| Beginning in 1790, the United States of America | | | | some people didn't care how their names were |
| became the first country in the world to call for | | | | spelled. If the person taking the census said is |
| regularly held censuses. However, the Constitution | | | | that "Stockdale" with a "dale" or "Stockdill" with a |
| didn't treat everyone as equal. "Free persons" | | | | "dill," the citizen may have said, "oh, you could spell |
| excluded American Indians living on treaty land | | | | it either way." |
| and who were exempt from paying taxes (or | | | | The first nine censuses (1790-1870) were |
| voting). However, any male Indian who had joined | | | | conducted by assistant federal marshals of the |
| the voting and taxpaying (read: white) population | | | | U.S. Federal Court system. One U.S. marshal was |
| became considered a "free person" and had the | | | | assigned to each federal court district, and he was |
| right to vote. "All other persons" meant slaves, | | | | tasked with hiring and assigning the assistant |
| who were counted as 3/5 of a person for | | | | marshals to take the census in his district. In each |
| determining representation in Congress. The 3/5 | | | | territory, the territorial governor was responsible |
| rule was to compensate for the large slave | | | | for the census enumeration. Unfortunately, state |
| populations of southern states such as Virginia and | | | | boundaries didn't always line up with court |
| South Carolina, where slaves represented 39 and | | | | boundaries, a potential additional cause of |
| 43 percent of the populations, respectively. For | | | | confusion for genealogy research. Congress didn't |
| comparison, Connecticut and New Jersey had | | | | get around to creating an actual "census office" |
| slave populations of 1.1 and 6.2 percent, | | | | until right before the 1850 census. |
| respectively. | | | | The 1790 census law required the U.S. marshals |
| In Article I, Section 2, the Constitution of the | | | | to deposit the original returns from their |
| United States says: | | | | assistants with the clerks of the U.S. District |
| Representatives and direct taxes shall be | | | | Courts. These name lists remained in the clerks' |
| apportioned among the several states which may | | | | offices, while the marshals' summaries from the |
| be included within this Union according to their | | | | various districts were sent to the office of the |
| respective numbers, which shall be determined by | | | | U.S. president. The law required that the president |
| adding to the whole number of free persons, | | | | receive "the aggregate amount of each |
| including those bound to service for a term of | | | | description of persons within their respective |
| years, and excluding Indians not taxed, | | | | district." The marshals were to "file the original |
| three-fifths of all other persons. The actual | | | | returns of their assistants with the clerks of their |
| enumeration shall be made within three years | | | | respective district courts, who are hereby |
| after the first meeting of the Congress of the | | | | directed to receive and carefully preserve the |
| United States, and within every subsequent ten | | | | same." |
| years, in such manner as they shall by law direct. | | | | This requirement was repeated in the census laws |
| You'll notice that the constitution states simply | | | | for 1800, 1810, and 1820. The president was to |
| that a census be taken every 10 years, and | | | | receive not the name lists, but summaries of the |
| leaves the details up to Congress. Therefore, for | | | | census tallies. This fact contradicts what several |
| every census, Congress passes a special law | | | | well-known publications use as the reason for |
| authorizing the census to take place and | | | | many early census losses. For example, several |
| hammering out the details. Each one is unique, and | | | | genealogical reference books indicate that when |
| requests more and different information than the | | | | the British burned Washington in 1814, the earliest |
| last. Ever since the first census of 1790, more | | | | census returns were destroyed. This incorrect |
| than just an "actual enumeration" or count has | | | | statement can be found in the National Archives |
| been made. The government uses census data | | | | guides and Family History Library guides, for |
| for many purposes, including taxation, number of | | | | example. |
| Congressional representatives, and federal block | | | | However, the only census schedules that could |
| grants. | | | | have been in Washington, D.C., in 1814 were the |
| Genealogists need to keep in mind that census | | | | 1810 schedules for the District of Columbia, which |
| data isn't always completely correct. During the | | | | had its own U.S. District Courthouse. Since the |
| time periods covered by the census data | | | | 1810 D.C. schedules are lost, they may have been |
| currently available to family historians (1790 to | | | | the only censuses destroyed when the British |
| 1930), a most people didn't graduate from high | | | | burned ashington in 1814. |
| school, including the census takers who went door | | | | Please visit the Blog for more articles in this |
| to door, collecting the information. Mistakes and | | | | series, including specific information on which U.S. |
| misspellings happen among even the most | | | | Census records are available today to genealogy |
| educated. | | | | researchers, and where to find them. |
| Plus, as difficult as it may be for us to imagine, | | | | |