--part1_11a.2c66a3e5.2d124906_boundary Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit --part1_11a.2c66a3e5.2d124906_boundary Content-Type: message/rfc822 Content-Disposition: inline Return-path: <Martibd@aol.com> From: Martibd@aol.com Full-name: Marti bd Message-ID: <10f.2a146ee9.2d12432b@aol.com> Date: Wed, 17 Dec 2003 18:39:23 EST Subject: Helpful info on US Census records To: Martibd@aol.com, Samlgarrison@aol.com, Obie01@aol.com, mamie@sigecom.net MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable X-Mailer: AOL 5.0 for Windows sub 124 This is SO helpful! I thought y'all might like to have it...my Buckner group= =20 sent it: 1790 / 1800 County Tax Lists of Virginia Page maintained by binnsgeno@aol.com. Copyright =A9 2000,2002 Binns Genealoy, LLC.=20 http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~ysbinns/vataxlists/ UNITED STATES CENSUS FAQ In all census searches be sure to determine the time a county was formed and= =20 from which other counties. >From 1790-1840 the census takers were to record everyone in the house on the= =20 enumeration date.=20 Since it was rare that anyone could remember who was actually in their home=20 on a day that was possibly 18 months before, the census taker usually record= ed=20 the people in the house (along with the family) on the day he visited. That=20 might include a neighbor, visiting family, boarders, hired hands or even=20 strangers stopping for the night.=20 The allowable time for completion of the census dropped from 18 months in=20 1840 to 5 months in 1850.=20 1790 Census The first enumeration began on the first Monday in August 1790", little more= =20 than a year after the inauguration of President Washington and shortly befor= e=20 the second session of the first Congress ended. The 1790 Census "Date of=20 Enumeration" was 2 August 1790 with 9 months allowed to complete the census.= That=20 means the first family was recorded on Aug 2, 1790 and the last date of a=20 recording should have been 2 May 1791. The information on the=20 schedules was to be accurate as of 2 Aug 1790 no matter when the family was=20 actually counted. =20 If a person had died by the time the enumerator recorded the family but was=20 alive on 2 Aug then that person would be counted. And, if a child was alive=20 when the enumerator counted the family but not yet born by Aug 2nd it would=20= not=20 be counted.=20 In 1908, the Census Office undertook a project to index the 1790 census name= =20 lists, a publication now commonly known as the 1790 Heads of Families. It=20 includes the name lists for 12 of the 16 federal court districts that were=20 originally enumerated in the 1790 census.=20 Vermont entered the Union as the 14th state in early 1791, its census taken=20 as of 1 April 1791.=20 Also in 1790, Maine was still part of Massachusetts, but had its own census=20 because it was a separate federal court district. The same was true of=20 Kentucky, which was still part of Virginia. All of the Census Abstract Forms list "County" but only the Pennsylvania=20 schedules are broken down by county. The rest of the states are not.=20 The Members of Congress assigned responsibility for the 1790 census to the=20 marshals of the U.S. Federal Court System. One US Marshall was assigned to e= ach=20 court and he was responsible for hiring the enumerators (assistant Marshals)= =20 and overseeing the actual enumeration.=20 In the Territories the Territorial governor was responsible.=20 In 1790 there were 16 Federal Court districts and only 14 states (Vermont=20 entered the Union early in 1791 as the 14th state and Congress passed a spec= ial=20 law to allow Vermont to be counted) so the census records for 1790 don't=20 exactly match the state boundaries.=20 Virginia had 2 Federal Court districts, one being what would become Kentucky= =20 in 1792 and Massachusetts also had two Federal Court Districts one of which=20 would become Maine.=20 The Census for the Southwest Territory (Tennessee) was taken but was only a=20 count of the persons residing in Tennessee. There was no name of head of=20 household. There is no evidence that a 1790 census was taken for the Northwe= st=20 Territory but since the Northwest Territory was involved in fighting Indians= at the=20 time it's understandable that the Governor wasn't interested in counting the= =20 inhabitants of the territory. Many printed sources (including the US Archive's publication 1790-1840 Censu= s=20 Publication) say that the 1790 census schedules were burned when the British= =20 burned Washington in 1814, but the law governing the 1790 census directed th= at=20 the original returns be deposited with the US District Court Clerk. There wa= s=20 no provision for the forwarding of these original schedules to Washington. I= t=20 was not until 1830 that the US Government issued a call to all US District=20 Court clerks to forward the copies of the 1790-1820 census records to=20 Washington.=20 Until 1830 it is presumed that all of these census records were on file at=20 the US District Court offices. Many of the 1790-1820 census records never=20 reached DC..... Those that did reach Washington DC are microfilmed and are t= he=20 records we have today to research. If a woman was listed she was probably a widow. Or the Head of Household=20 might have been an older child if both parents were dead, or if a parent was= =20 infirm.=20 Content Name for head-of-household=20 Number of free white males under 16, and 16 or older=20 Number of free white females of any age=20 Name of a slave owner and number of slaves owned by that person=20 Census Losses Found on Microfilm publication # M637 the 1790 census in on 12 rolls and is=20 not complete.=20 Census losses included Kentucky, Tennessee, Delaware, Georgia, New Jersey an= d=20 Virginia.=20 The 1790 schedules for Virginia, which appears on the microfilm publication=20 T498, were reconstructed from State Censuses A few 1790 counties of other states were also reconstructed from tax lists,=20 including certain counties in North Carolina and Maryland.=20 The Census Office's 1790 volumes are limited to the federal court districts=20 of Connecticut, Maine (a part of Massachusetts at the time), Maryland,=20 Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode=20= Island,=20 South Carolina and Vermont, and the reconstructed Virginia lists. 1800 CENSUS The 1800 census began on 4 August 1800 and 9 months was allowed for the=20 completion of the census.=20 The first family would have been recorded on Aug 4, 1800 and the last on May= =20 4, 1801.=20 Persons alive as of Aug 4th were to be counted not matter when the family=20 was actually counted.=20 Persons who were dead by the time the enumerator arrived but alive on Aug 4t= h=20 would be listed and a child alive when the enumerator arrived but not born b= y=20 Aug 4th would not be.=20 All persons in the house on Aug 4, 1800 were to be counted (family members,=20 visitors, boarders, laborers, extended family and slaves). The 1800 census,=20 like the 1790 makes no distinction between family, boarders, employees and=20 visitors.=20 General Information The 2nd Census of the US is found on 52 rolls of microfilm # M32 and covered= =20 the following states:=20 Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts,= =20 New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South=20 Carolina and Vermont. The 1800 Census was not a lot different from the 1790 except the age=20 groupings were expanded.=20 The 1800 census also included a county and city designation (although not=20 always used). The 1800 federal census included two new states admitted to the Union since=20 1790:=20 Kentucky and Tennessee, for a total of 16 states in the Union.=20 The District of Columbia was created in 1791 from land ceded by Maryland and= =20 Virginia, but its first census of 1800 was taken with Maryland and Virginia. In addition, three territories were enumerated for the first time in 1800:=20 Mississippi Territory, the Northwest Territory and Indiana Territory.=20 Maine was still a federal court district within the state of Massachusetts=20 and had a separate census taken.=20 The 1800 census was broken down by counties. Content The column headings on the older abstract forms can be confusing since one=20 column says 10-16 and the next says 16-26. The enumerators actually used, 10= -15,=20 16-26, 27-45 and over 45.=20 Name for head-of-household=20 Number of free white males and free white females in specific age categories= =20 Name of a slave owner and number of slaves owned by that person=20 Census Losses District-wide census losses include those for Georgia, Indiana Territory,=20 Kentucky, Mississippi Territory, New Jersey, Northwest Territory and Tenness= ee.=20 These have no known substitutes except for some isolated tax lists. 1810 CENSUS The US District Court was still the "enumeration district" and the actual=20 taking of the census was still under the jurisdiction of the US Marshal. Cop= ies=20 were to be retained at the District Court and summaries by category were=20 to be forwarded to the President. General Information The 1810 Census began on 6 August 1810 and 10 months was allowed to complete= =20 it.=20 The first family recorded would have been on 6 Aug 1810 and the last would=20 have been 6 June 1811.=20 Remember that the Enumeration Date was 6 Aug 1810 and all information=20 recorded was supposed to have been as of that date.=20 If the census taker followed the rules people who died after 6 Aug 1810 will= =20 be counted and those not born by 6 Aug 1810 won't be counted no matter when=20 the census taker talked to the family.=20 As with the 1830-1840 census the count was to be made of all persons in the=20 household as of the enumeration date. If the family couldn't remember who wa= s=20 in the house on that date the census taker would record the family's guesses= or=20 simply record everyone he found in the house on the day he visited. These=20 persons could be visiting family, laborers, boarders, neighbors, etc. The 1810 Census is recorded on Microfilm publication M252 and consists of 71= =20 rolls.=20 The 1810 federal census included the new state of Ohio, admitted to the unio= n=20 in 1803, bringing the total to 17 states in the Union.=20 The 1810 census also included the District of Columbia, separated in the=20 census schedules from Virginia and Maryland for the first time.=20 In addition, six territories in the public domain were enumerated: Illinois=20 Territory, Indiana Territory, Louisiana Territory (renamed Missouri Territor= y=20 in 1812), Michigan Territory, Mississippi Territory and Orleans Territory. The states recorded are; Connecticut, Delaware, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine,=20 Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvan= ia,=20 Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee (Rutherford county only) and Virgini= a=20 and are broken down within the state by counties.=20 Content Name for head-of-household=20 Number of free white males and free white females in specific age categories= =20 Name of a slave owner and number of slaves owned by that person=20 Census Losses District-wide census losses include those for the District of Columbia,=20 Georgia, Indiana Territory, Michigan Territory, Mississippi Territory, Louis= iana=20 (MO) Territory, New Jersey and Tennessee. Partial losses include those for=20 Illinois Territory and Ohio. --part1_11a.2c66a3e5.2d124906_boundary--