A portion of the 1880 Federal Census for Gratz Borough, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, showing two families living in the same household. The 1880 Census used two terms to identify Blacks – Black (“B”) and Mulatto (“Mu”). These two families were enumerated as “Mu.”
In 1880, Gratz had the greatest number of persons identifying as Black or Mulatto. All, with the exception of one servant in one of the families, were members of the Crabb family, and were descendants of Peter Crabb (1787-1860), one of the earliest settlers of Gratz, who was by trade, a blacksmith. That trade was carried on by his descendants. In 1880, the three heads of households of Crabb families in Gratz were blacksmiths.
The Kelly (or Kelley) family appears in Lykens Borough and Washington Township. These are possibly members of the same family that is enumerated in the 1870 Census in Jackson Township and Halifax Township.
The tables below summarize the ages, race (Black or Mulatto), gender, and occupations of those Blacks living in 1880 communities in the Upper Dauphin County area. Most of the communities had no Blacks. For more complete information, for example, the birthplace of the individual and parents, reference to the actual census sheet is required.
As for occupations, the tradespeople included the three blacksmiths in Gratz and the one barber in Millersburg. “Keeping house” was the chief occupation for women. Many were named laborers or servants, or “at home” which for a younger individual indicated “in school” and for an older individual, “odd jobs.”
In a few cases, a white individual is named in the table, because she is the wife of the head of the household who is Black. In one case, in Upper Paxton Township, a woman identified as a Mulatto, has a white boarder living in her household.
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Berrysburg
None
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Gratz
| Name | Age | Race | Gender | Occupation | Notes |
| Jeremiah Crabb | 50 | Mulatto | Male | Blacksmith | Head of Household |
| Lusetta Crabb | 24 | White | Female | Keeping House | Wife of Jeremiah |
| William Crabb | 4 | Mulatto | Male | At Home | Son of Jeremiah |
| Benjamin B. Crabb | 56 | Mulatto | Male | Blacksmith | Head of Household |
| Mary A. Crabb | 45 | Mulatto | Female | Keeping House | Wife of Benjamin |
| Jeremiah Crabb | 22 | Mulatto | Male | At Home | Son of Benjamin |
| Benjamin W. Crabb | 11 | Mulatto | Male | At Home | Son of Benjamin |
| George J. Crabb | 49 | Mulatto | Male | Blacksmith | Head of Household |
| Mary A. Crabb | 48 | Mulatto | Female | Keeping House | Wife of George |
| George Crabb | 19 | Mulatto | Male | At Home | Son of George J. |
| Emaline Carber | 11 | Mulatto | Female | Servant | In G. J. Crabb Household |
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Halifax Borough
| Ida Shorten | 17 | Black | Female | Servant | Elizabeth Caslow Household |
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Halifax Township
| Louis Bondes | 17 | Black | Male | Servant on Farm | James Freeland Household |
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Jackson Township
None
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Jefferson Township
None
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Lykens Borough
| Susan Kelly | 19 | Mulatto | Female | Servant to Merchant | Joseph Kaljenberg Household |
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Lykens Township
None
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Mifflin Township
None
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Millersburg
| David Stoner | 64 | Black | Male | Laborer | Head of Household |
| James Clayburn | 34 | Black | Male | Servant | Francis Wenrich Household |
| Thomas Ransom | 27 | Black | Male | Barber | Boarder of Thaddeus Freeland |
| George Kirby | 60 | Black | Male | Servant | John D. Etsweiler Household |
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Reed Township
None
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Rush Township
None
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Uniontown (Pillow)
None
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Upper Paxton Township
| Barbara Snoke | 51 | Mulatto | Female | Keeping House | Head of Household |
| Jerry Specht | 33 | White | Male | Laborer | Boarder |
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Wiconisco Township (excluding Lykens Borough)
| Maggie Buck | 19 | Black | Female | Servant | E. Lane Schofield Household |
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Washington Township (Including Elizabethville & Loyalton)
| Jacob Kelley | 74 | Black | Male | Laborer | Head of Household |
| Lidian Kelley | 50 | White | Female | Keeping House | Wife of Jacob. 1 son & 2 daughters (white) also in household. |
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Williamstown
None
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Williams Township
None
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Census information from Ancestry.com.
Corrections and additional information should be added as comments to this post.