United States Special Censuses

Main contributor: Katie Merkley

The US federal census is conducted every ten years. The information in each census varies, based on what the Census Bureau and the US government find important at each census year. While the population schedules are most common in family history research, the non-population schedules can also reveal information about one's ancestors.

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Agriculture SchedulesAgriculture Schedules

Agriculture schedules were made in the censuses for 1850, 1860, 1870, and 1880. They list the following:

Name of owner or manager
Number of improved and unimproved acres
Number of livestock owned by farmer (broken down by breed)

Amount of agricultural goods produced during the preceding year (broken down by crop)
Cash value of the farm, farming machinery, livestock, animals slaughtered during the past year, and "homemade manufactures"

The 1880 schedules added the following:

amount of acreage used for each kind of crop
number of poultry and eggs produced

The agriculture schedule excluded small farms. In 1850, this was farms producing less than $100 annually. By 1870, this was farms less than three acres that produced less than $500 annually.

This is useful in research because it better identifies your ancestor's land than the population schedule. It shows the farms in relation to neighboring farms, and names the neighboring farmers. This helps with identifying an ancestor's neighbors, which is especially helpful in distinguishing different people with the same name. This is helpful when land and tax records are missing, and it's helpful in finding land and tax records. Some of these records can be found at the National Archives.^[1]

Defective ScheduleDefective Schedule

in 1880, a separate supplemental schedule was taken of those in the Defective, Dependent, and Delinquent classes of the population in addition to the population schedule questions about mental and physical defects.^[2] These were the categories in the Defective schedule:

Insane
Idiots
Deaf-Mutes
Blind
Homeless Children
Inhabitants in Prison
Pauper and Indigent

Manufacturing SchedulesManufacturing Schedules

Manufacturing schedules (AKA industrial schedules) were taken with the census in 1810, 1820, 1850, 1860, 1870, and 1880.

IN 1810, Congress passed an act that the census takers were to gather an account of manufacturing establishments and manufacturers, but neither they nor the Secretary of the Treasury provided instructions. Consequently, the quality and quantity of information gathered about manufacturers varies greatly. Much of it was included as annotations on the population schedule.

The 1820-1860 schedules reported the following:

name of the manufacturer
type of business or product
amount of capital invested
quantities, kinds, and value of raw materials used
quantities, kinds, and value of product produced annually
kind of power or machinery used
number of men and women employed
average monthly cost of male and female labor.

The amount of detail was increased in 1870 and 1880. In 1880, supplemental scheduled were used for specific industries, including shoe-making, lumber, and four mills.

Small manufacturing operations that produced less than $500 worth of goods annually were excluded.

The manufacturer schedule enumerated non-residents, so it could show connections not seen in the population schedule.

Regional Archives of NARA house microfilm copies of manufacturing schedules for their regions. The FamilySearch Library holds very few copies.^[3]

Mortality SchedulesMortality Schedules

Mortality schedules were taken alongside the population schedules from 1850 through 1880.^[4] The recorded people who had died the 12 months prior to the census, or from May 31st the year prior to June 1st the year of. They recorded the following information about the deceased:

name
age
sex
color (race)
marital status
birthplace
month of death
occupation
cause of death

Finding an ancestor on the Mortality Schedule provides secondary birth information and clues to find death records. In some cases, this may be an ancestor's only record of death. Copies of the Mortality Schedule can also be found at state archives, the DAR Library, or NARA.^[3]

Slave SchedulesSlave Schedules

Slave schedules were taken in 1850 and 1860. Rather than naming the slaves, it numbered them under the slave holder's name.^[5] The slave schedules contain the following information:

city, town, or subdistrict of slave holder
name of slave holder
number of slaves owned
age, gender, and color (black or mullato) of slaves
whether the slave was a fugitive and from where
number of slaves manumitted or released from slavery
deaf, dumb (mute), blind, insane, or idiotic.

The 1860 schedule added the number of slave houses.

Occasionally the enumerator listed the first names of enslaved persons.

The slave schedules were taken in Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, North and South Carolinas, Tennessee, Texas, Utah Territory, and Virginia. New Jersey was included in the 1850 slave schedule but not 1860.

Social Statistics SchedulesSocial Statistics Schedules

Social statistics schedules were taken in 1850 to 1880. They gathered statistics concerning specific geographic areas within the counties, rather than information on specific individuals. They collected the following information about each political subdivision:

Value of real estate
Annual taxes
Cemetery facilities within city boundaries, including maps
Number of schools, teachers, and pupils
Number and type of libraries and the number of volumes they have
Name, type, and circulation of newspapers
Types of church denominations, the number of people each church can seat, and the value of their property
Number of native and foreign-born paupers and the cost of supporting them
Number of native and foreign-born criminals convicted and in prison
Average wages paid to farm hands, day laborers, carpenters, and female domestics.

This can provide general information about an ancestor's community.

Social statistics schedules can be found at NARA, regional, and state archives.

Explore more about United States special censusesExplore more about United States special censuses

1850-1900 U.S. Federal Census Secrets Revealed webinar at Legacy Family Tree Webinars
More Than Just Names: Advanced US Census Research webinar at Legacy Family Tree Webinars
Nonpopulation Census Records at National Archives
The U.S. Census: U.S. Census Schedules. State Library of North Carolina
Special Censuses. U.S. Census Connections: A Resource Guide, Library of Congress

References

↑ Agricultural Schedules. Nonpopulation Census Records - National Archives
↑ Index to the Defective, Dependent, and Delinquent Schedules from the 1880 Federal Census for St. Louis, Missouri. St. Louis County Library
↑ ^3.0 ^3.1 “Nonpopulation Census Records,” National Archives (https://www.archives.gov/research/census/nonpopulation: accessed 25 October 2024).
↑ Mortality Schedules. United States Census Bureau
↑ United States 1860 Census Slave Schedules. International African American Museum

[1] Agricultural Schedules. Nonpopulation Census Records - National Archives

[2] Index to the Defective, Dependent, and Delinquent Schedules from the 1880 Federal Census for St. Louis, Missouri. St. Louis County Library

[:0-3] 3.0 ^3.1 “Nonpopulation Census Records,” National Archives (https://www.archives.gov/research/census/nonpopulation: accessed 25 October 2024).

[4] Mortality Schedules. United States Census Bureau

[5] United States 1860 Census Slave Schedules. International African American Museum

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