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

Collection Time Period
U.S. Census Slave Schedule, 1850

Record Description
The schedules consist of large preprinted forms with two columns on each page.

Census enumerators created slave schedules at the same time as population schedules. Slave schedules for 1850 exist for the following places:


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

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.

Citation for This Collection
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Record Content
Slave schedules include the following genealogical information:




 * Name of slave owner
 * Age, color, and sex of slave
 * Very few schedules list the names of the slaves

How to Use the Records
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.

Why the Record Was Created
Census slave schedules are usually reliable, depending on the knowledge of the informant and the care of the census enumerator

Record Reliability
The schedules consist of large preprinted forms with two columns on each page.

Related Websites
United States Census Online

Related Wiki Articles

 * United States
 * United States Census Slave Schedules

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
When you copy information from a record, you should list where you found the information. This will help you or others to find the record again. It is also good to keep track of records where you did not find information, including the names of the people you looked for in the records.

Citation Example for a Record Found in This Collection
"United States Census (Slave Schedule), 1850 ," database and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MVHW-T16 : accessed 4 April 2012), Mary Adams (Washington city, Washington, District of Columbia).