The First U.S. Census ~ 1790

  Following the conclusion of the American Revolutionary War, and the ratification of the United States Constitution, the new federal government decided that a census of the inhabitants was necessary to determine the size and makeup of the new nation. An Act Providing For The Enumeration Of The Inhabitants Of The United States was passed by the Congress and approved on 01 March, 1790 by George Washington, President of the United States.

  The text of the Act Providing For The Enumeration Of The Inhabitants Of The United States is given below:

Section 1. Be it enacted by the Senate and Houƒe of Repreƒentatives of the United States of America, in Congreƒs aƒƒembled, That the Marƒhals of the ƒeveral diƒtricts of the United States, ƒhall be, and they are hereby authorized and required to cauƒe the number of the inhabitants within their reƒpective diƒtricts to be taken; omitting in ƒuch enumeration Indians not taxed; and diƒtinguiƒhing free perƒons, including thoƒe bound to ƒervice for a term of years, from all others; diƒtinguiƒhing alƒo the ƒexes and colours of free perƒons, and the free males of ƒixteen years and upwards, from thoƒe under that age; for effecting which purpoƒe, the Marƒhals ƒhall have power to appoint as many aƒƒiƒtants within their reƒpective diƒtricts, as to them ƒhall appear neceƒƒary; aƒƒigning to each aƒƒiƒtant a certain diviƒion of his diƒtrict, which diviƒion ƒhall conƒiƒt of one or more counties, cities, towns, townƒhips or pariƒhes, or of a territory plainly and diƒtinctly bounded by water courƒes, mountains or public roads. The Marƒhals, and their aƒƒiƒtants ƒhall reƒpectively take and oath or affirmation, before ƒome Judge or Juƒtice of the Peace, reƒident within their reƒpective diƒtricts, previous to their entering on the diƒcharge of the duties by this Act required. The oath or affirmation of the Marƒhal ƒhall be, "I, A.B. Marƒhal of the diƒtrict of ____________ do ƒolemnly ƒwear (or affirm) that I will, well and truly cauƒe to be made, a juƒt and perfect enumeration and deƒcription of all perƒons reƒident within my diƒtrict, and return the ƒame to the Preƒsident of the United States, agreeably to the directions of an act of Congreƒs, intituled, "An act providing for the enumeration of the inhabitants of the United States, according to the beƒt of my ability." The oath or affirmation of an aƒƒiƒtant ƒhall be, "I, A.B. do ƒolemnly ƒwear (or affirm) that I will make a juƒt and perfect enumeration and deƒcription of all perƒons reƒident within the diviƒion aƒƒigned to me, by the Marƒhal of the diƒtrict of ________ and make due return thereof to the ƒaid Marƒhal, agreeably to the directions of an Act of Congreƒs, intituled. "An Act providing for the enumeration of the inhabitants of the United States," according to the beƒt of my ability." The enumeration ƒhall commence on the firƒt Monday in Auguƒt next, and ƒhall cloƒe within nine calendar months thereafter: The ƒeveral aƒƒiƒtants ƒhall, within the ƒaid nine months, tranƒmit to the Marƒhals by whom they ƒhall be reƒpectively appointed, accurate returns of all perƒons, except Indians not taxed, within their reƒpective diviƒions, which returns ƒhall be made in a ƒchelude (sic), diƒtinguiƒhing ƒeveral families by the names of their maƒter, miƒtreƒs, ƒteward, overƒeer, or other principal perƒon therein, in manner following, that is to ƒay:
 
The number of perƒons within my diviƒion, conƒiƒting of ____________ appears in a ƒchedule hereto annexed, ƒubƒcribed by me this _______ day of 179__ A.B. Aƒƒiƒtant to the Marƒhal of ________________.
 
SCHEDULE of the whole Number of Perƒons within the Diviƒion allotted to A.B.
 
Names of heads of families.
Free white Males of ƒixteen years and upwards, including heads of families.
Free white Males under ƒixteen years.
Free white Females including heads of families.
All other free Perƒons.
Slaves.
 
