United States Census, Slave Schedule, 1850 - FamilySearch Historical Records

Record Description
The collection consists of an index and images of slave schedules listing slave owners and only age and gender of the slaves in 1850. This was the first time that slave information was captured as a separate schedule. Census enumerators created slave schedules at the same time as population schedules. Slave schedules for 1850 exist for the following:


 * Alabama
 * Arkansas
 * Delaware
 * District of Columbia
 * Florida
 * Georgia
 * Kentucky
 * Louisiana
 * Maryland
 * Mississippi
 * Missouri
 * North Carolina
 * South Carolina
 * Tennessee
 * Texas
 * Utah Territory
 * Virginia

Slave schedules are not available for other states.

While nearly one-third of Southern families owned slaves, the number of slave owners named in the slave schedules is 1.7 percent of the total population (in 1860). Depending on the state, slaves numbered less than one to nearly 50 percent of the population (12.5 percent of the total population in 1860).

For a list of records by localities currently published in this collection, select the Browse.

Record Content
Slave schedules include the following information:


 * Name of slave owner
 * Number of slaves owned
 * Age, gender, and color of slave
 * If slave is a fugitive, from what state
 * Has slave been emancipated
 * Very few schedules list the names of the slaves

How to Use the Records
To begin your search it is helpful to know


 * Name of the slave owner
 * Area of residence

Search the Collection
To search the collection by name fill in the slave owner's name in the initial search page. This search will return a list of possible matches. Compare the information about those in the list to what you already know about your own ancestors to determine if this is the correct family or person.

To search the collection image by image, ⇒Select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page ⇒Select the "State" category ⇒Select the "County" category ⇒Select the "Township or other division of county" category, which takes you to the images

Search the collection by image. Again you will need to compare the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine which one is your ancestor.

Be aware that with either search you may need to compare the information about more than one person to make this determination.

As you are searching it is helpful to know such information as your ancestor’s given name and surname, some identifying information such as residence and age, and family relationships. Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name as your ancestor and that your ancestor may have used nicknames or different names at different times.

For tips about searching on-line collections see the on-line video at FamilySearch Search Tips.

Using the Information
Use slave schedules to identify the slave holdings of owners. Since they do not provide the slaves’ names, they can be used only in conjunction with other sources to identify individuals and families who were slaves.

Related Websites
United States Census Online

Related Wiki Articles

 * United States
 * United States Census Slave Schedules

Citation for This Collection
The following citation refers to the original source of the information published in FamilySearch.org. Source citations include the author, custodian, publisher and archive for the original records.

{{Collection citation | text= "United States Census (Slave Schedule), 1850." Index or Images. FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : accessed 2013. Citing NARA microfilm publication M432. Washington D.C.: National Archives, n.d