Texas Agricultural Schedules, which from the two records note the growth in his 33 acres of improved tilled land into 50 acres, which was valued at $1,200 in 1880, three times the increase from 1870. He farmed 4 acres of corn, 10 acres of cotton and 30 lbs of honey.

The Non-Populations Census Schedules also offers details for many major businesses operating during the 1800s, illustrating the impact of the Industrial Revolution.

These schedules contain some of the country's most famous businesses that started in the 19th century, including (original images available):

• Folgers coffee – Folgers was founded as The Pioneer Steam Coffee and Spice Mills back in 1850 by 27-year-old William H. Bovee. According to the Industry/Manufacturer Schedule, in 1870 the company had 7 employees and 120,000 pounds of ground coffee in its inventory. One of the seven employees was James A. Folger, who later in 1872, bought out the partners of the coffee company, and renamed it J.A. Folger & Co.
• Bausch & Lomb – Known for its optical healthcare solutions since the early 1850s, Bausch & Lomb was founded by two German immigrants, John Jacob Bausch and Henry C. Lomb.  By 1880, the company had increased to 135 employees, according to the Industry/Manufacturer Schedule. Today, 140 years later, the company has 13,000 employees globally.
• Tiffany & Co. – According to the 1880 Industry/Manufacturer Schedule, the world's premier jeweler had $100,000 in capital and $200,000 in product within their jewelry division alone. Compared to the first day of business back in 1837, when founder Charles Lewis Tiffany brought in a mere $4.98, the company made great progress in its first 40 years of operations.
• Harper's – James Harper and his brother John started their publishing business, J. & J. Harper, in 1817 and then changed its name to Harpers & Brothers in 1833. By 1870, the business was using a total of 21,000 reams of paper to print their 1.3 million books, 4.4 million weekly magazines, 1.3 million monthly magazines and 3.4 million Harper Bazaar magazines, according to the Industry/Manufacturer Schedule. Today, the company prints around 8.5 million Harper Bazaar magazines each year.

Other familiar businesses found in this collection include Macy's, Colgate, Lord & Taylor and the Milton Bradley Company.

The entire Non-Population Census Schedules, 1850-1880 collection, will be available on Ancestry.com to members and through a 14-day free trial.

Ancestry.com is a partner with NBC on the new, hit television series "Who Do You Think You Are?" and provided important family history research for the show, including tracing the roots of the seven celebrities featured.

For anyone interested in learning more about their family history, visit www.ancestry.com.

About Ancestry.com

Ancestry.com Inc. ACOM is the world's largest online family history resource, with more than one million paying subscribers. The company has digitized and put online more than 4 billion records over the past 13 years. Ancestry users have created over 14 million family trees containing nearly 1.5 billion profiles. Ancestry.com has local Web sites directed at nine countries, including its flagship Web site at www.ancestry.com.

SOURCE Ancestry.com