A Guide to Pre-1850 US Federal Censuses
This guide will discuss what kinds of information you can expect to find in pre-1850 US Federal Censuses and how to use those documents in your own research.
US Federal Censuses are critical to genealogical research in the United States. The later censuses—those after 1850 and especially those after 1880—offered more genealogical information than earlier ones and are frequently used by hobbyists and professional genealogists alike. Censuses before 1850 are more difficult to use because they contained fewer obvious genealogically useful details; however, those censuses from 1790 to 1840 can be vital to solving genealogical problems. Families can be tracked from one residence to the next through the early censuses which can lead to looking for other records in the correct jurisdictions (or in previously unknown residences). Details in the early censuses can reveal whether the correct family has been located and when probable children were no longer in the home. These censuses can also provide estimated birth year ranges for those in a household.
Pre-1850 US Federal Censuses: Age Categories
While censuses in and after 1850 recorded names of household members and their ages (not always correct!), only the head of household’s name (in most cases) was recorded in pre-1850 censuses. One notable exception was the 1840 census which asked for the names and ages of pensioners for “revolutionary or military service.” Household members, including heads and pensioners, were counted in statistical categories based on age, sex, race, and civil rights status (whether free or enslaved). The following charts use the racial and civil rights terms employed at the time to avoid applying an anachronistic view of how the census enumerators understood the categories, which is necessary so we do not misinterpret the data.
A few notes help us understand these categories. First, there were no age categories for any females in the 1790 census; however, that census did ask for the number of “free white females.” Similarly, there were no age categories for enslaved or “free colored” individuals until the 1820 census, but earlier censuses did request the numbers of enslaved individuals and “all other free persons” (1790) or “all other free persons, except Indians, not taxed” (1800 and 1810). The age categories in the 1820 census allowed some “free white” males to be counted twice because it asked for both those who were “of 16 & upwards” and for those who were “between 16 & 18.” Thus, if a “free white” male was 16, 17, or 18 years old he would have been counted in both categories. Lastly, notice that the age categories use the word “under” meaning one year should be subtracted from the upper age limit to determine the correct age range. In other words, if someone in the household was “of 26 & under 45” that person was at least 26 years old and no older than 44.
Pre-1850 US Federal Censuses: Additional Questions
The 1790 to 1840 censuses requested information about each household not included in the age categories. These questions can provide biographical insight into the family and may offer important genealogical clues depending on the circumstances. The additional questions and categories are as follows:
1790 Census
- “Free white Females.”
- “All other free Persons.”
- “Slaves.”
1800 Census
- “All other free persons, except Indians, not taxed.”
- “Slaves.”
1810 Census
- “All other free persons, except Indians, not taxed.”
- “Slaves.”
1820 Census
- “Foreigners not naturalized.”
- “Number of persons engaged in Agriculture.”
- “Number of persons engaged in Commerce.”
- “Number of persons engaged in Manufactures.”
- “All other persons except Indians not taxed.”
1830 Census
- “White Persons”
- “Who are Deaf and Dumb, under fourteen years of age.”
- “Who are Deaf and Dumb, of the age of fourteen and under twenty-five.”
- “Who are Deaf and Dumb, of twenty-five and upwards.”
- “Who are blind.”
- “Aliens – Foreigners not naturalized.”
- “Slaves and Colored Persons”
- “Who are Deaf and Dumb, under fourteen years of age.”
- “Who are Deaf and Dumb, of the age of fourteen and under twenty-five.”
- “Who are Deaf and Dumb, of twenty-five and upwards.”
- “Who are blind.”
1840 Census
- “Number of persons in each family employed in:”
- “Mining.”
- “Agriculture.”
- “Commerce.”
- “Manufacture and trade.”
- “Navigation of the ocean.”
- “Navigation of canals, lakes and rivers.”
- “Learned Professional engineers.”
- “Pensioners for Revolutionary or military service”
- “Names.”
- “Ages.”