Sec. 2. And be it further enacted, That every aƒƒiƒtant, failing to make return, or making a falƒe return of the enumeration to the Marƒhal, within the time by this Act limited, ƒhall forfeit the ƒum of two hundred dollars.
 
Sec. 3. And be it further enacted, That the Marƒhals ƒhall file the ƒeveral returns aforeƒaid, with the Clerks of their reƒpective Diƒtricts Courts, who are hereby directed to receive and carefully to preƒerve the ƒame: And the Marƒhals reƒpectively ƒhall, on or before the firƒt day of September, one thouƒand ƒeven hundred and ninety-one, tranƒmit to the Preƒident of the United States, the aggregate amount of each deƒcription of perƒons within their reƒpective diƒtricts. And every Marƒhal failing to file the returns of his aƒƒiƒtants, or any of them, with the Clerks of their reƒpective Diƒtrict Courts, or failing to return the aggregate amount of each deƒcription of perƒons in their reƒpective diƒtricts, as the ƒame ƒhall appear from ƒaid returns, to the Preƒident of the United States, within the time limited by this Act, ƒhall, for every ƒuch offence, forfeit the ƒum of eight hundred dollars; all which forfeitures ƒhall be recoverable in the Courts of the diƒtricts where the offences ƒhall be committed, or in the Circuit Courts to be held within the ƒame, by action of debt, information or indictment; the one half thereof to the uƒe of the United States, and the other half to the informer; but where the proƒecution ƒhall be firƒt inƒtituted on behalf of the United States, the whole ƒhall accrue to their uƒe. And for the more effectual diƒcovery of offences, the Judges of the ƒeveral Diƒtrict Courts at their next ƒeƒƒions, to be held after the expiration of the time allowed for making the returns of the enumeration hereby directed, to the Preƒident of the United States, ƒhall give this Act in charge to the grand juries, in their reƒpective Courts, and ƒhall cauƒe the returns of the ƒeveral aƒƒiƒtants to be laid before them, for their inƒpection.
 
Sec. 4. And be it further enacted, That every aƒƒiƒtant ƒhall receive at the rate of one dollar for every one hundred and fifty perƒons by him returned, where ƒuch perƒons reƒide in the country; and where ƒuch perƒons reƒide in a city, or town, containing more than five thouƒand perƒons, ƒuch aƒƒiƒtant ƒhall receive at the rate of one dollar, for every three hundred perƒons; but where, from the diƒperƒed ƒituation of the inhabitants in ƒome diviƒions, one dollar for every one hundred and fifty perƒons, ƒhall be inƒufficient, the Marƒhals, with the approbation of the Judges of their reƒpective diƒtricts, may make ƒuch further allowance to the aƒƒiƒtants in ƒuch diviƒions as ƒhall be deemed an adequate compenƒation, provided the ƒame does not exceed one dollar for every fifty perƒons, by them returned. The ƒeveral Marƒhals ƒhall receive as follows: The Marƒhal of the diƒtrict of Maine, two hundred dollars; the Marƒhal of the diƒtrict of New-Hampƒhire, two hundred dollars; the Marƒhal of the diƒtrict of Maƒƒachuƒetts, three hundred dollars; the Marƒhal of the diƒtrict of Connecticut, two hundred dollars; the Marƒhal of the diƒtrict of New York, three hundred dollars; the Marƒhal of the diƒtrict of New-Jerƒey, two hundred dollars; the Marƒhal of the diƒtrict of Pennƒylvania, three hundred dollars; the Marƒhal of the diƒtrict of Delaware, one hundred dollars; the Marƒhal of the diƒtrict of Maryland, three hundred dollars; the Marƒhal of the diƒtrict of Virginia, five hundred dollars; the Marƒhal of the diƒtrict of Kentucky, two hundred and fifty dollars; the Marƒhal of the diƒtrict of North-Carolina, three hundred dollars; the Marƒhal of the diƒtrict of South-Carolina, three hundred dollars; the Marƒhal of the diƒtrict of Georgia, two hundred and fifty dollars. And to obviate all doubts which may ariƒe reƒpecting the perƒons to be returned, and the manner of making returns,
 
