South Carolina Genealogy Trails

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STATE-WIDE CENSUS FACTS
The 1790 through 1870 censuses were all conducted by assistant federal marshals of the US Federal Court system. The first nine censuses taken were organized by state and federal court districts within a state, and then by the counties within a district.

The 1790 census was taken for determining seats in the U.S. House of Representaives. From there the census was taken every ten years so Congress can decide how many total seats there will be in the U.S. House of Representatives. They then divide that number into the figure for the total U.S. polulation. This determines how many persons one congressman will represent and determines how many U.S. representatives can come from each state. These congressman 'represent' their people, making sure 'taxes' are distributed as needed according to the population and that the needs of their people are met....

In 1790, the Constitution did not treat everyone as equal. "Free persons' excluded Indians living on treaty land and who were exempt from paying taxes or voting. BUT - any male Indian who had joined the white population was taxed like whites and was considerd a "free person", therefore having the right to vote. "All other persons" meant slaves, who were counted as 3/5ths of a person for determining representation in Congress. This was allowed to offset the large slave populations of states (Virginia and South Carolina) as the population (in 1790) in (Virginia and South Carolina) showed that slaves represented 39 and 43 persent of their (Virginia and South Carolina) population.

1790

In 1790 the following South Carolina counties participated in the state census:

Abbeville, Beaufort, Camden District, Charleston, Cheraws District, Chester, Claremont, Edgefield, Georgetown, Greenville, Laurens, Newberry, Orangeburg, Pendleton, Richland, Spartanburg, Union, and York.

Contents included in the 1790 census are: head of household, number of free white males under 16, and 16 or older, number of free white females of any age, name of slave owner, and number of slaves owned by that person.

South Carolina could not complete its 1790 enumeration in nine months (required by the Government). The U.S. Marshall complained that he was having difficulty finding people to take the job because of the resistance to the census being taken. A Charleston jury met to decide the fate of six persons who had "refused to render an account of persons in their households as required by the census act." A South Carolina census taker was brought on trial for neglect of duty. He did not complete the census in his district. These problems, and others, led to South Carolina being granted an extension. The Census returnes were dated February 5, 1792, a full eighteen months after the census day.

When searching for ancestors, be sure to look at the surrounding counties as boundary line or jurisdictional changes may have taken place.

1800

In 1800 the following South Carolina counties participated in the state census:

Abbeville, Barnwell, Charleston, Chester, Chesterfield, Colleton, Darlington, Edgefield, Fairfield, Georgetown District, Greenville, Kershaw District, Lancaster District, Laurens District, Marion District, Marlboro District, Newberry District, Orangeburg District, Pendleton District, Spartanburg District, Sumter District, Union District and York District.

Contents included in the 1800 census are: name of head of household, number of free white males and free white females in age categories, name of slave owner, and number of slaves owned by that person.

1810

In 1810 the following South Carolina counties participated in the state census:

Abbeville, Barnwell, Beaufort, Charleston, Chester, Chesterfield, Colleton, Darlington, Edgefield, Fairfield, Georgetown, Greenville, Horry, Kershaw, Lancaster, Laurens, Lexington, Marion, Marlboro, Newberry, Orangeburg, Pendleton, Spartanburg, Sumter, Union, Williamsburg and York.

Contents included in the 1810 census are: head of household, number of free white males and free white females in age categories, name of slave owner, and number of slaves owned by that person.

1820

In 1820 the following South Carolina counties participated in the state census:

Abbeville, Barnwell, Beaufort, Charleston, Chester, Chesterfield, Colleton, Darlington, Edgefield, Fairfield, Georgetown, Greenville, Horry, Kershaw, Lancaster, Laurens, Lexington, Marion, Marlboro, Newberry, Orangeburg, Pendleton, Richland, Spartanburg, Sumter, Union, Williamsburg, and York.

Contents included in the 1820 census are: head of household, number of free white males and free white females in age categories, name of slave owner and number of slaves owned by that person, number of male and female slaves by age categories, and number of foreigners (not naturalized) in a household.

