Source:United States. 1860 U.S. Census Population Schedule

Source 1860 U.S. Census Population Schedule
Coverage
Place United States
Year range 1860 - 1860
Subject Census records
Publication information
Type Government / Church records
Publisher National Archives Microfilm Publication M653
Periodical / Series name Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29
Number of Volumes 1438 rolls
References / Cites Manuscript census schedules at the National Archives at Washington, D.C.
Citation
United States. 1860 U.S. Census Population Schedule. (National Archives Microfilm Publication M653).
Repositories
Ancestry.comhttp://content.ancestry.com/iexec/?htx=List&..Paid website
The National Archives (United States)http://www.archives.gov/locations/Other
Heritage Quest OnlineOther
FamilySearch Record SearchSearch collectionFree website
The National Archives (United States)Catalog: NAI 2353568Archive/Library
Internet Archivehttps://archive.org/details/1860_censusArchive/Library

Contents

Usage Tips

Enumerators of the 1860 census were instructed to record the names of every person in the household. Added to this, enumerators were presented with printed instructions, which account for the greater degree of accuracy compared with earlier censuses. Enumerators were asked to include the following categories in the census: name; age as of the census day; sex; color; birthplace; occupation of persons over age fifteen; value of real estate; whether married within the previous year; whether deaf, dumb, blind, insane, a pauper, or a convict; whether able to read or speak English; and whether the person attended school within the previous year. No relationships were shown between members of a household. The categories allowed Congress to determine persons residing in the United States for collection of taxes and the appropriation of seats in the House of Representatives.

The following states and territories were enumerated: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Dakota Territory, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas Territory (includes parts of Colorado), Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska Territory (includes parts of North and South Dakota, Montana, and Wyoming), New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico Territory (includes Arizona), New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington Territory and Wisconsin.

The official enumeration day of the 1860 census was 1 June 1860. All questions asked were supposed to refer to that date. By 1860, there were a total of thirty-three states in the Union, with Minnesota and Oregon being the latest editions.

There were no substantial state- or district-wide losses.

Taken from Szucs, Loretto Dennis, "Research in Census Records." In The Source: A Guidebook of American Genealogy, ed. Loretto Dennis Szucs and Sandra Hargreaves Luebking (Salt Lake City: Ancestry, 1997).

Page header example

Image:Census page header - 1860 census - Ward 15 Philadelphia City, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.png

Page footer example

Image:Census page footer - 1860 census - Ward 15 Philadelphia City, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.png

Online Access

FamilySearch has added a nearly complete index of the 1860 census (see "FamilySearch" repository above), and it has sophisticated display and filtering mechanisms. The index links to images provided by Fold3.com, which is a pay service.

HeritageQuest provides access to the 1860 census that many people can access for free through their local library. Their interface is very straightforward, but somewhat difficult at times because no effort is made to expand searching beyond the exact letters you type -- there is no soundex search, no spelling correction, and no smart name checking (Robert doesn't return Bob or Robbert). Check your local library's website for more information.

Paid access is also available through Ancestry.com.

Resources

Template

If you wish to display a table showing a family as they are shown on census returns, use Template:1860-UScensusData. This template does not generate a source citation, which must be entered separately.