The 1850 United States census was the 7th U.S. federal census. This population schedule was the first federal census to list everyone in a household by name, age, and birthplace. In censuses past, only the head-of-household was named and everyone else fit into an age, sex, and race column as a tick mark.
Thirty-one states or territories were included in the 1850 U.S. census, and in addition to the population schedule, a slave schedule and mortality schedule were added. You may find a wealth of knowledge in these schedules if you know what to look for.
Were your ancestors listed on one of these 1850 U.S. census schedules? Click the button below to search for your ancestors in the 1850 U.S. Federal Census at FamilySearch.
What was happening in the U.S. leading up to the 1850 U.S. census?
The 1850 U.S. census is unique in many ways. In particular, it is filled with names of families who moved to far off places in the west. There was a tremendous exodus in the United States during the 1840s. In 1847, a large group of religious persons of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, then referred to as the Mormon Pioneers, moved from Illinois to settle in what is now Salt Lake City, Utah.
Also in the 1840s, thousands of emigrants moved along the Oregon Trail to settle parts of the Northwest. In 1848, the discovery of gold in the Sacramento Valley of California sparked a great migration to the west coast of the expanding nation. By 1849, people were flooding into the area in hopes of striking it rich. This Gold Rush directly affected San Francisco and other surrounding areas. The California Territory had enormous population growth. Some estimates say over 300,000 people immigrated to California in the early 1850s.
1850 U.S. Census Includes 3 Important Schedules
The 1850 U.S. census includes 3 important schedules. Those schedules are the general population schedule, the 1850 Slave Schedule, and the 1850 Mortality Schedule. Each one has unique information that can add value to your family history and provide you with important genealogical data.
The general population schedule added several new questions. Here is a look at all the questions included in this census.
- Name
- Age
- Sex
- Color (Race): The column was to be left blank if White (though on occasion, you may find W for White.) Other race identifiers are B for Black and M for Mulatto. If you had any other ancestry, the enumerator’s instructions were to record the race as White.
- Profession, occupation, or trade of every person over the age of 15
- Value of real estate owned by person
- Place of birth: If the person was born in the U.S., the enumerator was instructed to record the state the person was born in. If the person was born outside of the U.S., the instructions were to record the person’s native country.
- Was the person married within the last year?
- Was the person at school within the last year?
- Persons over 20 years of age who cannot read and write
- Whether this person was deaf, dumb, blind, insane, idiotic, a pauper, or a convict
What can I learn about my ancestors in the 1850 U.S. federal census?
If you look over the questions and information collected in the 1850 U.S. census, you will see information that will give you clues to go in search of other records. For example, if your ancestors had children who attended school within the year, you may want to search local libraries or archives in that locale for school records. If your ancestors were marked as having married within the last year, you would want to search for a marriage record. Another great clue is where someone was born, especially if they were born in a foreign country. If your ancestor was listed as having been born in a foreign country, that would alert you to look for passenger lists and other immigration records.
Additional questions like the value of real estate owned by a person would indicate you should look in the county land records. Land records were often the first records kept in a newly formed county. These original records can hold even more clues to your genealogy, such as family member names and residences.
Lastly, take a look at the last question “Whether this person is deaf, dumb, blind, insane, idiotic, pauper, or convict.” Questions regarding deafness and blindness may give you a glimpse into genetic conditions within the family lines. One such example is the Mayhew family from Martha’s Vineyard. Several of them had congenital deafness, and you can see this by looking at the census.
How do I find my ancestors in the 1850 U.S. census?
At FamilySearch, you can search for your ancestors in the 1850 U.S. census by signing in to your free FamilySearch account and going directly to the 1850 U.S. census collection.
Once signed in to FamilySearch, click “Search”, and from the pull-down options, choose “Records”. At the next screen, near the bottom left, you will see a search field to search by collection name. In this field, type in “United States Census 1850.”
In the next screen, click More Options. Search for your ancestor by first and last name, as well as the location you suspect they were living. Under “Search with a life event,” click “Residence,” and then put the county and the state you believe your ancestor was living in. You can also narrow down your results by adding a birthplace and approximate birth year. Now at the bottom, click the orange “Search” button.
If you find your ancestor in this census, don’t forget to attach it to your family tree. Adding census clues to family history research will help you find new discoveries and break through brick walls in your research.
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