United States Census, 1850 - FamilySearch Historical Records

United States

What Is in the Collection?
Index and images of population schedules listing the free inhabitants of each household as of June 1, 1850. It is the first census to list each free person by name. The collection is part of Record Group 29 Records of the Bureau of the Census and is NARA microfilm publication M432. Searchable data and browse are available for all states and territories.

General Information About Census Records
The U.S. federal census was conducted each decade from 1790-present. This information pertains to censuses conducted in 1850, 1860, and 1870.

Federal census takers were asked to record information about all those who were in each household on the census day, which was 1 June. 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 Census Office in the Commerce Department in Washington D.C.

The U.S. federal census was taken at the beginning of every decade to apportion the number of representatives that a state could send to the House of Representatives in Congress. In the absence of a national system of vital registration, many vital statistics and personal questions were asked to provide a statistical profile of the nation and its states.

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.

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.

What Can This Collection Tell Me?
Information in the 1850 census may include the following:


 * Town/township, county and state in which census was taken
 * House number and family number
 * Name of each person in household
 * Age of each person in household (can be used to approximate birth year)
 * Sex of each person in household
 * Race of each person in household
 * Occupation of each person
 * Value of any real estate
 * Birthplace of each person in household
 * Whether person was married during the year
 * Whether person attended school during the year
 * Can person read and write
 * Additional remarks

How Do I Search This Collection?
You can search the index or view the images or both. Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * The name of your ancestor.
 * The approximate age of your ancestor.
 * The state and county where your ancestor lived.
 * The names of other relatives or associates who lived nearby.

View the Images
View images in this collection by visiting the 

→ The levels of the browse hierarchy are found under the Guidance Tab in Rosetta, in the Browse Hierarchy table, in the Hierarchy Description column.
 * 1) Select State
 * 2) Select County
 * 3) Select ‘’’ Township or other division of county’’’ to view the images.

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 Who I was Looking for, What Now?

 * Copy the citation below, in case you need to find this record again later.
 * Use the ages listed to determine approximate birth dates and find the family in additional censuses.
 * Use the information found in the record to find church and vital records such as birth, baptism, marriage, and death records.
 * Use the information found in the record to find land, probate and immigration records.
 * Repeat this process with additional family members found, to find more generations of the family.

I Can’t Find Who I’m Looking for, What Now?

 * If your ancestor does not have a common name, collect entries for every person who has the same surname. This list can help you find possible relatives.
 * If you cannot locate your ancestor in the locality in which you believe they lived, then try searching records of a nearby town or county.
 * Try different spellings of your ancestor’s name.
 * Remember that sometimes individuals went by nicknames or alternated between using first and middle names. Try searching for these names as well.
 * Check the info box above for additional FamilySearch websites and related websites that may assist you in finding similar records.
 * 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 with the same family number.
 * There is also the possibility that a family was missed in the census.

Known Issues With This Collection
For a full list of all known issues associated with this collection see the attached article. If you encounter additional problems, please email them to [mailto:support@familysearch.org support@familysearch.org]. Please include the full path to the link and a description of the problem in your e-mail. Your assistance will help ensure that future reworks will be considered.

Related Historical Record Collections

 * 1850 Mortality Schedules
 * 1850 Slave Schedules

Citing This Collection
Citing your sources makes it easy for others to find and evaluate the records you used. When you copy information from a record, list where you found that information. Here you can find citations already created for the entire collection and for each individual record or image.

Collection Citation:

Record Citation (or citation for the index entry): Image citation: