Assistant marshal

Congress gave the first census to the marshals of the federal judicial districts, and the same system ran through 1870. Each marshal split his district among assistants, who did the house-to-house work and signed every page.

In 1850 the assistant made two copies of his returns, so there were three sets: two went to the marshal and one was filed with the clerk of the county court. That is why some counties kept their own copy of the census. From 1880 the job title became enumerator.