Using the Manuscript Population Census

How to Search the Manuscript Population Census

To begin searching the manuscript population census, go to the main Census Search Page. This page offers categories, or fields, from the manuscript population census which the user can search. Click in the box of the field you want to search, and then enter the words or numbers you want to find. You can search as few or as many variables at one time as desired. You can also use the tab or return key to move from one field to the next. When ready to begin the search, click the Initiate Search button. The search engine will return a results page listing all the entries (individuals) which meet the criteria selected on the search page. The results page will display the data for a subset of the fields, not just the ones selected. Results are returned in pages of 50 entries each, with links to the subsequent pages at the bottom of the page. To see full results for the entire page of results, follow the link at the bottom of the page. To see a listing of an individual's census record, click on the link for their last name. Note that at the bottom of the results page is a link to statistical information for the records returned. To begin a new search, use the back button to return to the search page and click on the Clear button to reset the entry form. Be aware that the more variables you search for, the slower your search will be.

For tips on searching, go to Tips for Searching Valley Databases.

Explanation of Fields

Last Name: For users seeking information on specific individuals, searching on the Last Name field will be a useful starting point. Census-takers typically only recorded the last name for the individual listed as the head of the household. For others in the same dwelling with the same last name, ditto marks (") were used to signify shared surnames on the manuscript census. For explanations about individuals with different surnames in the same dwelling, see "Census Page Number, Dwelling Number, and Family Number" below. To search for individuals by last name, click on the box for the Last Name field, enter the name, and click the Initiate Search button. The search engine will then return a results page with demographic information on all people with that last name or whose last names contain the letters in the search. For example, searching for the last name Harris% will return a results page with individuals with the last name of Harris as well as Harrison. Because the census-takers were only human, they frequently made mistakes spelling people's names. If you have difficulty finding someone, try an alternate spelling of their last name. Names followed by an asterisk (*) indicate that the name is not legible on the census form. For a more detailed explanation of this symbol, see "Important Notations" below.

First Name: Census-takers recorded a first name for every individual. Frequently, they chose to abbreviate some of the more common first names: John as "Jno."; James as "Jas."; Joseph as "Jos."; Margaret as "Marg."; Elizabeth as "Eliz."; Solomon as "Sol."; Samuel as "Sml." Searching on the "first name" field as well as on the "last name" field will enable you to search for a particular person or to refine a search for an individual. For instance, searching on the last name of Harris% returned information for 73 individuals. Searching on the first name of Sarah as well would then limit the results page to information on five individuals.

Middle Initial: Census-takers only recorded middle initials and not middle names. For many people the Middle Inital field is empty, indicating either that they did not have a middle name or that the census-taker did not record a middle name. A few individuals, on the other hand, had two middle initials. Searching on the last name Reed yields a results page with individuals who had 0, 1, and 2 middle initials.

Sex: Selecting "male" or "female" simply allows you to search the manuscript population census by sex.

Color: Census-takers recorded an individual's color on the manuscript forms as either white, black, or mulatto (for those judged by census-takers to be of mixed race). Since whites far outnumbered blacks and mulattos in both counties, census-takers usually treated white as the default, leaving the color field blank unless the individual was non-white. Likewise, the search engine will leave the color field empty unless the individual is black or mulatto. Separate manuscript census schedules were taken on slaveowning, which can be searched.

Occupation: Census-takers were supposed to record occupations for all individuals who had occupations "so clear as to leave no doubt on the subject." In practice, however, the enumerators usually recorded occupations only for the household heads, the vast majority of whom were men. Occupations were listed for other selected individuals, such as young men who labored on the family farm or who apprenticed to become an artisan. Despite their heavy workload, women were not listed as having an occupation unless they engaged in specialized work, such as seamstressing or hat-making. And not infrequently enumerators listed women's occupation as "widow" when in reality they were farm operators To search by occupation, click in the box labeled Occupation, type in the occupation desired, and click on the Initiate Search button. A list of occupations, divided into seven subcategories, is linked to the search page to help refine occupation searches. Additionally, this list indicates the standardized spelling of each occupation which must be entered in the Occupation box on the search page. For instance, while enumerators spelled the occupation "wagon maker" in many different ways, this is the spelling which the search engine will recognize. Searching by occupation is helpful for two different types of searches: quantitative searches which seek to compile data on people of one occupation, such as the average wealth of all blacksmiths or the average age of all farm hands, and searches for specific individuals, when Occupation and Last Name are entered on the search page.

