Who are you, Joe? - a research case study - part 2

... continued from last time.

I had to wait a few days before I could head the local Family History Center to look up Ada Rose Taylor's 1880 US Census. So I thought I might search for a Joseph Taylor on FindAGrave.com, and narrowed the search to Utah. There were 60 matches! And remember, I didn't know his birth date or even death date. I tried to look through those that died before 1880, because I thought since he wasn't in the census with his family that he may have died already. But still, too many options. So I just had to wait.

Then, I finally got the image of the 1880 census -

Source:

Ada is listed with her mother.. Here's the transcription:

Dwelling 72, Family 72, Lines 9-15
Line 9. Taylor, Hannah M. W, F, 45. Wife, Married, Keeping House. Pob: North Wales, father pob: North Wales, mother pob: England.
Line 10. -----, James H. W, M, 21. Son, Single, Farm Hand. Pob: Utah, father pob: Kentucky, mother pob: North Wales.
Line 11. -----, Heber. W, M, 20. Son, Single, Farm Hand. Pob: Utah, father pob: Kentucky, mother pob: North Wales.
Line 12. -----, Franklin D. W, M, 15. Son, Single, Farm Hand. Pob: Utah, father pob: Kentucky, mother pob: North Wales.
Line 13. -----, Ada Rose. W, F, 7. Daughter. Pob: Utah, father pob: Kentucky, mother pob: North Wales.
Line 14. -----, Eveline. W, F, 5. Daughter. Pob: Utah, father pob: Kentucky, mother pob: North Wales.
Line 15. -----, Elizabeth. W, F, 88. Mother, Widowed. Infirmity from age, maimed, crippled, bedridden or otherwise disabled.  Pob: Virginia, father pob: Virginia, mother pob: Virginia.

Notice anything - go ahead, take a good look. Click on the image to see it larger.

Hanna M. Taylor, Ada's mother, is not listed as the "Head" of household, she's listed as "Wife". Also, she's not listed as "Widow" as I expected, but rather as "Married". But where is her husband?

Looking back at the census image I found him in the previous Dwelling with his other wife!

Dwelling 71, Family 71, Lines 5-8
Line 5. Taylor, Joseph. W, M, 55. Married, Farmer. pob: Kentucky, father pob: North Carolina, mother pob: Virginia
Line 6. -----, Jane. W, F, 49. Wife, Married, Keeping House. Pob: Upper Canada, father pob: New York, mother pob: Vermont.
Line 7. -----, Elizabeth. W, F, 14. Daughter, Single, at home. Attended school during census year. Pob: Utah, father pob: Kentucky, mother pob: upper Canada.
Line 8. -----, Amanda. W, F, 10. Daughter, Single, at school. Attended school during census year. Pob: Utah, father pob: Kentucky, mother pob: upper Canada.

So, apparently Joseph Taylor was in the 1880 census all along, but if I hadn't pulled up the original image and just based my findings on the index, I may have never have known that!

Where to go from here? To be continued ....