United States Census Agricultural Schedules
Availability[edit | edit source]
1850 - 1880 and for those states that took an 1885 Census.
They can be found in a variety of archives, but very few have been filmed.
How to Access:
http://www.archives.gov/research/census/nonpopulation/
The Family History Library has very few. To locate these, do a Place Search for the state, select the topic Census, and choose the census year.
Historical Background[edit | edit source]
An Agricultural Schedule was made in 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880 and for those states that took an 1885 census.
Content[edit | edit source]
Information about all farms in the United States, including:
- Name of the owner, agent, or manager
- Number of acres and cash value of the farm
- Crops and other items produced
- Number and value of livestock (horses, cattle, sheep, and swine)
- Value of homemade manufactures
Value[edit | edit source]
- They help identify the land holdings of your ancestors.
- The Population Schedule mentions the value of the land, while the Agricultural Schedule gives the acreage.
- It shows each farm in relation to the neighboring farms and their owners.
- This is especially helpful when land and tax records are missing.
- Names of neighboring farmers help to distinguish between two people with the same name as you
search existing land and tax records.
- For African American research, the 1850 and 1860 Agricultural Schedules help identify white overseers, Black sharecroppers,or track free Black men and their economic growth.
Indexes[edit | edit source]
Although few are indexed, Agricultural Schedules are arranged in the same order as the Population Schedules (list of residents).
Websites[edit | edit source]
National Archives: [1]http://www.archives.gov/research/census/nonpopulation/
References[edit | edit source]
- Dollarhide, William. The Census Book: A Genealogist's Guide to Federal Census Facts, Schedules and Indexes. (Bountiful, Utah: Heritage Quest, 1999.) FHL Book 973.X27d.
- Szucs, Loretto Dennis and Wright, Matthew. Finding Answers in U.S. Census Records. (Orem, Utah: 2001 Ancestry) FHL Book 973 X27s.
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