Sec. 5. Be it enacted, That every perƒon whoƒe uƒual place of abode ƒhall be in any family on the foreƒaid firƒt Monday in Auguƒt next, ƒhall be returned as of ƒuch family; and the name of every perƒon, who ƒhall be an inhabitant of any diƒtrict, but without a ƒettled place of reƒidence, ƒhall be inƒerted in the column of the aforeƒaid ƒchedule, which is allotted for the heads of families, in that diviƒion where he or ƒhe ƒhall be on the ƒaid firƒt Monday in Auguƒt next; and every perƒon occaƒionally abƒent at the time of the enumeration, as belonging to that place in which he uƒually reƒides in the United States.
 
Sec. 6. And be it further enacted, That each and every perƒon more than ƒixteen years of age, whether heads of families or not, belonging to any family within any diviƒion of a diƒtrict made or eƒtabliƒhed within the United States, ƒhall be, and hereby is obliged to render to ƒuch aƒƒiƒtant of the diviƒion, a true account if required, to the beƒt of his or her knowledge, of every perƒon belonging to ƒuch family reƒpectively, according to the ƒeveral deƒcriptions aforeƒaid, on pain of forfeiting twenty dollars, to be ƒued for and recovered by ƒuch aƒƒiƒtant, the one half for his own uƒe, and the other half for the uƒe of the United States.
 
Sec. 7. And be it further enacted, That each aƒƒiƒtant ƒhall, previous to making his return to the Marƒhal, cauƒe a correct copy, ƒigned by himƒelf, of the ƒchedule, containing the number of inhabitants within his diviƒion, to be ƒet up at two of of (sic) the moƒt public places within the ƒame, there to remain for the inƒpection of all concerned; for each of which copies the ƒaid aƒƒiƒtant ƒhall be entitled to receive two dollars, provided proof of a copy of the ƒchedule having been ƒo ƒet up and ƒuffered to remain, ƒhall be tranƒmitted to the Marƒhal, with the return of the number of perƒons; and in caƒe any aƒƒiƒtant ƒhall fail to make ƒuch proof to the Marƒhal, he ƒhall forfeit the compenƒation by this Act allowed him.
 
Frederick Augustus Muhlenberg, Speaker of the Houƒe of Repreƒentatives
John Adams, Vice-Preƒident of the United States, and Preƒident of the Senate.
Approved, March the firƒt, 1790. George Washington, Preƒident of the United States.

  As noted in the text of the Act Providing For The Enumeration Of The Inhabitants Of The United States, the date that the census was to be started was the first Monday in August of that year (1790). Many history and genealogy researchers make the mistaken assumption that, because the First U.S. Census bears the date of 1790, it indicates the residents as of January 1, 1790. That assumption may not be correct in view of the fact that families tended to move when their land was exhausted or when they thought there were greener pastures further on. Although perhaps a majority of the residents listed on the 1790 Census were residing in the same place from the first of the year until the enumeration was taken in August, it is a well known fact that the late-1780s and early 1790s were a period of much movement from the coastal regions to the "frontier".

  Another thing to be noted in the text of the Act Providing For The Enumeration Of The Inhabitants Of The United States was the fines to be imposed on the marshals and their assistants for their failure to obtain an accurate and complete count of the residents. Whether any marshal or assistant was ever charged and indicted with such a crime is not known. The legal incentive to provide an accurate count was nevertheless there.

  President George Washington commented on the response to the census in a letter he sent to Gouverneur Morris from Philadelphia on 28 July, 1791. In that letter Washington stated that:

"Returns of the Cenƒus have already been made from ƒeveral of the States and a tolerably juƒt eƒtimate has been formed now in others, by which it appears that we ƒhall hardly reach four millions; but one thing is certain our real numbers will exceed, greatly, the official returns of them; becauƒe the religious ƒcruples of ƒome, would not allow them to give in their liƒts; the fears of others that it was intended as the foundation of a tax induced them to conceal or diminiƒhed theirs, and thro' the indolence of the people, and the negligence of many of the Officers numbers are omitted. The authenticated number however is far greater, I believe, than has ever been allowed in Europe..."

