Uncover new details about your ancestors and the role slavery played in the United States before the American Civil War. Discover details about those enumerated in this supplement to the 1850 census, including the names and addresses of slave owners and descriptions of slaves held in 16 states across the country.
Uncover new details about your ancestors and the role slavery played in the United States before the American Civil War. Discover details about those enumerated in this supplement to the 1850 census, including the names and addresses of slave owners and descriptions of slaves held in 16 states across the country.
There are over 3 million records in these census schedules, which recorded the names of slaveholders and enumerated the slaves held in the United States on 1 June 1850. The states covered are Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia.
Sadly, very few personal names of slaves were recorded in the original schedules. Instead, descriptions were made regarding age, sex, and race, with only the slaveholder being named.
Each result will provide you with a transcript of the most pertinent details from the slave schedule. While the information varies, transcripts will typically include the following information:
Beneath the transcript, you can also view the names of those who appeared on the same page of the original schedule. This can be useful in identifying neighbors, which may have been relatives, and gaining a better understanding of the area and economy in which your ancestor lived.
The United States issues special schedules to accompany certain censuses to obtain additional information about the population. In 1850, these slave schedules were issued to count the number of people kept in slavery, denote where they lived, and record the names of the slaveholders. While the 1860 census also included slave schedules, these records from 1850 shed light on life in the decade prior to the American Civil war.
These records provide depth beyond the information recorded in the 1850 federal census and can be particularly useful for those researching their slaveholding ancestors as it can give an indication of the size of their estate and their occupation based on the number of slaves enumerated.
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You can expand your search by selecting the “name variants” box in the search bar. This will return more records with similar names, alternate spellings or the use of initials or middle names.
Now that you know where your ancestor lived, search for them in the US Census 1850, to find additional information about your ancestor. See the link on the right hand side of the page under the “Useful links” heading to be directed to the 1850 census.