(now Blooming Grove), Ohio; Ohio did not mandate the recording of births until 1867. Further, there were no court records, deeds, or other legal documents that could prove whether Harding was of mixed race. U.S. Census records prior to 1850 did not provide a complete enumeration by name and race of all people in a household. Instead, 1840 and earlier census records only listed the name of the head of household and counted by "hash-mark" the age-group and sex of other persons living with that head of household. Chancellor allegedly wrote two pamphlets about Harding's racial lineage prior to the 1920 presidential election, unleashing a major scandal by asserting that Harding was of mixed-race descent. Chancellor denied writing the pamphlets, but he refused to sign a statement saying that he believed Harding to be all white, because he considered that to be a lie. Four days before the election, the college dismissed him from his professorship. Copies of the pamphlets were confiscated by Federal agents and destroyed; only five are thought to be in existence, three of which are owned by rare book collectors, the other two owned by museums. After Harding was elected president, Chancellor did additional research, with the aim of publishing a biography of Harding. The book was to include not only Chancellor's findings about Harding's lineage, but also extended to corruption in the nominating process, and, later, in the formation of Harding's administration. He singled out oil companies in particular. Many of Chancellor's allegations of corruption were later borne out by the Teapot Dome scandal. Early in 1921, Harding learned of Chancellor's planned book and sent Federal agents to destroy the manuscript. Federal agents also monitored Chancellor. Facing ongoing harassment and unable to do research or find another teaching position, he went to Canada in 1921, where he remained until 1922. In the spring of 1922, Chancellor was in Dayton, Ohio (his hometown as well as that of 1920 Democratic Presidential candidate and prominent newspaper publisher James Cox) long enough allegedly to publish a biography of Warren Harding. The author of the book, which was titled Warren Gamaliel Harding, President of the United States, is listed as William Estabrook Chancellor. In the book, the race rumors are developed at great length. Some additional research was also included, such as the first notice of Harding's poor cardiovascular health. (Harding died of cardiovascular disease in 1923, before completing