A Genealogue News Flash [What's That?]
The National Archives announced late Monday that the missing 1890 United States census schedules long thought to have been destroyed in a 1921 fire were in fact "misplaced," and have turned up on an Internet auction site.
"It seems there was a clerk at Commerce with sticky fingers," Demers explains. "The Republicans had won the White House in 1920, and Wilson's crew was on the way out. So, this fellow took home some souvenirs."
Those "souvenirs" included a stack of census volumes, now possessed by the clerk's great-grandson, Jimmy Patrone of Mission City, Florida. Patrone — screen name "daytonastud839" — posted the volumes on eBay over the weekend.
Demers apologizes to genealogists for the Archives' role in perpetuating the myth of the documents' destruction—which included posting an elaborate article on the NARA website.
"Blaming it on the fire wasn't our idea, but we did inherit the lie and pass it on. It's the whole 'aliens-at-Area-51' thing all over again."
Due to the unusual circumstances of the cover-up, and the intentional destruction of additional census records in 1935, government lawyers have found no legal basis for reclaiming the records without adequately compensating Mr. Patrone.
The National Archives has not decided whether to bid for the census volumes, as "the reserve price is set really high."

Almost every day feels like April 1st at "The Genealogue"... ;-)
Kind of like the movie Groundhog Day, without the love interest and clever plot.
Gah. You had me going.
I'm glad I could raise your hopes and then promptly dash them, Dana. Congratulations on your great genealogy blog.
Thanks, Chris! I really like yours.
That's not fair. You really had my hopes up!
Jenny
As my father always told me, all's fair in love and cruel Internet hoaxes.