Prior to 1850, the US Federal Census named only the heads of households. Family members and other residents were only categorized by age and sex.
The 1850 Census was a breakthrough, providing prime genealogical data for researchers, and the 1860 and 1870 Federal Censuses followed suit.
1850 Federal Census Data
The 1850 Federal Census asked the following questions for all residents of the home, including those away in the military, on business, or for other reasons:
- Name
- Age
- Sex
- Color (White, Black, Mulatto, often left blank if White)
- Occupation of males over 15
- Value of Real Estate
- Place of Birth
- If married within the year
- If attended school within the year
- If over 20 and cannot read or write
- Whether deaf & dumb, blind, insane, idiotic, pauper or convict
There were separate Slave Schedules in 1850, and while they listed the name of the slave owner and age and sex of the slaves, unfortunately they did not list each slave by name.
1860 Federal Census Data
1860 Census included the same questions, also asking the “Value of Personal Estate.” People may have downgraded the value of their personal estate, however, for tax purposes.
Enumerators were also asked to be more specific with place of birth. The state or territory was to be listed, if born within the U.S. If born in Great Britain or Germany, more exact locations were to be requested, such as England, Scotland, Ireland & Wales; or Prussia, Baden, Bavaria, etc.
Again, there were separate Slave Schedules for 1860, but they still did not list slaves by name.
1870 Federal Census Data
The 1870 Census made some questions more specific, and added others.
- Age: for children under one year, their age was to be listed in months (7/12)
- Color: Chinese and Indian were added to White, Black and Mulatto
- Foreign-born parents: check-mark columns for father and mother of foreign birth
- Month of birth if born within the year: specific month, narrows it further than the Age column.
- Month of marriage, if married within the year
- Education: separate columns for “Cannot Read” and “Cannot Write”
- If US citizen, male, and over 21
- If US citizen, male, over 21, and denied the right to vote for reasons other than rebellion or crime
Find Ancestors in the 1850, 1860, and 1870 Federal Census Records
As more census records have been transcribed and databases created, indexing has become easier. The best way to find an ancestor in a census record is through an index, available online (see below) and at regional and local libraries.
Don’t just stop with the index results, though. Read the actual census image to search all the available genealogical data for clues, and to note neighbors and possible relations living close by.
The actual census images have been microfilmed, and are available to view on a microfilm reader or online as follows:
- Microfilm: Each of these census records is available on microfilm at local LDS Family History Centers through loans from the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, and at Regional NARA offices. In addition, many state libraries and archives and most large genealogy libraries have census microfilms for all 50 states. Local genealogy libraries may also have the census microfilms and indexes for their county, state or region.
- Online: Census record images are available online at fee-based genealogy websites, such as Ancestry.com, HeritageQuest.com, and Genealogy.com. These websites may be also be accessible through local libraries. Portions of census records are available for free at various sites, such as the USGenWeb. If a census is available online, it is almost always indexed and searchable.
Next Steps in Genealogical Research
- For information on the 1880 census, see Find Ancestors in the 1880 US Federal Census.
- For links to articles about the 1900-1930 census records, and other tips on using the US Census for research, see the Find Family Ancestry in the US Federal Census Records blog post.
Jennifer Jensen - Jennifer Jensen is an Indiana writer just returned from a lovely few years in County Cork, Ireland. She has been the Feature Writer for ...
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