United States Census 1870Edit This Page
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1870 Census was taken beginning 1 June 1870, for five months. The following information was recorded by the census taker:
Name
Age—at last birthday
Sex
Color
Profession, occupation, trade
Value real estate
Value personal property
Birthplace
Father foreign born
Mother foreign born
Month born in census year
Month married in census year
School in census year
Can’t read or write
Deaf, dumb, blind, insane, idiotic
Male eligible to vote
Color - white (W), black (B), Chinese (C), Indian (I), mulatto (M)
1790-2000 Information: http://www.census.gov/prod/2000pubs/cff-2.pdf
Value
The 1870 census can be used to:1
Identify Missing in 1870—may be casualty of Civil War
Parents of foreign birth indicate naturalization records
Identify Color (Origins) —white (W), black (B), Chinese (C), Indian (I), mulatto (M)
1850-1930 Search Tips: http://www.archives.gov/genealogy/census/1850-1930.html
Unique Features and Problems
1. Asked if the father or mother of the individual were foreign born
2. Asked if born within the year and to give month
3. Asked if a male citizen over 21 years of age
4. Asked if a male citizen over 21 years of age, who has had their rights to vote denied other than because of the grounds of
rebellion or crime
5. If a male individual is missing in this Census, it may serve as a clue that he may have been a casualty of the Civil War
6. The census was to list only those abiding in the house as of June 1 (those who died or children born after June 1 may not
have been accounted for by the enumerator if they counted the household after that date)
7. It has been said that many people were missed in the South
8. Dwelling houses numbered in order of visitation.
9. Families numbered in order of visitation
10. Name every person living in household
11. Children under 1—months as fractions
12. 1st census to ask if parents of foreign birth
States Covered and Missing
- Alabama
- Arkansas
- California
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- Florida
- Georgia
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New York
- North Carolina
- Ohio
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Vermont
- Virginia
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
Territories
- Arizona
- Colorado
- Dakota
- Idaho
- Montana
- New Mexico
- Utah
- Washington
- Wyoming
Web Sites
1790-2000 Info: http://www.census.gov/prod/2000pubs/cff-2.pdf
1850-1930 Search Tips: http://www.archives.gov/genealogy/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.)
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