Population Schedule – Census Quick Reference Chart

The Population Schedule – Census Quick Reference Chart sets each census from 1790 to 1950 against the questions genealogists most often bring to it, and marks for each year whether that census answers a question directly, gives clues to it, or doesn't cover it.

The federal census has been taken every ten years since 1790 to count the population for apportioning seats in the House of Representatives. Its questions collected demographic and other information for the government's use; the records they produced are also a major source for genealogical research.

The Line by Line cards give more information about each determination and how it applies to the question.

Explicit — The source asked the question, and the answer is given directly.

Inferred — The source didn't ask the question, but the answer can be narrowed down or figured out from the information available. Confirming an inference often needs another record. The inference can sometimes require more than one record, but this determination is only used where the information usually can't be found any other way.

Not Recorded — The source didn't ask the question, and nothing in it helps answer it.

Not Applicable — The question doesn't apply to anyone at the time the record was taken.

Rarely Available — The source can only answer the question for a small share of people.

In 1940 and 1950, some questions were limited to the people whose names fell on designated sample lines: about one person in twenty in 1940, and one in five in 1950. In 1940 they included the birthplaces of each parent, the language spoken at home in earliest childhood, veteran status, and, for women who had married, their age at first marriage and the number of children ever born. In 1950 they included where the person lived a year earlier, the birth country of each parent, schooling, and military service for men. The person on the last sample line of each page was asked a few more, among them whether they had been married more than once and, for a woman who had married, how many children she had borne. For a person on a sample line, these answers are on the page; the chart marks them Rarely Available because most people weren't asked.

The 1890 census was taken, but almost none of it survives. A fire in the Commerce Department building in Washington on January 10, 1921, damaged or destroyed most of the population schedules, and much of what the flames spared was soaked by the water used to fight them. The damaged volumes went into temporary storage, where the paper kept decaying, and in 1933 Congress authorized the disposal of what remained. The fragments that survive name just over 6,000 people in parts of ten states and the District of Columbia: Alabama, Georgia, Illinois, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, South Dakota, and Texas.

A separate 1890 schedule of Union veterans of the Civil War and their widows survives for most states from Kentucky onward in alphabetical order, Kentucky only in part, and for the District of Columbia. It gives each veteran's rank, unit, dates of service, and post office address, and it is the main source of 1890 military information.

Every census taken between 1790 and 1950 names the head of each household. In the six censuses of 1790 to 1840, the head is the only person named, written at the start of the household's line with everyone else counted in the tally columns beside it. Once the 1850 census began naming each free person, the head came first: its instructions told the assistant marshal to begin with the father and mother, or with another "ostensible head of the family" if neither was living, then the children from oldest to youngest, then everyone else in the household. The 1880 census added a column stating each person's relationship to the head, so the head is named as such rather than identified by position alone.

No census before 1850 names anyone except the head of each household; everyone else is a number in the tally columns beside the head's name. The 1850 census was the first to name each free person, each on a line of their own, kept together under the dwelling and family numbers of their household. Enslaved people in 1850 and 1860 were listed on separate slave schedules under the name of the slaveholder, by age, sex, and color, and almost never by a name of their own. Starting in 1870 the census names each person in the household.

Every census describes people by age, sex, and race in some form, but the six tally censuses of 1790 to 1840 do it by grouping. Each household's line has columns for free white people, for other free people, and for enslaved people, so race shows as the column a person was counted in, and age as a range. In 1790 only free white males are divided by age, at 16, and only white people by sex. The 1800 and 1810 censuses give age groups to white people of both sexes, and the 1820, 1830, and 1840 censuses divide free colored persons and enslaved people by sex and age group as well. The 1850 census gave each person their own entry for age, sex, and color: "B" for black, "M" for mulatto, and a blank for white. Later censuses expanded the race categories, in the terms used at the time.

The "Indians not taxed" were Native Americans living under tribal government, and they were left out of the regular population schedule through 1910. For those who were taxed, the 1860 instructions added "Ind." to the color column, and the 1870 census changed it to "I." Separate Indian schedules were taken for those on reservations from 1880 through 1910, though the 1880 schedules covered only a few. The 1920 census included all Native Americans on the regular population schedule. In 1950, those on reservations were also enumerated on a separate Indian Reservation Schedule.