1830

In 1830 the following South Carolina counties participated in the state census:

Abbeville, Anderson, Barnwell, Beaufort, Charleston, Chester, Chesterfield, Colleton, Darlington, Edgefield, Fairfield, Georgetown, Greenville, Horry, Kershaw, Lancaster, Laurens, Lexington, Marion, Marlboro, Newberry, Orangeburg, Pickens, Spartanburg, Sumter, Union, Williamsburg and York.

Contents included in the 1830 census are: head of household, number of free white males and free white females in age categories, name of slave owner and number of slaves owned by that person, number of male and female slaves by age categories, number of foreigners (not naturalized) in household, number of deaf, dumb, and blind persons in household.

1840

In 1840 the following South Carolina counties participated in the state census:

Barnwell, Beaufort, Charleston, Chester, Chesterfield, Colleton, Darlington, Edgefield, Fairfield, Georgetown, Greenville, Horry, Kershaw, Lancaster, Laurens, Lexington, Marion, Marlboro, Newberry, Orangeburg, Pickens, Richland, Spartanburg, Sumter, Union, Williamsburg, and York.

Contents included in the 1840 census are: head of household, number of free white males and free white females in age categories, name of slave owner and number of slaves owned by that person, number of male and female slaves by age categories, number of foreigners (not naturalized) in household, number of deaf, dumb, and blind persons in household, number and age of each person receiving a military pension, and number of persons attending school.

1850

In 1850 the following South Carolina counties participated in the state census:

Abbeville, Anderson, Barnwell, Beaufort, Charleston, Chester, Chesterfield, Colleton, Darlington, Edgefield, Fairfield, Georgetown, Greeville, Horry, Kershaw, Lancaster, Laurens, Lexington, Marion, Marlboro, Newberry, Orangeburg, Pickens, Richland, Spartanburg, Sumter, Union, Williamsburg, and York.

Contents included in the 1850 census are: every person in household which was to include their age as of the census day, sex, color, birthplace, occupation, value of real estate, whether married within the previous year, whether deaf, dumb, blind, or insane, whether a pauper, whether able to read or speak English, and whether the person attended school within the previous year. No relationships were shown between members of a household.

The "Mortality Schedule" was created in 1850 and was to include every person who had died during the previous 12 months, along with the cause of death of that person.

In 1850, the U.S. Slave Schedule Census was created.

1860

In 1860 the following South Carolina counties participated in the state census:

Abbeville, Anderson, Barnwell, Beaufort, Charleston, Chester, Chesterfield, Clarendon, Colleton, Darlington, Edgefield, Fairfield, Georgetown, Greenville, Horry, Kershaw, Lancaster, Laurens, Lexington, Marion, Marlboro, Newberry, Orangeburg, Pickens, Richland, Spartanburg, Sumter, Union, Williamsburg, and York.

Contents included in the 1860 census are: every person in a household with a census day of June 1, 1860. Information on each person was to include their name, age as of the census day, sex, color, birthplace, occupation, value of real estate, value of personal estate, whether married within the previous year, whether deaf, dumb, blind, or insane, whether a pauper, whether able to read or speak English, and whether the person attended school within the previous year. No relationship between members of a household were given.

The "Mortality Schedule" was again used in 1860 and was to include every person who had died during the previous 12 months, along with the cause of death of that person.

In 1860, the U.S. Slave Schedule Census was used again.

1870

In 1870 the following South Carolina counties participated in the state census:

Abbeville, Anderson, Barnwell, Beaufort, Charleston, Chester, Chesterfield, Clarendon, Colleton, Darlington, Edgefield, Fairfield, Georgetown, Greenville, Horry, Kershaw, Lancaster, Laurens, Lexington, Marion, Marlboro, Newberry, Oconee, Orangeburg, Pickens, Richland, Spartanburg, Sumter, Union, Williamsburg, and York.