- “White Persons” who were “Deaf and Dumb”
- Under 14
- 14 & under 25
- 25 & upwards
- “White Persons” who were:
- “Blind”
- “Insane and idiots at public charge.”
- “Insane and idiots at private charge.”
- “Colored Persons”
- “Deaf & Dumb”
- “Blind.”
- “Insane and idiots at private charge.”
- “Insane and idiots at public charge.”
- Questions for “Schools & c.”
- “Universities or college”
- “Number of students”
- “Academies & Grammar Schools”
- “No. of Scholars”
- “Primary and Common Schools”
- “No of Scholars at Public charge”
- “No. of white persons over 20 years of age in each family who cannot read and write.”
States with Missing Censuses
Over time, many census returns have been lost for the period between 1790 and 1840. Some of the states are missing just a few pages while others are missing an entire year’s census for the entire state. The following list summarizes which states have some lost census returns for the 1790 to 1840 enumerations. An excellent resource to gain more details about the censuses is the FamilySearch Research Wiki which has been cited for each state below. We highly recommend checking out the cited Wiki article as it will provide more details on exactly what part of the census was lost for each state.
If you see a state on here where you do a lot of research do not panic just yet. Many of these states are only missing parts of their census returns and some states have census substitutes (such as tax records) which can be used to help fill in the gaps.
Research Tips for Pre-1850 US Federal Censuses
One of the most important research strategies for using pre-1850 censuses is to compare the birth year ranges with known information about the family. If the age categories are not matching up at all with your family, then it is probable that the wrong family has been identified in the census. Of course, ages sometimes fluctuate in the censuses so there might be some wiggle room and there may have been additional children in the home than previously known, but if there are significant differences you will need to find good information to resolve the conflict or you will need to conclude that the wrong family was found.
Work on identifying the ancestral family in multiple census years and compare the ages of household members to ensure that everyone’s ages were progressing as they should. If the ages are not progressing at a normal rate (meaning that there should be about a ten-year difference between a person’s age category as reported in two censuses) or if sexes are not lining up, then you have likely identified different families who happened to share a head of household’s name.
Comparing ages across multiple censuses can also help narrow down a birth year range. For example, you may find a man in the 1790 census and all that tells you about his age was that he was born sometime in or before 1774. You then identify him in the 1800 census which indicates he was “of 26 & under 45” which meant he was born between 1756 and 1774. The 1810 census for the same head of household puts him in the same “of 26 & under 45” category which dated his birth to between 1766 and 1784. Using these three censuses, you can estimate that the head of household was born between 1766 and 1774.
Another tip is to watch out for multiple households which match the ancestral family. It is entirely possible that there were two heads of households with the same name and whose households are a close match to the ancestral family. For this reason, it is important to identify all the possible household candidates and conduct additional research to determine which one was most likely correct.
It is often tempting to skip looking at the second page of the 1830 or 1840 censuses, but don’t do it! The second page can contain important information about the family that can help you make conclusions.
Sometimes it can be helpful to search for all households with the surname you are researching, regardless of the head of household’s given name, in a region or state to take stock of possible candidates. If the surname was not very common and the households were near each other, it is very possible that they were related. This surname survey can also identify candidates for an ancestor’s parent (father as the head of household was usually the man) because it could reveal which households contained a child which matched your ancestor. You can then research each of the parental candidates to make further conclusions.
Lastly, pay attention to neighbors as they were often family members or friends. The presence of these people near the suspected ancestral household can help confirm the right family was identified. Or you can track a family as they migrate because you may notice that several families lived near each other in a previous location in an earlier census.
The researchers at Legacy Tree Genealogists are skilled at knowing the most efficient and cost-effective ways of obtaining records so that our clients get the fullest possible insight into the lives of their ancestors. Contact us today for a free quote!
[1] “Alabama Censuses Existing and Lost,” FamilySearch Research Wiki, https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Alabama_Censuses_Existing_and_Lost, accessed February 2021.