Real Estate and Personal Estate Value in $: These fields allow users to search on wealth. To calculate 2002 dollars, multiply 1860 dollars by 19.89 and 1870 dollars by 14.13; for further information on this conversion, see http://minneapolisfed.org/Research/data/us/calc/hist1800.cfm. Real estate refers to the value of real property owned by the individual, such as land, farms, buildings, and houses. Almost always the heads of households were the only individuals to own real estate. But not every head of family was a property owner, and so they do not all have a value entered in this field. These individuals most likely were renters, tenants, or squatters. Nearly all heads of households, however, have a value entered for personal estate, defined as non-land property, such as household goods and furnishings, livestock and even slaves. Also, many individuals who did not head a family also owned non-landed property. To search on real estate or personal estate value, enter the desired value in the appropriate box on the search page, click on the symbol to indicate "greater than," "less than," or "equal to," and click on the Initiate Search button. Searching by wealth can, among other things, indicate how gender, age, and race affect economic status, or reveal the general earning power of a particular occupation, such as blacksmith.

Birthplace: Enumerators noted each individual's place of birth on the manuscript census forms. For American-born persons, census-takers usually only recorded their state of birth, though occasionally they listed the county or city name. Since most people in Augusta and Franklin counties were born in Virginia and Pennsylvania, respectively, ditto marks (") were used to signify that individuals shared a common birth state. For foreign-born persons, census enumerators usually only recorded the country of birth, though sometimes they also included the city, state, or county of origin. Entering a place name such as "Germany" in the Birthplace box will return a results page listing all individuals born in German cities or in historic German provinces such as Hesse, Bavaria, and Baden.

Married and School: Census-takers asked the question: "Were you married in the last year?" and "Have you attended school within the last year?" Entering "yes" or "no" will yield results.

Page Number, Dwelling Number, and Family Number: Census page number refers to the page of the manuscript census on which a particular record can be found (each page can list up to forty records). More useful numerical markers to users are dwelling and family numbers, both of which run sequentially through the manuscript census. Page numbers were sometimes repeated from district to district. Enumerators assigned all individuals residing together in one house or structure the same dwelling number. Members of the same family were assigned the same family number. It is important to remember that not all inhabitants of one dwelling were necessarily in the same family, as dwellings could contain multiple families, boarders, lodgers, domestics, servants, or inmates. While one can search on all three of these fields, they are most useful in distinguishing between similar entries, such as individuals with the same surname.

Rank in Family ("Head"): Census-takers usually listed the head of household (usually male) first, his wife second, and her children next. Other apparent relatives considered to be in the same family usually followed. So entering "1" in this field will yield a list of heads of household. Note that the above system was not universal: searching for "mulatto" and "1" in this field in the Franklin County census yields at the top of the list Martha Ainsworth, age 5.

Important Notations: An asterisk (*) at the end of a last name, first name, or middle initial indicates an illegible name on the manuscript census form. If "i?" appears in a field on the results page, this indicates an illegible entry on the manuscript census form. The asterisk can also indicate a note made by the enumerator, such as "twins."

Helpful Hints

Here are some helpful hints for searching the manuscript population census:

• For quantitative searches, the aggregate data available in the Statistical Tables Compiled from Census Records can help users select data to search and refine their searches.
• Be sure to click the Clear button before beginning a new search.
• Use the family and dwelling numbers to distinguish between people with the same surname or the same surname and first name.
• If a search on an occupation returns no entries, check the list of occupations to verify the standard spelling.
• To capture all possible entries with the birthplace search, search on either state (for American-born persons) or country (for foreign-born persons).
• Any combination of fields can be searched together.
• For state and regional comparisons on various demographic characteristics, we refer users to the Comparative Maps.