Contents included in the 1870 census are: every person in a household with a census day of June 1, 1870. Information was to include the persons name, age as of the census day, month of birth if born during the year, sex, color, birthplace, occupation, value of real estate, value of personal estate, whether married within the previous year, month of marriage if married within the previous year, whether deaf, dumb, blind, or insane, whether able to read or write, whether father or mother of foreign birth, and whether the person attended school within the previous year. No relationships between members of a household were shown.

The "Mortality Schedule" was again used in 1870 and was to include every person who had died during the previous 12 months, along with the cause of death of that person

1880

In 1880 the following South Carolina counties participated in the state census:

Abbeville, Aiken, Anderson, Barnwell, Beaufort, Charleston, Chester, Chesterfield, Clarendon, Colleton, Darlington, Edgefield, Fairfield, Georgetown, Greenville, Hampton, Horry, Kershaw, Lancaster, Laurens, Lexington, Marion, Marlboro, Newberry, Oconee, Orangeburg, Pickens, Richland, Spartanburg, Sumter, Union, Williamsburg, and York.

Contents included in the 1880 census are: every person in a household with a census day of June 1, 1880. Information was to include their name age as of the census day, month of birth if born during the year, relationship to the head of house, name of street and number of house, sex, color, birthplace, occupation, martial status, whether married within the previous year, whether temporarily or permanently disabled, whether crippled, maimed, or deformed, time unemployed during the census year, whether deaf, dumb, blind, or insane, whether able to read or write, birthplace of father and mother, and whether the person attended school within the previous year.

The "Mortality Schedule" was again used in 1880 and was to include every person who had died during the previous 12 months, along with the cause of death of that person.

1885

Congress allowed any state or territory to take a census in 1885 and have the federal government pay for part of the expense. Only five states or territories took up the government's offer: Colorado, Dakota territory, Florida, Nebraska, and New Mexico Territory.

This census year followed the same format as the 1880 census schedules, except that the names usually give an initial letter instead of a first name for a person.

1890

The 1890 Federal Census of the United States, which was destroyed by a fire at the Commerce Department in Washington, DC on 10 January 1921. The extracted records available are for:

Alabama, District of Columbia, Georgia, Illinois, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, South Dakota, and Texas.

A special census listing was extracted from the 1890 population schedules for surviving Union soldiers, sailors, and marines (or their widows), and a portion of that special census survives. Contents included in that census are: name of each soldier, sailor, marine, or widow of a veteran in a household, veteran's rank, company, regiment or vessel, dates of enlistment and discharge, length of service in years, months, and days, post office address, nature of disability and a place for remarks.

1900

In 1900 the following South Carolina counties participated in the state census:

Abbeville, Aiken, Anderson, Bamberg, Barnwell, Beaufort, Charleston, Cherokee, Chester, Chesterfield, Clarendon, Colleton, Darlington, Dorchester, Edgefield, Fairfield, Florence, Georgetown, Greenville, Greenwood, Hampton, Horry, Kershaw, Lancaster, Laurens, Lexington, Marion, Marlboro, Newberry, Oconee, Orangeburg, Pickens, Richland, Saluda, Spartanburg, Sumter, Union, Williamsburg, and York.
Contents included in the 1900 census are: every person in a household and name of each person, relationship to the head of house, name of street and number of house, sex, color, person's age, and exact month and year of birth, birthplace, if female - number of children and number of children still living in 1900, occupation, marital status, and if married - number of years, number of years in the U.S., birthplace of father and mother, whether parents were of foreign birth, whether able to read or write, whether a person could speak English, and whether the person attended school within the previous year.

1910

In 1910 the following South Carolina counties participated in the state census:

Abbeville, Aiken, Anderson, Bamberg, Barnwell, Beaufort, Berkeley, Calhoun, Charleston, Cherokee, Chester, Chesterfield, Clarendon, Colleton, Darlington, Dillon, Dorchester, Edgefield, Fairfield, Florence, Georgetown, Greenville, Greenwood, Hampton, Horry, Kershaw, Lancaster, Laurens, Lee, Lexington, Marion, Marlboro, Newberry, Oconee, Orangeburg, Pickens, Richland, Spartanburg, Sumter, Union, Williamsburg, and York.

