Daily AncestorThe 1830 U.S. Census
The 1830 census, dated June 1, 1830, was the first on uniform printed forms and splits free white people into 13 age groups, starting with under 5.
The fifth census moved census day to Tuesday, June 1, 1830, and June stayed the census month through 1900. For the first time the federal government supplied one standard printed form.
Still only the head of household is named, but the age groups are much finer: under 5, 5 to 9, 10 to 14, 15 to 19, and then ten-year groups up to 100 and over. That makes it easier to match children to later records.
The questions, column by column
| Name of head of family | The only person named. |
|---|---|
| Free white males and females, 13 age groups each | Five-year groups for young people help separate children from grandchildren. |
| Slaves and free colored persons, by sex, in six age groups | Under 10, 10 to 23, 24 to 35, 36 to 54, 55 to 99, and 100 and up. |
| Deaf and dumb, in three age groups, and blind | Counted separately for white persons and for slaves and colored persons, without names. |
| Aliens, foreigners not naturalized | White persons only. Does not say which person. |
New this census
- Uniform printed forms.
- A June 1 census day.
- Finer age groups and counts of deaf, dumb, and blind persons.
Watch out for
- Ages are as of June 1, 1830. People who died after that day were to be included, and babies born after it left out.
- Lost schedules include Montgomery, Prince George's, St. Mary's, Queen Anne's, and Somerset counties in Maryland; Pike County, Mississippi; and Clarendon County, South Carolina.
- West Virginia was part of Virginia, and Alexandria County, Virginia, was part of the District of Columbia.
Other schedules
- Population only. No count of manufactures was made in 1830.
Where to see it
- Microfilm M19 (201 rolls). FamilySearch (free with an account) and Ancestry (free on computers at National Archives facilities) both index it and show the images.