United States Census, 1790 - 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 in August of 1790. This was the first national census conducted in the United States and is NARA microfilm publication M637 First Census of the United States,1790 from Record Group 29 Records of the Bureau of the Census. This index is provided by Ancestry.com. The census schedules were also published by the Government Printing Office in 1908. See related printed schedules below. This census provides names for heads of household, for about 10 to 15 percent of the population, and provide only a number count for the others.

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 1790. 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.

The schedules for some counties are missing in the 1790 census and no schedules are known to exist for the following states in 1790: Delaware,Georgia,Kentucky,New Jersey,Tennessee,Virginia.

Census Substitutes
Delaware: Georgia: Kentucky: Tennessee:
 * Leon DeValinger. Jr. Reconstructed 1790 Census of Delaware. Washington[District of Columbia: National Genealogical Society, 1962. FS Library 975.1 X2d 1790
 * Harold B Hancock. ed. The Reconstructed Delaware State Census of 1782. Wilmington,Delaware:Delaware Genealogical Society, 1983. FS Library 975.1 X2r 1782
 * Marie De Lamar & Elisabeth Rothstein. The Reconstructed 1790 Census of Georgia:Substitutes for Georgia's Lost 1790 Census.Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1985 FS Library 975.8 X2L
 * Charles B. Heinemann.comp. First Census of Kentucky,1790. Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1993. FS Library 976.9 X2ph 1790 census
 * Lucy Kate McGhee. comp. Partial Census of 1787 to 1791 of Tennessee as taken from the North Carolina Land Grants

Printed Schedules
• 2

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records: • 2

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
 * 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, 1790
 * Marie De Lamar & Elisabeth Rothstein, comp. The reconstructed 1790 census of Georgia : substitutes for Georgia's lost 1790 census. Baltimore, Maryland : Genealogical Publishing Company, 1989. FS Library 975.8 X002l
 * edited by Ruth Gray, Maine families in 1790 11 volumes. Camden, Maine : Picton Press, c1988-2009 FS Library 974.1 D2m
 * Heads of families at the first census of the United States taken in the year 1790, Virginia : records of the state enumerations, 1782 to 1785. reprint. Baltimore, Maryland : Genealogical Publishing Company, 1986. FS Library 975.5 X2h

FamilySearch Digital Library

 * The history and growth of the United States census : prepared for the Senate Committee on the Census
 * Heads of families at the first census of the United States taken in the year 1790 : records of the state enumerations, 1782-1785, Virginia Washington, D.C. : Government Printing Office, 1908
 * Twenty censuses, population and housing questions, 1790-1980
 * Debra L. Newman, comp. List of free black heads of families in the first census of the United States, 1790 Washington, D.C. : National Archives and Records Service, 1981
 * Heads of families at the first census of the United States taken in the year 1790, Massachusetts Washington, D.C. : Government Printing Office (United States), 1908
 * Heads of families at the first census of the United States taken in the year 1790, New York Washington, D.C. : United States. Government Printing Office, 1908
 * Heads of families at the First Census of the United States taken in the year 1790 South Carolina Washington, D.C. : Government Printing Office (United States), 1908

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.

Estados Unidos, censo de 1790 (registros históricos de FamilySearch) Estados Unidos, Censo, 1790 (Registros Históricos do FamilySearch)