The six tally censuses, 1790 to 1840, give age groups rather than ages. For the people they divide by age, a birth year narrows only to a range; the Tick Mark – Census Quick Reference Chart gives the range for each column. An exact age, given from 1850 on, narrows the birth year to one of two years, depending on whether the birthday fell before or after the official census date. The 1900 census also asked the month and year of birth, the only census through 1950 to do so.

The tally censuses of 1790 to 1840 count enslaved people in a column headed "Slaves" on each household's line, beside the free counts, but name none of them, so whether a particular person was enslaved can only be inferred. In 1850 and 1860 the population schedule lists free people alone, so any person named on it was free; enslaved people were counted on the slave schedule instead. A person who first appears in 1870 may have been enslaved before then and counted on a slave schedule, but that connection is only inferred and has to be confirmed in other records. Slavery was abolished in 1865, so the question doesn't apply afterward.

Beyond this chart — see the Enslaved Ancestors Quick Reference Chart.

A census can't show who held a particular enslaved person, but it can indicate that a household held enslaved people. Each census from 1790 to 1840 counts enslaved people on the line of the household that held them, so a number in the "Slaves" column suggests the head was a slaveholder, though not necessarily. The 1850 and 1860 population schedules list free people only and show nothing about slaveholding; slaveholders are named on the separate slave schedule, in the 1860 column headed "Name of Slave Owner". The question ends with slavery in 1865.

Beyond this chart — see the Enslaved Ancestors Quick Reference Chart.

The 1820 census added counts of the people in each household engaged in agriculture, commerce, and manufactures, a number on the household's line rather than a trade beside a name, so whose work it was has to be inferred. The 1830 census left it out, and the 1840 census brought it back in seven classes: mining, agriculture, commerce, manufactures and trades, navigation of the ocean, navigation of canals, lakes, and rivers, and the learned professions and engineers. The 1850 census gives the occupation of each man over 15, and the 1860 census of each person over 15. The 1870 census and every later one ask it of men and women alike, and the 1880 census adds how many months a person had been out of work during the 12 months leading up to the census. The 1910 census added the industry a person worked in and whether they worked for wages, employed others, or worked on their own account, and later censuses keep those questions, which together show not only what a person did but also in what line of work.

The earliest censuses name only the head of each household, so they show no relationships at all. In 1850, 1860, and 1870 the members of each household are named, but nothing in the entries says how they were related. The order of names, shared surnames, and ages suggest the relationships, but those suggestions need another record to confirm them. A household could also include boarders, servants, and relatives of other kinds, listed with no distinction. The 1880 census and every later one give each person's relationship to the head of household, such as wife, son, daughter, servant, or boarder.

The 1850, 1860, and 1870 censuses didn't ask whether a person was married; each asked only whether the person had married within the year before the census day, and the 1870 census asked for the month as well. A mark in that column dates a recent marriage; a blank says nothing about earlier ones. The 1880 census was the first to ask each person's marital status: single, married, widowed, or divorced.

The 1850 through 1880 censuses indicate the people who had married within the year before the census day, and the 1870 census gives the month as well. The entry dates that marriage closely, but only those married that year are indicated, so for most people the column gives no date. The 1900 and 1910 censuses asked married people how many years they had been married, and subtracting that number from the census year gives an approximate year of the present marriage. The 1930 census asked each married person's age at first marriage, which, with the person's age, gives an approximate year of the first marriage. Where a husband's and wife's ages at first marriage point to different years, one of them may have married before. In 1940 and 1950 the questions were limited to people on sample lines; see Questions asked of only some people.

The censuses before 1850 count children by age group, so a column that comes up a child short from one census to the next can suggest a child who died or left home. Once each free person is named, a gap of several years between brothers' and sisters' ages can mark a child as born and lost between two censuses. The 1890, 1900, and 1910 censuses asked each mother how many children she had borne and how many were still living; a count higher than the children listed with her usually means a child had died or left home. A child who died in the year before the census may be named on the mortality schedules of 1850 through 1880. In 1940 and 1950 the question about children ever born was limited to a small share of women who both fell on sample lines and met other criteria; see Questions asked of only some people.

