United States Census, 1800 - FamilySearch Historical Records

United States

What is in This Collection?
The collection consists of an index to the population schedules listing the inhabitants of the United States taken August 4,1800 and is from NARA microfilm publication M32 Second Census of the United States,1800. The schedules are from Record Group 29 Records of the Bureau of the Census. Index provided by Ancestry.com.

Federal census takers were asked to record information about every person who was in each household on the census day, which was the first Monday in August for 1800. A census taker might have visited a house on a later date, but the information he collected was supposed to be about the people who were in the house on the census day. The basic census enumeration unit was the county. Each county was divided into enumeration districts, one for each enumerator. The completed forms were sent to the Commerce Department’s Census Office in Washington, D.C.

Federal censuses are usually reliable, depending on the knowledge of the informant and the care of the census enumerator. Information may have been given to a census taker by any member of the family or by a neighbor. Some information may have been incorrect or deliberately falsified.

Population schedules consisted of large sheets with rows and columns. The schedules were arranged by place, such as township or post office. The places were not filed in any particular order. The arrangement of families on a schedule is normally in the order in which the enumerator visited the households. The original schedules are well preserved at the National Archives in Washington, D.C. They were microfilmed in the 1950s and 1960s. The schedules for some counties in varying censuses are missing.

Missing Records
Records for the following states and territories are missing from the census: • 2

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records: • 3

How Do I Search This Collection?
To begin your search it would be helpful to know:
 * The name of your ancestor.
 * The approximate age of your ancestor.
 * The state where your ancestor lived.

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Add any new information to your records
 * Use the age categories to determine an approximate birth date range
 * Use the residence to locate other records such as land, probate, tax, and church records
 * Continue to search the index and records to identify other relatives
 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct
 * You may need to compare the information of more than one family or person to make this determination

I Can't Find the Person I'm Looking For, What Now?

 * Look for variant spellings of the names. You should also look for alias names, nicknames and abbreviated names
 * Search the indexes and records of nearby localities
 * Try alternative search methods such as only filling in the surname search box (or the given name search box) on the landing page leaving the other box empty and then click on search. This should return a list of everyone with that particular name. You could then browse the list for individuals that may be your ancestor
 * There is also the possibility that a family was missed in the census
 * A boundary change could have occurred and the record of your ancestor is now in a neighboring locality
 * Be aware that, as with any index, transcription errors may occur

Research Helps
The following articles will help you research your family in the United States.
 * United States Guided Research
 * United States Record Finder
 * United States Research Tips and Strategies

Other FamilySearch Collections
These collections may have additional materials to help you with your research.

FamilySearch Catalog

 * Census schedules, 1800
 * North Carolina 1800 census : population schedules of the second census of the United States; National Archives microfilm publication, M32
 * Second census of the United States, 1800, population schedules, Washington County. Territory Northwest of the River Ohio; and population census, 1803, Washington County, Ohio (M1804)
 * Georgia. Superior Court. 1800 census Oglethorpe County
 * New Hampshire Census of 1800
 * 1st Ward, New York City, census of 1800
 * Census records of New York County : Population schedules, 1800
 * Census records of Philadelphia and Lancaster Counties : population schedules, 1800
 * Rhode Island, Census records of Newport County : population schedules, 1800
 * South Carolina, Census records of Charleston County : Population schedules, 1800

FamilySearch Historical Records

 * United States Census, 1790
 * United States Census, 1810
 * United States Census, 1820

FamilySearch Digital Library

 * Twenty censuses, population and housing questions, 1790-1980
 * The history and growth of the United States census : prepared for the Senate Committee on the Census
 * Census returns of 1800 : Watervliet, Albany County, New York, Pittstown, Rensselaer County, New York, Schaghticoke, Rensselaer County, New York Washington, D.C. : Bureau of the Census, 19--?
 * 1800 Margaret Rainwater,  South Carolina census index Houston, Texas : publisher not identified, 1964?
 * Heads of families at the second census of the United States taken in the year 1800, Vermont Montpelier, Vermont : Vermont Historical Society, 1938

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.