When working with the pre-1850 census, some of the following background is useful. This page also provides links to sites with more detail about the census.
Worksheet for Genealogy and Family History
 
       
Explanations
|
  
 
 
The US Census
1790 to 1840
  
 
Tables
Useful links
Table 1. Brief History of the Census
Background
 The U.S. census has been taken every ten years since 1790, following adoption of the U,S. Constitution, which provided for taking the census in its first article. The intent was to provide a legislative body with the number of members from each state representative of its population. (And, of course to use for tax matters...)
The Census
in the
Constitution

Article I. Section 2 - House of Representatives
The House of Representatives shall be composed of Members chosen every second Year by the People of the several States, …

(Representatives and direct Taxes shall be apportioned among the several States which may be included within this Union, according to their respective Numbers, which shall be determined by adding to the whole Number of free Persons, including those bound to Service for a Term of Years, and excluding Indians not taxed, three fifths of all other Persons.)

The actual Enumeration shall be made within three Years after the first Meeting of the Congress of the United States, and within every subsequent Term of ten Years, in such Manner as they shall by Law direct. …
1790
The First Census
 In March 1790, president George Washington signed the first census act, and Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson sent a copy to each of the seventeen U.S. Marshals to be implemented.

The First Census of the United States was a small volume -- 56 pages.The total population of the United States in 1790, exclusive of slaves, as derived from the schedules, was 3,231,533. The only names appearing upon the schedules, however, were those of heads of families, and as at that period the families averaged 6 persons, the total number was approximately 540,000, or slightly more than half a million.

In March, 1790, the Union consisted of twelve states: Rhode Island, the last of the original thirteen to enter the Union, being admitted May 29. Vermont, the first addition, was admitted in the following year, before the results of the First Census were announced. Maine was a part of Massachusetts, Kentucky was a part of Virginia, and the present states of Alabama and Mississippi were parts of Georgia. The present states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin, with part of Minnesota, were known as the Northwest Territory, and the present state of Tennessee, then a part of North Carolina, was soon to be organized as the Southwest Territory.
Additional Data added
 As the nation grew, the census changed from a simple count of inhabitants as additional data were incorporated in each new census.
Burned Schedules
 The 1790 schedules for Delaware, Georgia, Kentucky, New Jersey, Tennessee, and Virginia were casualties of the British burning of the Capitol during the War of 1812. While these schedules contained about 30 percent of the total enumerations, they covered closer to half of our ancestral residences. Substitutes have been constructed, primarily from state tax lists, but they lack the household figures.

A note about the 1820
census

The 1820 Census has caused many a family historian to spend a considerable amount of time hunting a male that didn't exist or to follow the wrong family because of the age breakdown columns. The 1820 census added a column for Males 16-18 years of age.
What is not readily apparent to the family historian is that any males listed in this column are also listed in the 16-26 column. The government wanted an idea of the number of males that could qualify for military duty so the additional column for males 16-18 was included on the census form.
The instructions for the US Marshals for the 1820 census says: "It will be necessary to remember, that the numbers in the columns of free white males between 16 and 18 ... must not be added to the general aggregates ... the number will be repeated in the column of those between 16-26"

Reference: Linda Haas Davenport's excellent notes on the census
A note about the 1890
census
 The 1890 population schedules were destroyed in a fire in Washington, DC in January, 1921. The story of this tragedy is described in detail on the NARA website:http://www.archives.gov. A few isolated fragments survive.
Table 2. Data in each census year 1790 to 1840
The early census data contained the name of the head of the household, plus the numbers of the following:
1790
1800
1810
1820
1830
1840
Free white males under/over 16 years old
Free white females
Slaves owned
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Free white persons in five or more specified age groups
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Slaves in specified age groups
No
No
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Foreigners, not naturalized
No
No
No
Yes
Yes
No
Deaf, dumb and blind; insane/idiotic; literacy
No
No
No
No
Yes
No
Name and age of each person receiving a military pension
Persons attending school
No
No
No
No
No
Yes
Table 3. Availability of Population Schedules 1790 to 1840
State
Statehood
1790
1800
1810
1820
1830
1840
Delaware
1787
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
New Jersey
1787
No
No
No
No
Yes
Yes
Pennsylvania
1787
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Connecticut
1788
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Georgia
1788
No
No
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Maryland
1788
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Massachusetts
1788
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
New Hampshire
1788
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
New York
1788
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
South Carolina
1788
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Virginia
1788
No
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
North Carolina
1789
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Rhode Island
1790
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Vermont
1791
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Kentucky
1792
No
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Tennessee
1796
No
No
Fr
Yes
Yes
Yes
District of Columbia
1800
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Ohio
1803
-
No
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Louisiana
1812
-
-
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Indiana
1816
-
No
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Mississippi
1817
-
No
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Illinois
1818
-
-
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Alabama
1819
-
-
-
No
Yes
Yes
Maine
1820
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Missouri
1821
-
-
No
No
Yes
Yes
Arkansas
1836
-
-
-
No
Yes
Yes
Michigan
1837
-
-
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Florida
1845
-
-
-
-
Yes
Yes
Iowa
1846
-
-
-
-
-
Yes
Wisconsin
1848
-
-
-
Yes
Yes
Yes
-
   State or Territory did not exist, or no census was taken.
No
   Census was taken, but schedules were destroyed.
Yes
   Schedules are available for most counties.
Fr
   Fragments only exist
Useful Links
Cyndi's List -- a categorized & cross-referenced index to genealogical resources on the Internet.
Click here for CensusTools Electronic Census Spreadsheets Gary Minder's electronic spreadsheets for organizing, archiving, preserving and sharing U.S., English, Irish, Scottish, and Canadian census records.
View Census Images Online at Ancestry.com! Ancestry often offers a 14 day free trial of their completely indexed US Census images.
Genealogy.com also offers a 14 day free trial of their extensive databases. If you decide to sign up, they give FamilyTreeMaker for free.
Detailed comments and history for each decade's census: http://fisher.lib.virginia.edu/census/
http://www.segenealogy.com/_descriptions/census.htm
http://www.records.org/census.html [broken link Oct 2003]
http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~haas/learningcenter/censusrecords.html
Maps of the areas covered by each census: http://www.negenealogy.com/ngo03.htm
Some of the online data for the census: http://www.censuslinks.com/
http://www.censusrecords.net/
http://www.census-online.com/
Census records search Search for your ancestors in US Census records.
Sources:


Guide to Genealogical Research in the National Archives- 1985 Edition
Greenwood, Val "The Researcher's Guide to American Genealogy" 2nd Edition.
"The Source - A Guidebook of American Genealogy" Ancestry 1997 Edition
  Please report broken links
   
© John L. Haynes 2000-2005
  
ver 1.1 12-May-2005