United States Census 1860Edit This Page
From FamilySearch Wiki
United States 
U.S. Census 1860 Census
Contents |
Indexes and Images
For an article about 1860 census population schedules available for free online at FamilySearch Historical Record Collections see the U.S. Census Population Schedules, 1860 Wiki page. Ancestry.com (subscription site) has indexes and images of all 1860 federal censuses. HeritageQuestOnline.com (subscription site) has indexes and images of all 1860 federal censuses.
Also, there are articles about the 1860 mortality schedule indexes, and 1860 slave owner schedule indexes free online as part of FamilySearch Record Search. Ancestry.com has those mortality and slave owner indexes and images online for a subscription fee.
A free Internet census index and images to the 1860 census can be viewed on the FamilySearch Record Search. This index shows every name listed on the census and is linked to census images including information about each person’s residence, age, birthplace, occupation, other family members, and neighbors.
For more details, see individual state census Wiki pages. For tips if the first census index search does not work, see the United States Census Searching Wiki page.
Content
The 1860 Census was taken beginning 1 June 1860, for five months. The following information was recorded by the census taker:
Population Schedules
- Name
- Age
- Sex
- Color
- Occupation males over 15
- Value of real estate
- Value of personal estate
- Birthplace—state/terr./country
- Married during year
- Deaf-mute, blind, insane, idiot, pauper, convict
Slave Schedules
- Name of slave owner
- Number of slaves owned
- Number of slaves manumitted (released from slavery)
- NO NAME OF SLAVES
- Age, color, sex
- Deaf-mute, blind, insane, idiotic?
- Fugitive from state?
- Number of slave houses
1790-2000 Census Information: http://www.census.gov/prod/2000pubs/cff-2.pdf
Value
The 1860 census can be used to:
- Find free population/slave pop. & mortality, agriculture, industry data
- Identify families by name
- Identify birthplaces which helps w/immigration
- Identify ages —go to vital records
- Identify real estate—land and tax records
- Identify probable relationships—be careful!
- Identify occupations/property value
- Identify possible remarriages/step relationships
1850-1930 Search Tips: http://www.archives.gov/research/census/1850-1930.html
Unique Features and Problems
- First time “value of personal estates” was asked (Note: Individuals may have hesitated to answer correctly because they were taxed accordingly.)
- Country of Birth: Instead of just Great Britain or Germany places were to be more specific: ex: England, Ireland, Prussia, Baden, etc.
- Personal estate—first time
- Enumerator to make 2 additional copies:
- Clerk of county court
- Secretary of state/territory
States and Territories Covered
States
- Alabama
- Arkansas
- California
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- Florida
- Georgia
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New York
- North Carolina
- Ohio
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Vermont
- Virginia (inc. West Virginia)
- Wisconsin
Territories
- Dakota (unorganized)
- Indian (non-Indians included with Arkansas)
- Kansas (portions of Colorado)
- Nebraska (inc. parts Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, North & South Dakota)
- New Mexico Territory (inc. Arizona)
- Utah (inc. Nevada, Colorado, Washington)
- Washington Territory (inc. Idaho, western Montana, Wyoming
Missing Records
- No States Missing
Where to Find the Records
The 1860 Federal Census is available online.
Online
- 1860 United States Federal Census (Ancestry) ($)
- Census - US Federal 1860 (Fold3) ($)
- United States Census, 1860 (FamilySearch) - index only
- For the 1860 slave schedules see U.S. Census Slave Schedules.
Web Sites
1790-2000 Info: http://www.census.gov/prod/2000pubs/cff-2.pdf
1850-1930 Search Tips: http://www.archives.gov/research/census/1850-1930.html
References
1. Szucs, Loretto Dennis and Sandra Hargreaves Luebking. The Source: A Guide book to American Genealogy. 3rd ed. (Provo, UT: Ancestry, 2006.)
| ||||||||||||||||||
Need additional research help? Contact our research help specialists.
Need wiki, indexing, or website help? Contact our product teams.
Did you find this article helpful?
You're invited to explain your rating on the discussion page (you must be signed in).
- This page was last modified on 2 May 2012, at 08:30.
- This page has been accessed 20,778 times.
New to the Research Wiki?
In the FamilySearch Research Wiki, you can learn how to do genealogical research or share your knowledge with others.
Learn More