Beyond this chart — see the Mortality Schedule – Census Quick Reference Chart.

The 1850 census introduced a column for each person's place of birth, naming the state or territory for those born in the United States and the country for those born abroad. The town or county of birth is almost never given, so the census can only narrow a search down to a state or country. Because the person answering wasn't always the person described, a birthplace can change from one census to the next, and comparing several often settles it. The 1940 census asked for the country as its borders stood on January 1, 1937, so a birthplace abroad may name a country that didn't exist when the person was born.

The 1870 census added two columns marking whether each person's father and mother were of foreign birth, which shows that a parent was born abroad but not where. The 1880 through 1930 censuses ask where each person's parents were born, naming a state for a parent born in the United States and a country for one born abroad, whether or not the parents were in the same household or still living, so the census can give the birthplaces of parents who appear in no census themselves. In 1940 and 1950 the question was limited to people on sample lines; see Questions asked of only some people.

Every census places a household in a state and county, and usually a town, township, or district, named at the top of the page. The 1850 census began numbering dwellings in the order the enumerator visited them, so households listed near each other usually lived near each other. The 1880 census added the street name and house number for households in cities, and every later census kept them, filled in wherever streets were named or numbered. The 1940 census also gives the city or town, county, and state where each person lived five years earlier.

A census taken before 1850 places a household in a county and town but says nothing about where its members came from; a move shows only when the same head turns up somewhere else ten years later. The 1850 through 1930 censuses give each person's state or country of birth, and that makes a household's movements readable: when the children were born in different states, the order of their birthplaces and their ages trace the family's path and roughly when each move happened; none asks about a move directly. The 1940 census asked where each person lived on a set date, April 1, 1935, giving the city or town, county, and state; "Same house" for those who still lived in the same house, or "Same place" for those who had moved within the same city or town. In 1950 a similar question, where the person lived a year earlier, was limited to people on sample lines; see Questions asked of only some people.

The 1890 and 1900 censuses asked how many years each foreign-born person had lived in the United States, and the 1900 through 1930 censuses ask the year of immigration. Since it was usually remembered rather than read from a document, a year given in one census can differ from another by a year or more. The 1940 and 1950 censuses ask about citizenship but not the year of arrival.

Beyond this chart — Passenger arrival lists show when and where an immigrant arrived, and naturalization records document the steps to citizenship; with the country of birth, the year of immigration narrows the search for both. FamilySearch's United States immigration records guide covers the main ports of entry and where these records can be searched online.

The 1820 and 1830 censuses added a count of "foreigners not naturalized" in each household. It was only a number beside the head's name, so who it means has to be inferred. The 1840, 1850, and 1860 censuses don't ask it. The 1870 census marked male citizens aged 21 and over, which shows citizenship for adult men only and says nothing of how it was gained, and the 1880 census had no citizenship column. The 1890 census was the first to ask about naturalization, of foreign-born men aged 21 and over: whether each had been naturalized, and whether he had taken out naturalization papers. The 1900 and 1910 censuses asked the same questions in a single column: "Al" for an alien, "Pa" for one who had filed his first papers, and "Na" for one who was naturalized. The 1920 and 1930 censuses used the same codes for foreign-born women and children as well, but the 1920 census was the only one to ask the year of naturalization. The 1940 census asked for the citizenship status of the foreign born, and the 1950 census asked whether those born abroad were naturalized. A first-papers mark shows that naturalization papers had been filed by the census day, and a year of naturalization narrows down when.

The 1890 census asked the language or dialect spoken by anyone unable to speak English. The 1900 census asked only whether each person could speak English, which shows nothing of what else they spoke. The 1910 census asked the mother tongue of each foreign-born person, written after the country of birth: "Russ.-Lithuanian" for someone born in Russia whose first language was Lithuanian. As in 1890, it also gives the language spoken by those who couldn't speak English. The 1920 census gives the mother tongue of the foreign born and of each person's parents, beside their birthplaces, and the 1930 census asks the language spoken at home before coming to the United States. A mother tongue can identify a group that a country of birth hides, such as German speakers born in Russia. In 1940 the question, the language spoken at home in earliest childhood, was limited to people on sample lines; see Questions asked of only some people. The 1950 census had no related question.

