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.

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.

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


 * Alabama
 * Arkansas
 * Delaware
 * Florida
 * Georgia
 * Kentucky
 * Louisiana
 * Maryland
 * Mississippi
 * Missouri
 * New Jersey
 * North Carolina
 * South Carolina
 * Tennessee
 * Texas
 * 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).

Why This Collection 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 Web Sites
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Related Wiki Articles
United States Census Slave Schedules

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
A suggested format for keeping track of records that you have searched is found in the Wiki Article: How to Cite FamilySearch Collections

Examples of Source Citations for a Record in This Collection
"United States Census (Slave Schedule), 1850." index and images, FamilySearch (http://www.familysearch.org): accessed 8 April 2011). entry for Mary Adams, age 16; citing Census Records, FHL microfilm 6,703; United States Census Office, National Archives, Washington, D.C.

Sources of Information for This Collection:
"United States Census (Slave Schedule), 1850 " database, FamilySearch (http://www.familysearch.org), from United States Census Office. Digital images of originals housed at the National Archives, Washington, D.C.. FHL microfilm. Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah.