Daily AncestorThe 1870 U.S. Census
The 1870 census, dated June 1, 1870, is the first taken after slavery ended, so formerly enslaved people are listed by name for the first time.
The ninth census began on Wednesday, June 1, 1870, still under the 1850 law but with a redesigned form. With slavery ended by the 13th Amendment, there was no slave schedule: every person was entered by name on one population schedule.
For many African American families this is the first record that names their ancestors. The form also adds clues about immigrant parents and about babies born or couples married during the year.
The questions, column by column
| Name of every person whose usual place of abode on June 1, 1870, was in this family | Surname first. A line in place of the surname means the same as above. |
|---|---|
| Age at last birthday, sex, color | Color codes were W, B, M, C for Chinese, and I for Indian, and the column was always to be filled. |
| Profession, occupation, or trade of each person | For men and women alike. |
| Value of real estate and of personal estate | Personal estate under $100 was not reported. |
| Place of birth | Immigrants were to be listed by specific country or German state, such as Prussia or Bavaria. |
| Father of foreign birth, mother of foreign birth | Check marks only, a clue to look for immigrant parents. |
| Month of birth if born within the year, month of marriage if married within the year | The year means June 1, 1869, to May 31, 1870. |
| Male citizens 21 and over, and those whose right to vote was denied or abridged | Added to carry out the 14th Amendment. |
New this census
- Every person named on one schedule.
- Marks for foreign-born parents.
- Month of birth or marriage within the year.
- Separate questions on reading and on writing, and citizenship and voting columns.
Watch out for
- Still no relationship column.
- Some places were counted twice after complaints of undercounting, including Philadelphia, New York County, and Indianapolis. A family may appear in both counts.
- The federal copy for many Minnesota counties was destroyed, but a state copy survives for every county (microfilm T132).
- Indian Territory, later Oklahoma, was not counted.
Other schedules
- Mortality schedule: deaths in the year before census day, now with marks for foreign-born parents.
- Agriculture, products of industry, and social statistics schedules.
Where to see it
- Microfilm M593 (1,009 rolls). FamilySearch (free with an account) and Ancestry (free on computers at National Archives facilities) both index it and show the images.