No census before 1850 asks whether a person attended school. The 1840 census has columns for schools and their "scholars," or students, but they count the schools in each district and the students at each school, not a household's children. Where those totals sit on a family's line is incidental and doesn't reflect on the household in any way. The 1850 through 1880 censuses mark each person who had attended school within the year, but no census ever included Sunday school in this count. In 1850 the mark covered only time at an educational institution, so a child of school age with no mark may have still been schooled, just at home. In 1860 it also counted regular instruction of any kind except Sunday school, and in 1870 it left out evening school as well. The 1890 and 1900 censuses asked how many months each person had attended during the year, and the 1910, 1920, and 1930 censuses asked whether they had attended school since September 1st of the year before. The 1940 census asked about school attendance since March 1, 1940, and the highest grade completed. In 1950 the school questions were limited to people on sample lines; see Questions asked of only some people.

The 1840 census named each pensioner for Revolutionary or military service in the household, with his or her age, whether or not that person was the head. The 1850 through 1880 censuses don't ask it. The 1890 census asked whether each person had served as a soldier, sailor, or marine in the Civil War, for the United States or the Confederacy, or was the widow of one. A separate schedule of Union veterans and their widows was taken alongside it. The 1900 census dropped the question. The 1910 census marked survivors of the Union or Confederate Army or Navy. The 1920 census had no related question, and the 1930 census marked veterans of the U.S. military or naval forces, with the war or expedition each served in. In 1940 and 1950 the question was limited to people on sample lines; see Questions asked of only some people.

Beyond this chart — A veteran's service record and pension file can give a unit, dates of service and, in a pension file, family details; the war named narrows the search. Federal records from the Revolutionary War to 1912 are held at the National Archives Building in Washington, D.C., and those from WWI on are at the National Military Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, and the National Archives' Genealogy Research in Military Records guide explains how to find and order them.

The 1850, 1860, and 1870 censuses give the value of each person's real estate, and the 1860 and 1870 censuses add the value of personal estate, so a household's wealth can be compared with its neighbors'. The figure is what was reported to the enumerator, and it names no land or location. The 1880 census dropped the questions. The 1890 through 1920 censuses ask whether each home or farm was owned or rented, and whether it was mortgaged, which shows ownership but no value. The 1930 census adds the value of a home owned or the monthly rent of one rented, and whether the household had a radio set. The 1940 census asks the home's value or rent and each person's wages or salary for 1939. In 1950 the income question was limited to people on sample lines; see Questions asked of only some people.

The 1830 census counted the "deaf and dumb," by age group, and the blind in each household, and the 1840 census counted the "insane and idiots" as well. Each is a number on the household's line, not a mark beside a name. The 1850 through 1880 censuses mark each person who was "deaf and dumb, blind, insane, or idiotic." The 1880 census added a column for anyone "maimed, crippled, bedridden, or otherwise disabled," and noted those sick or temporarily disabled on the day of the visit. Supplemental schedules of the defective, dependent, and delinquent classes were taken alongside it. The 1890 census asked about chronic disease and about defects of mind, sight, hearing, or speech. The 1900 census asked none of them. The 1910 census marked only those blind in both eyes or "deaf and dumb," and no later census through 1950 asks.

An identifier for a specific form. The same identifier goes on every page of the form, so pages that become separated can be put back together, and another form can refer to it.

The prefix is unique to each type of form. The rest, up to four characters, is chosen by the researcher and can be numbers, letters, or both. Combining letters with numbers allows more forms to be referenced with fewer characters. Each Quick Reference chart carries a fixed identifier instead, such as "QRC-C2", which names the chart itself and has nothing to fill in.

U.S. Census Bureau — census.gov

IPUMS USA — usa.ipums.org

National Archives (NARA) — archives.gov

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine — nationalacademies.org