In my previous blog post, I mistakenly pointed to a demographic disaster in Hampshire County between 1860-1870, ascribing this to the effects of the Civil War.

Boy was I wrong.

A wise reader pointed out that Mineral County formed out of Hampshire County in 1866. To remedy my mistaken analysis from last post, here are some new charts that explain the population situation in the two counties combined. Note that while there is a small number of people, particularly in the most recent censuses, who identify as neither black nor white, this is a small number and would not much affect the charts below.

First, I give you a chart of the white population of the two counties. It now appears that the Hampshire-Mineral combined area actually increased its white population, but only by some 500 people between the 1860 and 870s census.

Meanwhile, the black population for the two combined (well, recently separated in 1866!) counties also increased by 233 persons between the 1860 and 1870 censuses. (censi?)