Handwriting of our Ancestors 
VOLUNTARY AND INVOLUNTARY INFORMATION
Several types of mistakes that resulted when individuals purposefully or unknowingly gave the census writers incorrect information. For example, some Germanic people remembered the compulsory military service requirements of the old country and did not know the laws in America. They often felt that if they divulged their correct names and ages they would be inducted into U.S. military service. To avoid being located, they would often use their middle name(s), delete their first names or surnames, or use only their christening names. Albert Martin Frederick Nass, could thus appear in the records under the following variations:
| Albert Nass | Frederick Nass |
| Albert Frederick | Martin Frederick |
| Frederick Martin | Albert Martin |
| Martin Nass |
Since the writers were being paid by the number of names they gathered, they did not always take the data from a member of the household they were visiting. Many writers traveled long distances on foot or by horse, so when they came to an empty dwelling it was common practice to have a neighbor volunteer the information. This practice compounds the errors made on the original census manuscripts, and perpetuated by indexers or researchers. Here is an example of the actual information given by the individuals themselves, and what the neighbor reported:
| Thomas James Baldwin | M 28-years old born in Ohio |
| Mary Francis Baldwin | F 26-years old born in Ohio |
| John C. Baldwin | M 5-years old born in Kansas |
| Bella E. Baldwin | F 3-years old born in Kansas |
| Rosella A. Baldwin | F 2-years old born in Illinois |
| Thomas D. Baldwin | M 6/12-years old born in Kansas |
This is what the neighbor reported:
| Thomas Baldwin | M 31-years old born in Pennsylvania |
| Mary Baldwin | F 33-years old born in Maryland |
| J. Baldwin | M 9-years old born in Ohio |
| Bell Baldwin | F 7-years old born in Ohio |
| Rose Baldwin | F 3-years old born in Ohio |
| Thom Baldwin Jun. | M 2-years old born in Kansas |
As you can see, the information provided by the neighbor was somewhere within the realm of truth, but by no means accurate.