Editing Beale ciphers (section)

=== Existence of Thomas J. Beale ===
A survey of [[United States census|U.S. Census]] records in 1810 shows two persons named Thomas Beale, in Connecticut and New Hampshire. However, the population schedules from the 1810 U.S. Census are completely missing for seven states, one territory, the District of Columbia, and 18 of the counties of Virginia.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~troutt/~troutt/Miscellaneous/MissingCensus.htm |title=Missing Federal Census Schedules|first = Linda Troutt |last = Murphy|date = 25 July 2006|website = Traut / Trout(t) Family|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090113022457/http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~troutt/~troutt/Miscellaneous/MissingCensus.htm |archive-date = 13 January 2009}}</ref> The 1820 U.S. Census has two persons named Thomas Beale, Captain Thomas Beale of the battle of New Orleans 1815 in Louisiana originally from Virginia Botetourt County – Fincastle area 12&nbsp;miles from Bedford County and one in Tennessee, and a Thomas K. Beale in Virginia, but the population schedules are completely missing for three states and one territory.

Before 1850 the U.S. Census recorded the names of only the heads of households; others in the household were only counted.  Beale, if he existed, may have been living in someone else's household.<ref>{{cite web |publisher=National Archives and Records Administration |url=https://www.archives.gov/genealogy/census/1790-1840.html |title=Clues in Census Records, 1790–1840 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060719221317/http://www.archives.gov/genealogy/census/1790-1840.html |archive-date=19 July 2006 }}</ref>

In addition, a man named "Thomas Beall" appears in the customer lists of St.&nbsp;Louis Post Department in 1820. According to the pamphlet, Beale sent a letter from St.&nbsp;Louis in 1822.<ref name=Singh />

Additionally, a Cheyenne legend exists about gold and silver being taken from the West and buried in mountains in the East, dating from roughly 1820.<ref name=Singh />