  Records indicate that there were seventeen marshals involved in administering the taking of the census. Although the records indicating the number of assistants who were employed in the project were destroyed in a fire when the British burned the Capitol during the War of 1812, the number has been estimated at 650.

  The assistants were supposed to have made two copies of the returns. Whether they did so cannot be known. (The copy for Bedford County is not known to exist at the Bedford County Court House, nor is the copy for Huntingdon County known to exist in the Huntingdon County Court House.) One copy was intended to be kept in the court archives for the county in which the census was taken; the second copy was to be forwarded to the regional marshal, who, in turn, would forward it to the President. The President forwarded all of the returns to the Secretary of State.

  One-third of the returns of the First U.S. Census of 1790 were lost, as noted above, in a fire when the Capitol was burned. Extant returns are available for the states of Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachu-setts, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina and Vermont.

  The total population of the United States, according to the returns delivered to the Secretary of State, amounted to 3,929,214.

  The surviving original returns for the First Census have been bound into twenty-six volumes and are maintained in the Census Office in Washington, DC.

  In regard to Pennsylvania, although essentially all of the returns have survived, certain of them are more useable than others. There was no uniformity in listing the location of the residents. As a result, the residents of certain county regions, including Bedford, were not separated according to their respective townships or boroughs.

  Attempts have been made to compensate for the lack of township information for Bedford County, although not necessarily satisfactorily. A notable example is that of James D. Boor's publication, Bedford County, PA 1790 Cross-Matched Tax-Census Records. This attempt to identify the residents by township was, for the most part, successful. But it is not without certain errors. Mr. Boor compared names which were included on the 1790 U.S. Census with residents listed on the 1788, 1789 and 1791 tax assessment returns of Bedford County. The problem with this approach arises out of the fact that the census returns were not based strictly, nor at all consistently at least, on the tax assessment returns. The census takers may or may not have utilized the tax assessment returns for the basis of their information. There is no evidence that they either did or did not utilize the tax assessment returns. Therefore, it is possible that they moved up and down the various valleys and hills of the county gathering information as they went. An entry on one family residing on one side of the mountain (and in one township) might have been followed by an entry on another family residing on the other side of the mountain (and in a different township). Mr. Boor's groupings seem to ignore that possibility. As a result, he has assigned families, who were known to have been residing in one township, to another township. His was a noble effort, to be sure, but one which must be viewed as inaccurate and inconclusive for some of the households listed on the census.

  A final point needs to be made regarding this, and all the subsequent census, before moving on. The information that appears on the census is the information provided to the census takers by the head of the household. Therefore the validity of that information must be taken at face value. To quote information from this 1790 or any other census as absolute truth may very well be scholarly suicide. The researcher should always make every effort to corroborate the information gleaned from a census record with other primary source information.

  The 1790 U.S. Census is available on microfilm, and can be purchased by check or money order from the National Archives at the following address: National Archives Trust Fund, P.O. Box 100793, Atlanta, GA, 30384-0793. The NATF will accept credit cards as payment. If paying by credit card, include the card number, expiration date and the cardholder's signature, and write to: National Archives Trust Fund, Cashier (NAT), 8601 Adelphi Road, Room 5100, College Park, MD 20740-6001. You can also place an order by phone to: (800) 234-8861 between the hours of 8:00am and 4:30pm est.

  Pennsylvania returns are found on Microfilm Publication #M637. Bedford County is recorded on Roll #9. Huntingdon County is recorded on Roll #8.

  Transcripts of the original returns are available in book form also. Pennsylvania returns can be found in the book, Heads Of Families At The First U.S. Census, Pennsylvania, 1790. The book, originally published in 1908, was available as a 1998 reprint from Family Line Publications. (Family Line Publications was sold to Willow Bend Books, a division of Heritage Books, Inc.) Willow Bend Books can be contacted at: 65 E. Main St., Westminster, MD 21157, or by phone at: (800)876-6103. Bedford County returns are found on pages 18 through 26. Huntingdon County returns are found on pages 122 through 126.