1790 census and the birth of a nation
The 1790 census of the United States, held on 2 August 1790, is as old as the nation itself. George Washington had been President of the United States for little over one year and the Constitution of the United States had been ratified just two years’ earlier.
The 1788 US Constitution gave birth to the US census by calling for a head count of US inhabitants within three years. In the event, not only was the 1790 census held comfortably within this timeframe, but its scope reached far beyond a mere headcount to record the following information:
1790 census questions
- Names of heads of families.
- Free white males of 16 years and upwards, including heads of families.
- Free white males under 16 years.
- Free white females, including heads of families.
- All other free persons.
- Slaves.
Inhabitants were to be enumerated at the usual place of abode and untaxed (i.e. unsettled) Indians were to be excluded.
The reasons put forward by the Constitution for requiring a decennial federal census were; the allocation of seats in the House of Representatives and spread of tax liability amongst the states (hence the exclusion of untaxed Indians).
Although not mentioned in the US Constitution, the question relating to numbers of males aged over 16 years indicated a need to measure military and industrial strength.
The total population of the United States in 1790: 3,929,214
Heads of family
It is very fortunate for family historians that the organisers of the 1790 census recorded the names of the heads of family, despite the Constitution not requiring this information. Assuming an average number of 6 persons per household, and factoring in the destruction of 140,000 schedules, we are still left with around 400,000 records of individual names. To put that into context, it was not until 1840 that the census of Great Britain was to record the names of any individuals.
The administration
The system established for the first 1790 US census remained largely unchanged until sweeping reforms were introduced for the census of 1880. US marshals of the Judical districts were engaged to enumerate the inhabitants of their districts and employ as many assistant marshals as required to act as enumerators.
The US marshals split up their districts into divisions (representing one or more designated area e.g. county, city, town, township, parish etc.) and assigned assistant marshals to each area. For the 1790 census, there were 17 marshals and an estimated 650 assistant marshals.
The protection of privacy was not a factor in the 18th Century. Each assistant marshal was to compile accurate census returns in schedule form and post a copy ‘at two of the most public places’
in his area ‘for the inspection of all concerned’ (Census Act of 1790)
. Afterwards, a copy was to be sent to the US marshal for the area. By law, this process was to be concluded within 9 months, although this period was extended; South Carolina took the longest at 18 months.
Having received a copy of the census schedule, each US marshal was to file a copy with his district court and forward a summary to the President of the United States.
Penalties and remuneration
The Census Act of 1790 set out the following penalties that could variously be imposed on the marshals, their assistants or the public:
- $800 penalty for the US marshals who failed to lodge a return with the district courts or failed to send summaries to the President within the legal time limit. (If applicable, the informer was given half).
- $200 penalty for assistant marshals who failed to make a return/make a false return within the legal time limit.
- $20 penalty for members of the public who failed to comply. (The assistant marshals were given half).
The Census Act of 1790 confirmed the amounts due to the marshals and their assistants for their services:
The assistants were to receive:
- $1 for every 150 individuals enumerated. However, payments reduced to $1 for every 300 individuals in areas with a population of more than 5,000. The amount paid could also be increased to a maximum amount of $1 for every 50 persons in sparsely populated areas.
- $2 for every schedule of the census displayed in a public place.
- As mentioned above, they also received $10 for every $20 penalty imposed on members of the public.
The US marshals were to receive a sum of between $100 and $500 depending on the size of the state (Delaware attracted the lowest payment and Virginia the highest).
The territories
The first Census of 1790 enumerated the original Thirteen Colonies; a group of British territories that declared independence from the British in 1776 and became founding States in 1788. The 1790 census also enumerated a further four areas that were districts at the time of the 1790 census but later became States.
The original Thirteen States were: Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island (admitted in May 1790), South Carolina and Virginia.
The four districts were: Vermont (which became the 14th State in 1791), Kentucky (joined the Union in 1792), The South West Territory (from 1796, the State of Tennessee) and Maine (joined 1820).
Destruction of Census Records
Unfortunately, the records of Delaware, Georgia, Kentucky, New Jersey, Tennessee and Virginia were destroyed by a fire at the Capitol during the War of 1812 against the British.
The loss of the federal census records for Virginia was a particular blow because Virginia was the most populous state in 1790. Thankfully, Virginia state censuses were held annually between 1782 and 1785. Whilst by no means complete, these records serve as invaluable census substitutes.
Please visit our US census history page for more information on the history of the US census.