1850. ÉVI ERDÉLYI NÉPSZÁMLÁLÁS (1994)

HELYNÉVMUTATÓ

The subsequent questions regard the marital status of those included in the census. The categories used were those of never-married males, never-married females, married and divorced whereby the last two were given also in a male-female breakdown. The respective note indicated only that "for the filling-in no enlightenment is necessary." After that followed the declaration of nationality group-belonging about which the instruction stipulated that it should be indicated by the person concerned whith one word "either he-she belongs to the majority or not". In the case of minor children the nationality grop-belonging of their parents were adopted. According to our experiences, the practice of carrying out the survey was characterized by the greatest accuracy and minuteness of detail. Not only Hungarians and Szekelys, Saxons and Germans were differentiated but the designations of "Swabian", "Austrian", "Lotharingian", "Czeh", "Illyrian", Galician", "Armenian", "Italian" and "Greek" were also used. In the original questionnaire there was one rubric left for the answer and the population was subsequently broken down by the various categories on the basis of the answers fillend in. It is on the basis of this later breakdown that the data of the Hungarians, the Szekelys, the Saxons, the Germans, the Roumanians, the Gypsies, the Armenians, the Jews and of those of other nationality groups are published by us. It is to be stressed that is was not the mother tongue but the nationality group-belonging which was asked, in Transylvania the two were always different rather unambiguously and among the overwhelming majority of the population this problem appeared in a strongly polarized form during and after the war of liberation. Consequently, the differences merge with each other only within the rublics of the Hungarians and Szekelys and, respectively,of Germans and Saxons and such examples can actually be found in great number in the population data of the special Szekely and Saxon administrative areas. In both cases the inhabitants were aware of their belonging to a greater community of common language and of their separation having been caused not so much by their origin, past and history as by their specific legal situation. It was the preservation of their privilegies which had mad them different and given a specific clang to the designation "szekely" and "saxon" without having causing them to ever renounce their language and ethnic unity with the Hungarian and, respectively, the German community.

3 The differences in the declarations of nationality group-belonging originated from the priority the person concerned gave at the moment to the one or to the other consideration with regard to his nationality group belonging. It is conspicuous that all the inhabitants of one Szekely special administrative district declared themselves to be szekelys while all the inhabitants of an other Szekely special administrative area declared themselves to be Hungarians, but there were also mixed localities. It is probable that those directing the work in the various districts may have also influenced the population with regard to the filling-in of their nationality group-belonging. After that following questions important from the military point of view: the number of males aged 17-26 years was asked by years of age. when establishing the age completed years were taken into consideration, according to the example given in the order, at the 1850 population census all those born 1832 had to be registered as being aged 17 years. In conclusion, the number of those being absent for a longer time in the country, in other crown lands and in foreign countries and the number of foreigners in the locality were asked, all in a breakdown by males and females. In the rubric "remarks" changes experienced in the course of the yearly inspection (births, deaths, inand out-migrations) had to be indicated. An independent sheet had to be filled out about each family (tenant) independently of their being a married couple (with or without children),a window or alone persons. No independent sheet had to be filled out about unmarried male relatives belonging to the household but an independent sheet had to be drawn up about each unhabited house with the remark "at present unhabited". One sheet had to be filled in about persons living jointly in raonastries, hospitals, scientific institutions, educational establishments, orphanages and in military barracks. A special sheet (sample B) served for the collection of the data of foreigners. Paragraph 16 listed the steps of the conducting of the population census and the punishments of those who kept away from it or communicated untruthful data. The punishment went up to 10 silver forints and who could not pay was imprisoned for up to a week. It was laid down too that the conscription of the people was to be carried out not from house to house but the house-owners and all those who had to fill out independent sheets were summoned to the parish house to make their declarations. The further part of the instruction is about the way different summaries (at the time called: reviews) should be prepared. A separate sheet was drawn up about every house with occupant(s) and, subsequently, the summaries of localities, areas, sub-areas and districts had to be prepared and finally cumulated in the main county summary. Of these summaries the remaining material of that of localities (sample D) is published. 188.