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Research object · BT-CLM-00168

Were Hilliard and Bettie living together by 1870?

Documented· 4 sourcesLast reviewed August 9, 2026
Research & Interpretation byAmberly R. Carter-Mills— Founder, Creator & Descendant Archivist

The Claim

The 1870 U.S. Census for Copiah County, Mississippi records Hilliard and Bettie by name in the same household.

Public Summary

Co-residence in 1870 is documented. Co-residence alone does not establish a legal marriage.

Evidence Reviewed

  • SupportsStrong

    Hilliard appears by name in the 1870 U.S. Census for Copiah County, Mississippi.

    Source: 1870 U.S. Census — Copiah County, Mississippi · FamilySearch / National Archives and Records Administration

  • SupportsStrong

    Bettie appears by name in the same 1870 census household.

    Source: 1870 U.S. Census — Copiah County, Mississippi · FamilySearch / National Archives and Records Administration

  • SupportsModerate

    Hilliard's age is reported as approximately 47 and Bettie's as approximately 33 in 1870.

    Source: 1870 U.S. Census — Copiah County, Mississippi · FamilySearch / National Archives and Records Administration

  • SupportsModerate

    Hilliard and Bettie appear in the Lawrence Hinz / Hines household. Peggy Hinz also appears in the household context; the census does not state a relationship between Peggy and Hilliard.

    Source: 1870 U.S. Census — Copiah County, Mississippi · FamilySearch / National Archives and Records Administration

    Co-residence is documented. Marriage is not established by co-residence alone.

The Evidence Trail

Step 1 · Claim

Were Hilliard and Bettie living together by 1870?

Documented· 4 sources

BT-CLM-00168

The 1870 U.S. Census for Copiah County, Mississippi records Hilliard and Bettie by name in the same household.

Step 2 · Evidence & Source

  1. Supports · Strong weight

    Hilliard appears by name in the 1870 U.S. Census for Copiah County, Mississippi.

    1870 U.S. Census — Copiah County, Mississippi · FamilySearch / National Archives and Records Administration · Digital Image

    BT-EVD-00156 ← BT-SRC-00036

  2. Supports · Strong weight

    Bettie appears by name in the same 1870 census household.

    1870 U.S. Census — Copiah County, Mississippi · FamilySearch / National Archives and Records Administration · Digital Image

    BT-EVD-00155 ← BT-SRC-00036

  3. Supports · Moderate weight

    Hilliard's age is reported as approximately 47 and Bettie's as approximately 33 in 1870.

    1870 U.S. Census — Copiah County, Mississippi · FamilySearch / National Archives and Records Administration · Digital Image

    BT-EVD-00154 ← BT-SRC-00036

  4. Supports · Moderate weight

    Hilliard and Bettie appear in the Lawrence Hinz / Hines household. Peggy Hinz also appears in the household context; the census does not state a relationship between Peggy and Hilliard.

    1870 U.S. Census — Copiah County, Mississippi · FamilySearch / National Archives and Records Administration · Digital Image

    BT-EVD-00153 ← BT-SRC-00036

    Researcher interpretation · Amberly R. Carter-Mills

    Co-residence is documented. Marriage is not established by co-residence alone.

Step 3 · Conclusion

No conclusion has been published. This remains an open research question. What marriage, church, or Freedmen's Bureau record documents a marriage between Hilliard and Bettie?

How the Evidence Sits Together

What supports the claim

Observations that carry the claim forward.

  • Hilliard appears by name in the 1870 U.S. Census for Copiah County, Mississippi.

    Supports · Strong weight

    1870 U.S. Census — Copiah County, Mississippi

  • Bettie appears by name in the same 1870 census household.

    Supports · Strong weight

    1870 U.S. Census — Copiah County, Mississippi

  • Hilliard's age is reported as approximately 47 and Bettie's as approximately 33 in 1870.

    Supports · Moderate weight

    1870 U.S. Census — Copiah County, Mississippi

  • Hilliard and Bettie appear in the Lawrence Hinz / Hines household. Peggy Hinz also appears in the household context; the census does not state a relationship between Peggy and Hilliard.

    Supports · Moderate weight

    1870 U.S. Census — Copiah County, Mississippi

    Co-residence is documented. Marriage is not established by co-residence alone.

What complicates or contradicts it

Kept in view rather than discarded.

  • Nothing in this column for this claim.

What only provides context

Consistent, but not identifying or probative on its own.

  • Nothing in this column for this claim.

Research Conclusion

No conclusion has been published for this claim. It remains an open research question.

Amberly's Research Notes

No research note has been published for this claim yet.

From the research notebook ofAmberly R. Carter-Mills— Founder, Creator & Descendant Archivist

What We Still Need to Find

What marriage, church, or Freedmen's Bureau record documents a marriage between Hilliard and Bettie?

Provenance, Access and Use

Source creator
Varies by record — see each source
Who made the original record.
Researcher of record
Amberly R. Carter-Mills — Founder, Creator & Descendant Archivist
Located, transcribed, weighed and interpreted the evidence.
Publishing archive
BEFORE TILL: The Living Evidence Archive
Holds the object, its identifiers and its revision history.

1870 U.S. Census — Copiah County, Mississippi

BT-SRC-00036
Evidentiary weight 3 of 4. Digital image of original recordOriginal image: Citation entered — image review pendingA photographic image of a contemporary record held by the repository named below.
Creator
Not recorded
Date created
Not recorded
Repository
FamilySearch / National Archives and Records Administration
Collection
U.S. census, Copiah County, Mississippi, population schedule, Townships 9 & 10 (Post Office Hazlehurst)
Record form
Digital Image
Source type
Census
Accessed
Not recorded

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