Use Pre-1850 Census Tick Marks

Are you trying to get the most from those pre-1850 US census records that only list heads of household and enumerate the rest of the household using only tick marks? Remember that the head of household does not have to be the oldest male and there may be more than one couple living in the household (or perhaps an older family member such as Grandma or Grandpa). And the 1840 census lists all Revolutionary War veterans--either as the head of household or on the right hand side of the census page.