Find Ancestors with Updates to the 1850 and 1860 U.S. Census Slave Schedule

A common brick wall of finding information about enslaved ancestors in the United States is finding records for them before Emancipation in 1863. Before that time, these ancestors usually weren't well documented in U.S. government records. The United States Census 1850 slave schedule and 1860 slave schedule are one of the few record sets that do have some helpful information, though these records have been difficult to search because a majority of enslaved individuals were not listed by name.

A recent update in FamilySearch to these slave schedules has made over 4,000 names for African American ancestors more searchable in this record set.

For example, Winneford Brown, a 65-year-old black female who lived in West Virginia can be found in the 1870 U.S. census. Potential descendants of Winneford might be interested to know that her name can now be found in the updated 1850 and 1860 slave schedules.

What Are the U.S. Census 1850 Slave Schedule and 1860 Slave Schedule?

From 1790 to 1840, enslaved individuals were included only as tally marks in the United States Federal Census. In 1850 and 1860, the U.S. Census created a separate schedule to number slaves and record information about the enslaved population within the country.

The states which recorded enslaved individuals in the 1850 slave schedule included Florida, Kentucky, Missouri, Tennessee, Texas, Utah Territory, and Virginia. These states were also included in the 1860 slave schedule, with the exception of Utah Territory.

The 1850 and 1860 slave schedules usually only included the name of the slaveholder, and then each following line on the page had the age, sex, and race of the enslaved individuals owned by the slaveholder. Descendants of African Americans in the slave schedules could only find their ancestors if they knew the names of the slaveholder.

Updates to the U.S. Census 1850 Slave Schedule and 1860 Slave Schedule

A recent update has been made for the 1850 and 1860 slave schedules collections on FamilySearch. For a few counties in the United States during these 2 decades, these schedules did more than just number slaves by age, sex, and race. Enslaved African Americans could be found in these records listed by their given name!

Originally, these named individuals were not indexed in FamilySearch. Upon completion of this project update, there were a total of 4,287 enslaved people added, by name, from the U.S. census 1850 and 1860 slave schedules to FamilySearch.

Finding Winneford in the U.S. Census 1860 Slave Schedule

Previously mentioned, a woman by the name of Winneford Brown was living in Hampshire County, West Virginia, in 1870 (formerly Virginia, before West Virginia became a state in 1863).

In the updated 1850 and 1860 slave schedules, a woman named Winnie was found living in the Eastern District of Hampshire County, Virginia, in 1860. Listed under her slaveholder, a woman named Mary Powell, Winnie was recorded as a 56-year-old black female.

See Winnie in the U.S. Census 1860 Slave Schedule

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See Winneford Brown in the 1870 U.S. Census

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There is a strong possibility that the Winnie who was enslaved in the 1860 slave schedule is also the same Winneford Brown in the 1870 U.S. census. They were both born about 1804 or 1805, and Winnie is a shortened name for Winneford.

More evidence that Winnie and Winneford are the same person comes from records of Mary Powell, Winnie's slaveholder listed in the 1860 slave schedule. Mary Powell can also be found in the 1870 census, listed only a few pages away from Winneford Brown.

The census recorded Mary as living in Bloomery Township, Hampshire County, West Virginia, at the time. This township is located on the eastern boundary of the county, which is along the state line of Virginia.

1860 Census Update

During this project update, corrections were also made in the 1860 U.S. Census in Washington County, Tennessee. The enumerator included many of the enslaved population in the regular census enumeration. He had indicated whether an individual was free or enslaved by using terms in the race column to separate them. These terms included BF (black free), MF (mulatto free), BS (black slave), or MS (mulatto slave).

These individuals had been indexed on FamilySearch by name and other information, but race was not previously indexed because the typical abbreviation for race (such as b for black or m for mulatto) had not been used.

With this update given to the 1860 census in Washington County, Tennessee, there were 660 entries that had their race corrected.

Search for Your Ancestor in the Updated 1860 Census

To use the 1860 census on FamilySearch, search by name and name variations. Include where your ancestors may have lived and an approximate birth year. One way to search the census specifically for African American ancestors is adding a race filter.

When searching for someone with the surname Smith in Washington County, Tennessee, you can narrow it down by race by selecting the Race button above the results. Filter by the race you are searching for.

Find Your Ancestors

We invite you to search the updated 1850 and 1860 U.S. slave schedules and the updated 1860 U.S. census. You might also want to read the following guides as you start your research journey:

• Researching Formerly Enslaved African Americans
• Federal Records that Help Identify Former Enslaved People and Slave Holders
• Quick Guide to African American Records

If your ancestor was not living in or near the areas where they were mentioned in records by name, you can still find important details about them if you know who the slaveholder was.
This includes the number of people they were enslaved with, their ages, their race (either black or mulatto), and where they were living. As a reminder, these records are free to access on FamilySearch.