Table of Contents
Genealogists might think of this as the “hallelujah!” census. Not only was each free person in the household finally listed by name, but specific ages (as of June 1) replaced those frustrating ranges. Other questions covered sex, color, .” This was the first census to have separate schedules for slaves and for people who’d died in the year prior to the census (called mortality schedules; they also exist for the 1860, 1870 and 1880 censuses).
David Fryxell, “US Census Information Year-by-Year for Genealogists“
1850 Census Fast Facts
OFFICIAL
DATE
June 1
NUMBER OF
QUESTIONS
13
NUMBER OF
STATES
30
DECENNIAL
CENSUS NUMBER
7th
NOTABLE
QUESTIONS
Birthplace (state or territory)
Occupation
Value of real estate
Whether married within the year
Attending school within the year
Illiteracy
“Deaf & dumb, blind, insane, idiot, pauper or convict”
10 LARGEST CITIES
New York City, NY
Baltimore, MD
Boston, MA
Philadelphia, PA
New Orleans, LA
Cincinnati, OH
Brooklyn, NY
St. Louis, MO
Spring Garden District, PA
Albany, NY
1850 Census Form Images
(click here to view larger and download)
Slave Schedule
(click here to view larger and download)
1850 Census Questions
Free Inhabitants
- Number of dwelling house (in order visited)
- Number of family (in order visited)
- Name
- Age
- Sex
- Color: This column was to be left blank if a person was White, marked “B” if a person was Black, and marked “M” if a person was Mulatto.
- Profession, occupation, or trade of each person over 15 years of age
- Value of real estate owned by person
- Place of Birth: If a person was born in the United States, the enumerator was to enter the state they were born in. If the person was born outside of the United States, the enumerator was to enter their native country.
- Was the person married within the last year?
- Was the person at school within the last year?
- If this person was over 20 years of age, could they not read and write?
- Is the person “deaf, dumb, blind, insane, idiotic, pauper, or convict?”
Slave Inhabitants
Slaves were listed by owner, not individually.
- Name of owner
- Number of slave: Each owner’s slave was only assigned a number, not a name. Numbering restarted with each new owner
- Age
- Sex
- Color: This column was to be marked with a “B” if the slave was Black and an “M” if they were Mulatto.
- Listed in the same row as the owner, the number of uncaught escaped slaves in the past year
- Listed in the same row as the owner, the number of slaves freed from bondage in the past year
- Is the slave “deaf and dumb, blind, insane, or idiotic?”
United States Census Bureau, Index of Questions: 1850
Where can I find the 1850 census?
How to Read the 1850 Census
Answers abound in the 1850 census, some of them reaching back to resolve mysteries from earlier enumerations. Here’s Mary Clough, living with her daughter in Ouachita County, Ark., of all places, age 84, born in North Carolina. So not only is my 1766 birth date vindicated, but I can now start looking for Mary’s elusive parents in North Carolina. The 1850 census has given me clues to an event more than 80 years earlier.
David Fryxell, “US Census Information Year-by-Year for Genealogists“
1850 Census Research Resources
Websites
Census.gov
1850 Fast Facts
1850 Overview
1850 Index of Questions
Cyndi’s List
1850 U.S. Federal Census Online Records and Indexes
FamilySearch Wiki
United States Census 1850
RootsWeb
1850 U.S. Census
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