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The 1790
census was begun on 2 August 1790. The marshals were
expected to finish the census within nine months of the Census
Day—by 1 May 1791. Although most of the returns were
in long before the deadline, Congress had to extend the count
until 1 March 1792. By that time some people probably were
counted who had not been born or present in 1790.
Questions Asked in the 1790 Census
Name of family head; number of free white males of sixteen
years and older; number of free white males under sixteen;
number of free white females; number of slaves; number of
other persons; and sometimes town or district of residence.
The 1790 census instructed the marshals to identify, by age
brackets, free white males sixteen years of age or older and
those under sixteen. It was designed to determine the country’s
industrial and military capabilities. Additionally, the first
census was to count the number of free white females; all
other free persons regardless of race or gender; and slaves.
A twenty-dollar fine, to be split between the marshals’
assistants and the government, would be levied against anyone
who refused to answer the enumerator’s questions.
Other Significant Facts about the 1790 Census
The Constitution called for a census of all "Persons
. . . excluding Indians not taxed" for the purpose of
apportioning seats in the House of Representatives and assessing
direct federal taxes. The "Indians not taxed" were
those not living in the settled areas. In later years, Native
Americans everywhere were considered part of the total population,
but not all were included in the apportionment figures until
1940.
The government did not provide printed forms or even paper
until 1830. It was up to each assistant to copy his census
return on whatever paper he could find and post it in two
public places in his assigned area. Those who saw and could
read them were supposed to check for discrepancies or omissions.
The highest pay rate, two cents per person, barely covered
expenses, especially where settlers were scattered and living
in places that were difficult to find or access.
The jurisdictions of the thirteen original states stretched
over an area of seventeen present-day states. Census schedules
survive for only two-thirds of those states. The surviving
schedules were indexed by state and published by the Bureau
of the Census in the early 1900s. Bureau of the Census, Heads
of Families at the First Census of the United States Taken
in the Year 1790, 12 vols. (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing
Office, 1908), can be found in most research libraries; it
has been reprinted by various publishers over the years.
Both the original and printed 1790 census schedules are available
on microfilm for Connecticut, Maine (then part of Massachusetts),
Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina,
Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and Vermont. The
schedules for Delaware, Georgia, Kentucky, New Jersey, Tennessee,
and Virginia were burned during the War of 1812 (there are
substitutes for most of these). Published and microfilmed
1790 schedules for Virginia were reconstructed from state
enumerations and tax lists.
Research Tips for the 1790 Census
Because of the availability of the printed 1790 census schedules,
researchers tend to overlook the importance of consulting
the original schedules, which are readily available on microfilm.
As in most cases, the researcher who relies on printed transcripts
may miss important information and clues found only in the
original version.
The 1790 census records are useful for identifying the locality
to be searched for other types of records for a named individual.
The 1790 census will, in most cases, help distinguish the
target family from others of the same name; identify immediate
neighbors who may be related; identify slaveholders; and spot
spelling variations of surnames. Free men “of color”
are listed as heads of household by name. Slaves appear in
age groupings by name of owner. By combining those age groupings
with probate inventories and tax list data, it is sometimes
possible to determine names of other family members and the
birth order of those individuals.
For a state-by-state listing of census schedules, see The
1790–1890 Federal Population Censuses: Catalog of National
Archives Microfilm (Washington, D.C.: National Archives Trust
Fund Board, 1993). For boundary changes and identification
of missing census schedules, see William Thorndale and William
Dollarhide, Map Guide to the U.S. Federal Censuses, 1790–1920.
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The information above is an excerpt from The Source: A Guidebook
of American Genealogy, edited by Loretto D. Szucs and Sandra
H. Luebking, Chapter 5, “Research in Census Records,”
by Loretto D. Szucs (page 110).
Note: Ancestry.com has made a database of AIS Census Indexes
available to site subscribers at: www.ancestry.com/search/rectype/census/ais/main.htm
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