| The 1860
census was begun on 1 June 1860. The enumeration
was to be completed within five months.
Questions Asked in the 1860 Census
For all free persons, the census asked: name; age; sex; color;
occupation of persons over age fifteen; value of real estate;
value of personal estate; name of state, territory, or country
of birth; whether the person was married during the year;
and whether the person was deaf-mute, blind, insane, an “idiot,”
a pauper, or a convict.
The information in the slave schedules is the same as those
for 1850.
Other Significant Facts about the 1860 Census
The 1860 census was the first to ask those being queried to
reveal the value of their personal estates. As enumerations
of districts were completed, enumerators were instructed to
make two copies: one to be filed with the clerk of the county
court, one to be sent to the secretary of the state or territory,
and the third to be sent to the Census Office for tabulation.
The birthplaces of individuals were to be specific as to
the state or territory in the United States and the country
of birth if foreign born. For example, designations of England,
Scotland, Ireland, and Wales and the German states of Prussia,
Baden, Bavaria, Württemberg, and Hesse-Darmstadt were
preferred to Great Britain and Germany.
Research Tips for the 1860 Census
Research strategies remain the same as those suggested for
the 1850 census because information included in the 1850 and
1860 schedules is essentially the same, except for the addition
of a question concerning personal estates. While the added
column may be a general indicator of a person’s assets,
it is doubtful that individuals were likely to disclose true
figures for fear of being taxed accordingly.
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.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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 114).
Note: Ancestry.com has made a database of AIS Census Indexes
available to site subscribers at: http://www.ancestry.com/search/rectype/census/ais/main.htm.
|
