The 1810 United States census was the third federal census. The census instructions clearly stipulated an enumerator, which was an assistant marshal, must actually visit each household or the head of each family, and not rely on hearsay to complete the count. The census questions for the 1810 census were identical to the 1800 census a decade before.
You can find your ancestors listed on the 1810 U.S. census schedule by entering your ancestor’s name below.
What was unique about the 1810 census?
The 1810 U.S. census was the first one to collect information about manufacturing. An act of Congress directed the marshal to take an account of manufacturing establishments in the area. No specific directions of how to make that account were given, so each marshal came up with a way of doing so. The Treasury Department did, however, divide manufactured products into 25 categories which included more than 220 various goods. Sadly, because there was no clear guidance, this collection of data is considered relatively useless except to broadly identify some industrial trends.
1810 U.S. Census Questions
This census asked the following questions:
- Name of head of family
- Number of free white males under 10 years of age
- Number of free white males of 10 and under 16 years of age
- Number of free white males of 16 and under 26 years of age
- Number of free white males of 26 and under 45 years of age
- Number of free white males of 45 years of age and upwards
- Number of free white females under 10 years of age
- Number of free white females of 10 and under 16 years of age
- Number of free white females of 16 and under 26 years of age
- Number of free white females of 26 and under 45 years of age
- Number of free white females of 45 years of age and upwards
- Number of all other free persons, except Indians, not taxed
- Number of slaves
As you will see above, there were no age brackets for free persons of color or the enslaved.
1810 U.S. Census Record Loss
As is the case with many early records of the United States, there is record loss of the 1810 census. There are no census schedules for the District of Columbia, Georgia, Mississippi, New Jersey, Ohio, most of Tennessee and the territories of Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan. It should be noted that the state of Maine was part of Massachusetts in this census. When dealing with census record loss, researchers may find the use of tax rolls and voter registrations as useful alternative record sets to investigate.
What was happening in the U.S. leading up to the 1810 U.S. census?
The decade leading up to the 1810 U.S. census was a time of great expansion and discovery. The United States purchased 530 million acres of land from France in the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. President Thomas Jefferson sent 2 explorers, William Clark and Meriwether Lewis, on an exploration mission to the west. Their primary goal was to survey the Missouri and Columbia rivers in hopes of finding a river connection to the Pacific Ocean. Though their expedition did not find a waterway to the Pacific, the duo documented more than 100 new animals, 178 new plants, and created over 100 maps of the newly discovered region.
In 1806, Congress authorized the federal funding of a new national road. It would be called the Cumberland Road (also known as the National Road or National Turnpike). It would connect Cumberland, Maryland to the Ohio River, a major water system. Construction of the road did not begin until 1811. The National Road was completed on August 1, 1818 and reached the Ohio River at what is today Wheeling, West Virginia. This new road unified an expanding nation, and commerce flourished. Many of your ancestors would have traveled this route as they moved westward.
How do I find my ancestors in the 1810 U.S. census?
At FamilySearch, you can search for your ancestors in the 1810 U.S. census by signing in to your free FamilySearch account and going directly to the 1810 U.S. census collection.
Once signed in to FamilySearch, click on Search, and from the pull-down menu, choose Records. At the next screen, near the bottom left, you will see a search field to search by collection name. In the field, type this in: United States Census, 1810
Search for your ancestor by first and last name, as well as the residence. To open up additional search fields, click More Options.
To make that distinction, look under the heading “Add Life Event,” and then click or tap Residence. Put the county and the state where you believe your ancestor was living in the residence field. You can also narrow down your results by adding a birthplace and approximate birth year. Now, at the bottom, click the yellow Search button.
If you find your ancestor in the 1810 U.S. census, you can attach it to your FamilySearch family tree. Adding records to your family tree is a way to cite your sources and help others in their family history research.