Contents included in the 1910 census are: every person in household, name of street and house number, age, sex, color, if female - number of children and number of children still living in 1910, marital status, and if married - number of years, year of immigration to the U.S., whether a naturalized citizen, alien, or papers pending, language spoken, trade or profession, type of business, and whether an employee/employer, or working on one's own account, whether out of work, and if so, the number of weeks out, birthplace of father and mother, whether able to read or write, whether the person attended school within the previous year, whether a person own or rented a house, whether the house was mortgaged or mortgage free, whether a farm or a home, whether the person was a veteran, and whether the person was blind or deaf.

1920

In 1920 the following South Carolina counties participated in the state census:

Abbeville, Aiken, Allendale, Anderson, Bamberg, Barnwell, Beaufort, Berkeley, Calhoun, Charleston, Cherokee, Chester, Chesterfield, Clarendon, Colleton, Darlington, Dillon, Dorchester, Edgefield, Fairfield, Florence, Georgetown, Greenville, Greenwood, Hampton, Horry, Jasper, Kershaw, Lancaster, Laurens, Lee, Lexington, Marion, Marlboro, McCormick, Newberry, Oconee, Orangeburg, Pickens, Richland, Saluda, Spartanburg, Sumter, Union, Williamsburg, and York.

Contents included in the 1920 census are: every person in household, name of street and house number, age and birthplace of each person, relationship to head of house, sex, color, if female - number of children and number of children still living in 1920, martial status, and if married - number of years, year of immigration to the U.S., whether a naturalized citizen, alien, or papers pending, language spoken, trade or profession, type of business, and whether an employee/employer/self employed, whether out of work, and if so - number of weeks out, birthplace of father and mother, whether able to read or write, whether the person attended school during the previous year, whether a person own or rented a house, whether the house was mortgaged or mortgage free, whether a farm or home, whether the person was a veteran, and whether the person was blind or deaf.

1930

In 1930 the following South Carolina counties participated in the state census:

Abbeville, Aiken, Allendale, Anderson, Bamberg, Barnwell, Beaufort, Berkeley, Calhoun, Charleston, Cherokee, Chester, Chesterfield, Clarendon, Colleton, Darlington, Dillon, Dorchester, Edgefield, Fairfield, Florence, Georgetown, Greenville, Greenwood, Hampton, Horry, Jasper, Kershaw, Lancaster, Laurens, Lee, Lexington, Marion, Marlboro, McCormick, Newberry, Oconee, Orangeburg, Pickens, Richland, Saluda, Spartanburg, Sumter, Union, Williamsburg, and York.

Contents included in the 1930 census are: place of abode (street number, avenue or road, and family numbers in order of visitation. Name - listing the surname, first name and middle initial of each person as of April 1, 1930; Relationship of each person to the homemaker; Home data listed whether the home was owned or rented, value of home or monthly rental, whether the home had a radio set, and whether the family lived on a farm; Personal discription listed the person's sex, color or race, coded to indicate White (W), Negro (Neg), Mexican (Mex), Indian (In), Chinese (Ch), or Japanese (Jp), age at last birthday, marital status, and the person's age at first marriage; Education listed whether the person attended school or college any time since September 1, 1929; Place of birth listed the place of birth without abbrevations and of his/her parents (distinguishing Canada-French from Canada-English, and Irish Free State from Northern Ireland; Mothers native language (language spoken in the person's home BEFORE coming to the U.S.); Citizenship listing the person's year of immigration to U.S. (whether naturalized (Na), alien (Al) or first papers filed (Pa), and whether able to speak English; Occupation and industry listed the person's trade/profession or kind of work/industry/business/employer (E), wage (W), working on own account (O), or an unpaid worker as a member of the family (NP);Employment listed whether the person was actually at work March 31, 1930, and if not, the line number on the unemployment schedule; Veterans listed whether the person was a veteran of U.S. military or naval forces with codes for which war served - World War (WW), Spanish-American (Sp), Civil War (Civ), Philippine Insurrection (Phil), Boxer Rebellion (Box) or Mexican Expedition (Mex); and did the person live on a farm and the number on the farm schedule.

1940

The privacy law prohibits the Census Office or National Archives from releasing to the public any census name list for 72 years. Therefore, the 1940 Federal Census will be released to the public in the year 2012.

Some questions asked on this particular census are: did the house have an indoor flush toilet or outhouse; did it have running water; in what place did this person live on April 1, 1935 (full address was required if different from the 1940 address).

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STATE-WIDE CENSUS FACTS The 1790 through 1870 censuses were all conducted by assistant federal marshals of the US Federal Court system. The first nine censuses taken were organized by state and federal court districts within a state, and then by the counties within a district. The 1790 census was taken for determining seats in the U.S. House of Representaives. From there the census was taken every ten years so Congress can decide how many total seats there will be in the U.S. House of Representatives. They then divide that number into the figure for the total U.S. polulation. This determines how many persons one congressman will represent and determines how many U.S. representatives can come from each state. These congressman 'represent' their people, making sure 'taxes' are distributed as needed according to the population and that the needs of their people are met.... In 1790, the Constitution did not treat everyone as equal. "Free persons' excluded Indians living on treaty land and who were exempt from paying taxes or voting. BUT - any male Indian who had joined the white population was taxed like whites and was considerd a "free person", therefore having the right to vote. "All other persons" meant slaves, who were counted as 3/5ths of a person for determining representation in Congress. This was allowed to offset the large slave populations of states (Virginia and South Carolina) as the population (in 1790) in (Virginia and South Carolina) showed that slaves represented 39 and 43 persent of their (Virginia and South Carolina) population.
1790
In 1790 the following South Carolina counties participated in the state census: Abbeville, Beaufort, Camden District, Charleston, Cheraws District, Chester, Claremont, Edgefield, Georgetown, Greenville, Laurens, Newberry, Orangeburg, Pendleton, Richland, Spartanburg, Union, and York. Contents included in the 1790 census are: head of household, number of free white males under 16, and 16 or older, number of free white females of any age, name of slave owner, and number of slaves owned by that person. South Carolina could not complete its 1790 enumeration in nine months (required by the Government). The U.S. Marshall complained that he was having difficulty finding people to take the job because of the resistance to the census being taken. A Charleston jury met to decide the fate of six persons who had "refused to render an account of persons in their households as required by the census act." A South Carolina census taker was brought on trial for neglect of duty. He did not complete the census in his district. These problems, and others, led to South Carolina being granted an extension. The Census returnes were dated February 5, 1792, a full eighteen months after the census day. When searching for ancestors, be sure to look at the surrounding counties as boundary line or jurisdictional changes may have taken place.
1800
In 1800 the following South Carolina counties participated in the state census: Abbeville, Barnwell, Charleston, Chester, Chesterfield, Colleton, Darlington, Edgefield, Fairfield, Georgetown District, Greenville, Kershaw District, Lancaster District, Laurens District, Marion District, Marlboro District, Newberry District, Orangeburg District, Pendleton District, Spartanburg District, Sumter District, Union District and York District. Contents included in the 1800 census are: name of head of household, number of free white males and free white females in age categories, name of slave owner, and number of slaves owned by that person.
1810
In 1810 the following South Carolina counties participated in the state census: Abbeville, Barnwell, Beaufort, Charleston, Chester, Chesterfield, Colleton, Darlington, Edgefield, Fairfield, Georgetown, Greenville, Horry, Kershaw, Lancaster, Laurens, Lexington, Marion, Marlboro, Newberry, Orangeburg, Pendleton, Spartanburg, Sumter, Union, Williamsburg and York. Contents included in the 1810 census are: head of household, number of free white males and free white females in age categories, name of slave owner, and number of slaves owned by that person.
