I have learned an incredible amount of information and insight by 'following the census taker'.  What does that mean?

Basically, just combine a census schedule with a land owner plat map photocopy and draw lines between farms each time the next family is listed in that census.

This project arose out of my experience with my Wagner ancestors.  They owned land in a particular township, but I found only one family in the census with that surname and it just didn't seem to match.
Twenty years later, I revisited that census again (with a plat map) and learned that it WAS them.   This has helped me sort out a wealth of information about the pioneer families who were here as early as the 1840's.

I find it fascinating!  Read more here

And check out various surname misspellings made by the census takers in the townships below... such as 'Crounch' for Kratz and 'Rusatine' for Walrabenstein