United States Census, 1840 - FamilySearch Historical Records

Record Description
The collection consists of an index and images to the population schedules listing the inhabitants of the United States in 1840. This was the sixth national census conducted since 1790. Index provided by Ancestry.com.

Record Content
The 1840 censuses included the following information:


 * City, County and state in which census was taken
 * Name of head of household
 * Number of free white males and females under the age of 5
 * Number of free white males and females between the ages of 5-10
 * Number of free white males and females between the ages of 10-15
 * Number of free white males and females between the ages of 15-20
 * Number of free white males and females between the ages of 20-30
 * Number of free white males and females between the ages of 30-40
 * Number of free white males and females between the ages of 40-50
 * Number of free white males and females between the ages of 50-60
 * Number of free white males and females between the ages of 60-70
 * Number of free white males and females between the ages of 70-80
 * Number of free white males and females between the ages of 80-90
 * Number of free white males and females between the ages of 90-100
 * Number of free white males and females age 100 or older
 * Sometimes, the name and age of Revolutionary War pensioners

How to Use the Record
To begin your search it would be helpful to know:


 * Your ancestor's name
 * Some other identifying information such as where they lived or their age.

Search the Collection
To search the collection fill in the requested information in the boxes on the initial search page. This search will return a list of possible matches. Compare the information about the individuals in the list to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct family or person. You may need to look at the information on several individuals comparing the information about them to your ancestors to make this determination. Keep in mind:


 * There may be more than one person in the records with the same name.
 * You may not be sure of your own ancestor’s name.
 * Your ancestor may have used different names, or variations of their name, throughout their life.
 * If your ancestor used an alias or a nickname, be sure to check for those alternate names.
 * Even though these indexes are very accurate they may still contain inaccuracies, such as altered spellings, misinterpretations, and optical character recognition errors if the information was scanned.

For tips about searching on-line collections see the on-line article FamilySearch Search Tips and Tricks. To browse the images in this collection: ⇒ Select the 'State' category ⇒ Select the 'County' category ⇒ Select the 'Township or other division' category which takes you to the images.

Look at each image comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine if the image relates to them. You may need to look at several images and compare the information about the individuals listed in those images to your ancestors to make this determination. Keep in mind:


 * There may be more than one person in the records with the same name.
 * You may not be sure of your own ancestor’s name.
 * Your ancestor may have used different names or variations of their name throughout their life.

Using the Information
When you have located your ancestor’s record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. Save a copy of the image or transcribe the information. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details. Add this new information to your records of each family. You should also look for leads to other records about your ancestors. For example:


 * Use the age categories to determine an approximate birth date range.
 * Use the residence to locate other records such as land, probate, tax, and church records.

Tips to Keep in Mind

 * Continue to search the index and records to identify other relatives.
 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.
 * You may need to compare the information of more than one family or person to make this determination.
 * Be aware that, as with any index, transcription errors may occur.

Unable to Find Your Ancestor?

 * Look for variant spellings of the names. You should also look for alias names, nicknames and abbreviated names.
 * Search the indexes and records of nearby localities.
 * Try alternative search methods such as only filling in the surname search box (or the given name search box) on the landing page leaving the other box empty and then click on search. This should return a list of everyone with that particular name. You could then browse the list for individuals that may be your ancestor.
 * There is also the possibility that a family was missed in the census.

General Information About These Records
Federal census takers were asked to record information about every person who was in each household on the census day, which was the first June 1 for 1840. A census taker might have visited a house on a later date, but the information he collected was supposed to be about the people who were in the house on the census day. The basic census enumeration unit was the county. Each county was divided into enumeration districts, one for each enumerator. The completed forms were sent to the Commerce Department’s Census Office in Washington, D.C.

Federal censuses are usually reliable, depending on the knowledge of the informant and the care of the census enumerator. Information may have been given to a census taker by any member of the family or by a neighbor. Some information may have been incorrect or deliberately falsified.

Population schedules consisted of large sheets with rows and columns. The schedules were arranged by place, such as township or post office. The places were not filed in any particular order. The arrangement of families on a schedule is normally in the order in which the enumerator visited the households. The original schedules are well preserved at the National Archives in Washington, D.C. They were microfilmed in the 1950s and 1960s. The schedules for some counties in varying censuses are missing.

Known Issues with This Collection
For a full list of all known issues associated with this collection see the attached article. If you encounter additional problems, please email them to [mailto:support@familysearch.org support@familysearch.org]. Please include the full path to the link and a description of the problem in your e-mail. Your assistance will help ensure that future reworks will be considered.

Related Websites

 * NARA Collection Description M704
 * NARA Clues in Census Records,1790-1840
 * NARA 1840 Federal Census Form
 * 1840 Census Questions
 * Census Finder

Related Wiki Articles
United States Census 1840

Citations for This Collection
Citing your sources makes it easy for others to find and evaluate the records you used. When you copy information from a record, list where you found that information. Here you can find citations already created for the entire collection and for each individual record or image.

Collection Citation:

Record Citation (or citation for the index entry): Image Citation: