Personal Life Media

Transcript

In today’s show we finish making our way back in time through the 19th century census records until we reach it’s origin – the 1790 Federal Census. 

We’ll start back up with the 1880 census which includes over 50 million people. Generally in 1880 you’ll find name, address, occupation, relationship to the head of household, race, sex, age at last birthday, marital status, place of birth, and parents’ place of birth. As you can see, the amount of genealogical information is a bit less than those found in the 20th century, and that will continue to be the case as we go further back in time. 

The Historic 1870 Federal Census
After the Civil War ended and slavery was abolished, the decennial census questionnaires were reordered and redesigned because an end had come to the "slave questionnaire." The schedules for the 1870 census were now known as "General Population" for the first time.

The 1870 also included another first:  Citizens would now face penalties if they refused to answer any of the enumerator questions on any questionnaire. 

1850 & 1860 Population Schedule
You will find each family member’s age, place of birth, and real estate value.

Which leads us further back to a time when only the head of the household was listed by name.  This is going to look a lot different in the census from this point back.  But don’t get too discouraged because if you pay close attention and use additional sources like county histories you can learn a lot from all those tick marks you’ll find that count people by age and sex under the head of the household.  

1840, 1830, 1820, 1810, 1790
You will find the name of the Head of the Household in the first column.  This is either a single person living alone, the owner of a home where other people rent, the Husband of a married couple, or a widow.  Then you’ll find columns where the enumerator placed tick marks as he counted each family member.

As you look at each of these it’s like the census is slowly disintegrating.  But of course it’s not.  We’re just looking at its evolution backwards!

1810 and 1800
Slaves are down to just one column for a total count, and a column for "All other Free Persons" other than white males and females.

First U.S. Federal Census taken in 1790:
Six columns for the questions.  The population is just under 4 million which comes out to roughly 4.5 free residents per square mile of the 13 young states.  It took 660 census takers and about $44,000 to make it happen, just over a penny a person.

Special Enumerations
In addition to the Population census, in 1880 you can find additional schedules:

Mortality
Agriculture
Social Statistics
Manufacturing

The Mortality schedule which records the number of deaths that occurred the year prior to the census, in this case 1879.  According to the Census bureau this was done prior to official death registration, and by 1880 was only required for counties where official registration didn’t occur.  Mortality schedules were only taken from 1850 to 1880.  In it you’ll find the person’s name, age, sex, occupation, cause of death, date of death, and the county where they died. 

Also available for those same four schedules 1850, 1860, 1870 & 1880 is the Agricultural Schedule which lists the holdings of individual farms. 

For those same decades 1850-1880 the Social Statistics Schedule was taken. This schedule is really chock full of the context of your ancestor’s lives.   There are ten major categories that you will find historical information for:

1. Real Estate Value
2. Seasons & Crops
3. Annual Taxes
4. Colleges, Academies and Schools
5. Libraries
6. Newspapers & Periodicals
7. Religion
8. Pauperism
9. Crime
10. Wages

Manufacturing Schedules
In 1810 An Act of Congress directed that "an account of the several manufacturing establishments and manufacturers" be made. However, neither Congress nor the Secretary of the Treasury provided the U.S. Marshals with specific instructions as to what information to collect. Soo….as a result, the quality and quantity of the information collected varies a lot. 

Research Tip for Manufacturing Schedules
Even though your ancestor may have been listed as a Farmer in the population census, and therefore you also found  him in the Agricultural schedule, it doesn’t mean you’ve completed your search.  There’s a chance that a man with a successful farming business may have also been in manufacturing.   For example a man listed as a Farmer in the Population Schedule, who you also find in the Agricultural Schedule with an accounting of his many cows, may very well also be listed in the Manufacturing Schedule with a thriving butter production business.

Research tip for Manufacturing and Agricultural Census Schedules
Unlike the Population census, a person did not have to live in a particular county to be listed in the Manufacturing or Agricultural schedules for that township or county.  Be on particular lookup for situations like this when your ancestors live near county lines.  

Slave Schedules
Since I haven’t worked with the Slave Schedules myself I’m going to point you to reliable resources for learning how to use them.  I would recommend that you start with the Research Wiki Quick Guide to African American Records at http://www.familysearch.org

It really helps to review the schedules from their beginning in 1790 all the way through the most recently available 1930 census.  It’s real easy to get some tunnel vision going when it comes to research because we get really focused, but now I hope we will look at our census research options with a working knowledge of the entire census system, rather than just the page we have in front of us.

Listen to The Genealogy Gems Podcast at http://GenealogyGems.TV