1820
In 1820 the following South Carolina counties participated in the state census: Abbeville, Barnwell, Beaufort, Charleston, Chester, Chesterfield, Colleton, Darlington, Edgefield, Fairfield, Georgetown, Greenville, Horry, Kershaw, Lancaster, Laurens, Lexington, Marion, Marlboro, Newberry, Orangeburg, Pendleton, Richland, Spartanburg, Sumter, Union, Williamsburg, and York. Contents included in the 1820 census are: head of household, number of free white males and free white females in age categories, name of slave owner and number of slaves owned by that person, number of male and female slaves by age categories, and number of foreigners (not naturalized) in a household.
1830
In 1830 the following South Carolina counties participated in the state census: Abbeville, Anderson, Barnwell, Beaufort, Charleston, Chester, Chesterfield, Colleton, Darlington, Edgefield, Fairfield, Georgetown, Greenville, Horry, Kershaw, Lancaster, Laurens, Lexington, Marion, Marlboro, Newberry, Orangeburg, Pickens, Spartanburg, Sumter, Union, Williamsburg and York. Contents included in the 1830 census are: head of household, number of free white males and free white females in age categories, name of slave owner and number of slaves owned by that person, number of male and female slaves by age categories, number of foreigners (not naturalized) in household, number of deaf, dumb, and blind persons in household.
1840
In 1840 the following South Carolina counties participated in the state census: Barnwell, Beaufort, Charleston, Chester, Chesterfield, Colleton, Darlington, Edgefield, Fairfield, Georgetown, Greenville, Horry, Kershaw, Lancaster, Laurens, Lexington, Marion, Marlboro, Newberry, Orangeburg, Pickens, Richland, Spartanburg, Sumter, Union, Williamsburg, and York. Contents included in the 1840 census are: head of household, number of free white males and free white females in age categories, name of slave owner and number of slaves owned by that person, number of male and female slaves by age categories, number of foreigners (not naturalized) in household, number of deaf, dumb, and blind persons in household, number and age of each person receiving a military pension, and number of persons attending school.
1850
In 1850 the following South Carolina counties participated in the state census: Abbeville, Anderson, Barnwell, Beaufort, Charleston, Chester, Chesterfield, Colleton, Darlington, Edgefield, Fairfield, Georgetown, Greeville, Horry, Kershaw, Lancaster, Laurens, Lexington, Marion, Marlboro, Newberry, Orangeburg, Pickens, Richland, Spartanburg, Sumter, Union, Williamsburg, and York. Contents included in the 1850 census are: every person in household which was to include their age as of the census day, sex, color, birthplace, occupation, value of real estate, whether married within the previous year, whether deaf, dumb, blind, or insane, whether a pauper, whether able to read or speak English, and whether the person attended school within the previous year. No relationships were shown between members of a household. The "Mortality Schedule" was created in 1850 and was to include every person who had died during the previous 12 months, along with the cause of death of that person. In 1850, the U.S. Slave Schedule Census was created.
1860
In 1860 the following South Carolina counties participated in the state census: Abbeville, Anderson, Barnwell, Beaufort, Charleston, Chester, Chesterfield, Clarendon, Colleton, Darlington, Edgefield, Fairfield, Georgetown, Greenville, Horry, Kershaw, Lancaster, Laurens, Lexington, Marion, Marlboro, Newberry, Orangeburg, Pickens, Richland, Spartanburg, Sumter, Union, Williamsburg, and York. Contents included in the 1860 census are: every person in a household with a census day of June 1, 1860. Information on each person was to include their name, age as of the census day, sex, color, birthplace, occupation, value of real estate, value of personal estate, whether married within the previous year, whether deaf, dumb, blind, or insane, whether a pauper, whether able to read or speak English, and whether the person attended school within the previous year. No relationship between members of a household were given. The "Mortality Schedule" was again used in 1860 and was to include every person who had died during the previous 12 months, along with the cause of death of that person. In 1860, the U.S. Slave Schedule Census was used again.
1870
