"Polls" column in tax lists

Question

I am looking at some old Rehoboth, Mass. tax lists:

https://hdl.handle.net/2027/mdp.39015008405790?urlappend=%3Bseq=119

There is a column labeled "polls". Most people get a 1, but a few get a higher number. Does anyone know what it signifies?

Comments

The Colonial Roots of American Taxation, 1607-1700 | Hoover ...

 

https://www.hoover.org › research › colonial-roots-american-taxation-160...

The colony's government required revenue of its own to carry out minimal public functions. Accordingly, the Virginia legislature authorized a poll tax on caucasian males 16 and older. The head of household and owner of slaves also paid poll tax on slaves and native American servants of both sexes 16 years and older.

Answer 1

Try

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poll_tax

Comments

Is that then males over 16? Over 21? Freemen?

Answer 2

 

Taxation and Political Culture: Massachusetts and Virginia ...

 

https://www.jstor.org › stable

by HJ Henderson - ‎1990 - ‎Cited by 15 - ‎Related articles

Taxation and Political Culture: Massachusetts and Virginia, I760-I800 .... Virginia, on the other hand, relied entirely on a uniform poll tax for parish and county

Answer 3

Poll = head.  "Poll vote" = vote by headcount, 1 man 1 vote.  "Poll tax", originally, a fixed amount per head.  In England, John of Gaunt tried that in 1377, with a few exclusions.  Later attempts were graduated for the well-off, but with a general flat rate per head for the plebs.  Most plebs had never paid any taxes before, so not surprisingly there were riots.

So presumably in Rehoboth some people had to pay for more than one person.