1790 United States Census Reference Sheet

The 1790 census was the first official census conducted by the United States.  There were prior census records kept for certain periods and colonies prior to 1790 but this was the first official U.S. census.

This reference sheet can be used by genealogists to record information found in an individual census image for a particular family.  Space is provided at the bottom of the form to record other information of use, and data complimentary to the census record that has been found.

This census was very general in terms of what data was collected as compared with later years.  The information listed on this census were:

  • Name of the head of family or household.
  • Free white males of 16 years and upwards.
  • Free white males under 16 years old.
  • Free White Females.
  • All other free persons.
  • Slaves.
1790 United States Census Form
1790 US Census Reference Sheet

Click here to download this form as a PDF file

 

There’s a vast amount of information to discover in doing census research.  Usually conducted every ten years, most government census reports include the head of household and every person living at a particular address at the time.  Additional information can include occupation, home value and where each person was born.  These information bits are all useful unless you can’t find the family you’re looking for.  See some advanced research tips for researching the census in the bottom half of our article Genealogy Research Tips – How to research your ancestors using census records.