In 1870 the following South Carolina counties participated in the state census: Abbeville, Anderson, Barnwell, Beaufort, Charleston, Chester, Chesterfield, Clarendon, Colleton, Darlington, Edgefield, Fairfield, Georgetown, Greenville, Horry, Kershaw, Lancaster, Laurens, Lexington, Marion, Marlboro, Newberry, Oconee, Orangeburg, Pickens, Richland, Spartanburg, Sumter, Union, Williamsburg, and York. Contents included in the 1870 census are: every person in a household with a census day of June 1, 1870. Information was to include the persons name, age as of the census day, month of birth if born during the year, sex, color, birthplace, occupation, value of real estate, value of personal estate, whether married within the previous year, month of marriage if married within the previous year, whether deaf, dumb, blind, or insane, whether able to read or write, whether father or mother of foreign birth, and whether the person attended school within the previous year. No relationships between members of a household were shown. The "Mortality Schedule" was again used in 1870 and was to include every person who had died during the previous 12 months, along with the cause of death of that person
1880
In 1880 the following South Carolina counties participated in the state census: Abbeville, Aiken, Anderson, Barnwell, Beaufort, Charleston, Chester, Chesterfield, Clarendon, Colleton, Darlington, Edgefield, Fairfield, Georgetown, Greenville, Hampton, Horry, Kershaw, Lancaster, Laurens, Lexington, Marion, Marlboro, Newberry, Oconee, Orangeburg, Pickens, Richland, Spartanburg, Sumter, Union, Williamsburg, and York. Contents included in the 1880 census are: every person in a household with a census day of June 1, 1880. Information was to include their name age as of the census day, month of birth if born during the year, relationship to the head of house, name of street and number of house, sex, color, birthplace, occupation, martial status, whether married within the previous year, whether temporarily or permanently disabled, whether crippled, maimed, or deformed, time unemployed during the census year, whether deaf, dumb, blind, or insane, whether able to read or write, birthplace of father and mother, and whether the person attended school within the previous year. The "Mortality Schedule" was again used in 1880 and was to include every person who had died during the previous 12 months, along with the cause of death of that person.
1885
Congress allowed any state or territory to take a census in 1885 and have the federal government pay for part of the expense. Only five states or territories took up the government's offer: Colorado, Dakota territory, Florida, Nebraska, and New Mexico Territory. This census year followed the same format as the 1880 census schedules, except that the names usually give an initial letter instead of a first name for a person.
1890
The 1890 Federal Census of the United States, which was destroyed by a fire at the Commerce Department in Washington, DC on 10 January 1921. The extracted records available are for: Alabama, District of Columbia, Georgia, Illinois, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, South Dakota, and Texas. A special census listing was extracted from the 1890 population schedules for surviving Union soldiers, sailors, and marines (or their widows), and a portion of that special census survives. Contents included in that census are: name of each soldier, sailor, marine, or widow of a veteran in a household, veteran's rank, company, regiment or vessel, dates of enlistment and discharge, length of service in years, months, and days, post office address, nature of disability and a place for remarks.
1900
In 1900 the following South Carolina counties participated in the state census: Abbeville, Aiken, Anderson, Bamberg, Barnwell, Beaufort, Charleston, Cherokee, Chester, Chesterfield, Clarendon, Colleton, Darlington, Dorchester, Edgefield, Fairfield, Florence, Georgetown, Greenville, Greenwood, Hampton, Horry, Kershaw, Lancaster, Laurens, Lexington, Marion, Marlboro, Newberry, Oconee, Orangeburg, Pickens, Richland, Saluda, Spartanburg, Sumter, Union, Williamsburg, and York. Contents included in the 1900 census are: every person in a household and name of each person, relationship to the head of house, name of street and number of house, sex, color, person's age, and exact month and year of birth, birthplace, if female - number of children and number of children still living in 1900, occupation, marital status, and if married - number of years, number of years in the U.S., birthplace of father and mother, whether parents were of foreign birth, whether able to read or write, whether a person could speak English, and whether the person attended school within the previous year.
