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The 1800 census was begun on 4 August 1800. The count was to be
completed within nine months.
- Name of family head
- Number of free white males and females in age categories: 0
to 10, 10 to 16, 16 to 26, 26 to 45, 45 and older
- Number of other free persons except Indians not taxed
- Number of slaves
- Town or district
- County of residence
The 1800 census records are useful in identifying the locality to be searched
for other types of records for a named individual. The 1800 census will,
in most cases, help distinguish the target family from others of the same
name; help to determine family size; locate possible relatives with the same
name; identify immediate neighbors who may be related; identify slaveholders;
and spot spelling variations of surnames. Free men “of color” are
listed as heads of household by name. Slaves appear in age groupings by name
of owner. By combining those age groupings with probate inventories and tax
list data, it is sometimes possible to determine names of other family members
and the birth order of those individuals.
Most 1800 census entries are arranged in the order of visitation, but some
have been rearranged to appear in alphabetical order by initial letter of the
surname.
The information above is an excerpt from The Source: A Guidebook
of American Genealogy, edited by Loretto D. Szucs and Sandra H.
Luebking, Chapter 5, “Research in Census Records,” by
Loretto D. Szucs (page 112).
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