[2] “Arkansas Censuses Existing and Lost,” FamilySearch Research Wiki, https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Arkansas_Censuses_Existing_and_Lost, accessed February 2021.
[3] “Delaware Censuses Existing and Lost,” FamilySearch Research Wiki, https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Delaware_Censuses_Existing_and_Lost, accessed February 2021.
[4] “Florida Censuses Existing and Lost,” FamilySearch Research Wiki, https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Florida_Censuses_Existing_and_Lost, accessed February 2021.
[5] “Georgia Censuses Existing and Lost,” FamilySearch Research Wiki, https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Georgia_Censuses_Existing_and_Lost, accessed February 2021.
[6] “Illinois Censuses Existing and Lost,” FamilySearch Research Wiki, https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Illinois_Censuses_Existing_and_Lost, accessed February 2021.
[7] “Indiana Censuses Existing and Lost,” FamilySearch Research Wiki, https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Indiana_Censuses_Existing_and_Lost, accessed February 2021.
[8] “Kentucky Censuses Existing and Lost,” FamilySearch Research Wiki, https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Kentucky_Censuses_Existing_and_Lost, accessed February 2021.
[9] “Maine Censuses Existing and Lost,” FamilySearch Research Wiki, https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Maine_Censuses_Existing_and_Lost, accessed February 2021.
[10] “Maryland Censuses Existing and Lost,” FamilySearch Research Wiki, https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Maryland_Censuses_Existing_and_Lost, accessed February 2021.
[11] “Massachusetts Censuses Existing and Lost,” FamilySearch Research Wiki, https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Massachusetts_Censuses_Existing_and_Lost, accessed February 2021.
[12] “Michigan Censuses Existing and Lost,” FamilySearch Research Wiki, https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Michigan_Censuses_Existing_and_Lost, accessed February 2021.
[13] “Minnesota Censuses Existing and Lost,” FamilySearch Research Wiki, https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Minnesota_Censuses_Existing_and_Lost, accessed February 2021.
[14] “Mississippi Censuses Existing and Lost,” FamilySearch Research Wiki, https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Mississippi_Censuses_Existing_and_Lost, accessed February 2021.
[15] “Missouri Censuses Existing and Lost,” FamilySearch Research Wiki, https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Missouri_Censuses_Existing_and_Lost, accessed February 2021.
[16] “New Hampshire Censuses Existing and Lost,” FamilySearch Research Wiki, https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/New_Hampshire_Censuses_Existing_and_Lost, accessed February 2021.
[17] “New Jersey Censuses Existing and Lost,” FamilySearch Research Wiki, https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/New_Jersey_Censuses_Existing_and_Lost, accessed February 2021.
[18] “New York Censuses Existing and Lost,” FamilySearch Research Wiki, https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/New_York_Censuses_Existing_and_Lost, accessed February 2021.
[19] “North Carolina Censuses Existing and Lost,” FamilySearch Research Wiki, https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/North_Carolina_Censuses_Existing_and_Lost, accessed February 2021.
[20] “Ohio Censuses Existing and Lost,” FamilySearch Research Wiki, https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Ohio_Censuses_Existing_and_Lost, accessed February 2021.
[21] “Oklahoma Censuses Existing and Lost,” FamilySearch Research Wiki, https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Oklahoma_Censuses_Existing_and_Lost, accessed February 2021.
[22] “Texas Censuses Existing and Lost,” FamilySearch Research Wiki, https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Texas_Censuses_Existing_and_Lost, accessed February 2021.
[23] “Virginia Censuses Existing and Lost,” FamilySearch Research Wiki, https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Virginia_Censuses_Existing_and_Lost, accessed February 2021.
[24] “West Virginia Censuses Existing and Lost,” FamilySearch Research Wiki, https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/West_Virginia_Censuses_Existing_and_Lost, accessed February 2021.
[25] “Wisconsin Censuses Existing and Lost,” FamilySearch Research Wiki, https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Wisconsin_Censuses_Existing_and_Lost, accessed February 2021.
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