1910
In 1910 the following South Carolina counties participated in the state census: Abbeville, Aiken, Anderson, Bamberg, Barnwell, Beaufort, Berkeley, Calhoun, Charleston, Cherokee, Chester, Chesterfield, Clarendon, Colleton, Darlington, Dillon, Dorchester, Edgefield, Fairfield, Florence, Georgetown, Greenville, Greenwood, Hampton, Horry, Kershaw, Lancaster, Laurens, Lee, Lexington, Marion, Marlboro, Newberry, Oconee, Orangeburg, Pickens, Richland, Spartanburg, Sumter, Union, Williamsburg, and York. Contents included in the 1910 census are: every person in household, name of street and house number, age, sex, color, if female - number of children and number of children still living in 1910, marital status, and if married - number of years, year of immigration to the U.S., whether a naturalized citizen, alien, or papers pending, language spoken, trade or profession, type of business, and whether an employee/employer, or working on one's own account, whether out of work, and if so, the number of weeks out, birthplace of father and mother, whether able to read or write, whether the person attended school within the previous year, whether a person own or rented a house, whether the house was mortgaged or mortgage free, whether a farm or a home, whether the person was a veteran, and whether the person was blind or deaf.
1920
In 1920 the following South Carolina counties participated in the state census: Abbeville, Aiken, Allendale, Anderson, Bamberg, Barnwell, Beaufort, Berkeley, Calhoun, Charleston, Cherokee, Chester, Chesterfield, Clarendon, Colleton, Darlington, Dillon, Dorchester, Edgefield, Fairfield, Florence, Georgetown, Greenville, Greenwood, Hampton, Horry, Jasper, Kershaw, Lancaster, Laurens, Lee, Lexington, Marion, Marlboro, McCormick, Newberry, Oconee, Orangeburg, Pickens, Richland, Saluda, Spartanburg, Sumter, Union, Williamsburg, and York. Contents included in the 1920 census are: every person in household, name of street and house number, age and birthplace of each person, relationship to head of house, sex, color, if female - number of children and number of children still living in 1920, martial status, and if married - number of years, year of immigration to the U.S., whether a naturalized citizen, alien, or papers pending, language spoken, trade or profession, type of business, and whether an employee/employer/self employed, whether out of work, and if so - number of weeks out, birthplace of father and mother, whether able to read or write, whether the person attended school during the previous year, whether a person own or rented a house, whether the house was mortgaged or mortgage free, whether a farm or home, whether the person was a veteran, and whether the person was blind or deaf.
1930
In 1930 the following South Carolina counties participated in the state census: Abbeville, Aiken, Allendale, Anderson, Bamberg, Barnwell, Beaufort, Berkeley, Calhoun, Charleston, Cherokee, Chester, Chesterfield, Clarendon, Colleton, Darlington, Dillon, Dorchester, Edgefield, Fairfield, Florence, Georgetown, Greenville, Greenwood, Hampton, Horry, Jasper, Kershaw, Lancaster, Laurens, Lee, Lexington, Marion, Marlboro, McCormick, Newberry, Oconee, Orangeburg, Pickens, Richland, Saluda, Spartanburg, Sumter, Union, Williamsburg, and York. Contents included in the 1930 census are: place of abode (street number, avenue or road, and family numbers in order of visitation. Name - listing the surname, first name and middle initial of each person as of April 1, 1930; Relationship of each person to the homemaker; Home data listed whether the home was owned or rented, value of home or monthly rental, whether the home had a radio set, and whether the family lived on a farm; Personal discription listed the person's sex, color or race, coded to indicate White (W), Negro (Neg), Mexican (Mex), Indian (In), Chinese (Ch), or Japanese (Jp), age at last birthday, marital status, and the person's age at first marriage; Education listed whether the person attended school or college any time since September 1, 1929; Place of birth listed the place of birth without abbrevations and of his/her parents (distinguishing Canada-French from Canada-English, and Irish Free State from Northern Ireland; Mothers native language (language spoken in the person's home BEFORE coming to the U.S.); Citizenship listing the person's year of immigration to U.S. (whether naturalized (Na), alien (Al) or first papers filed (Pa), and whether able to speak English; Occupation and industry listed the person's trade/profession or kind of work/industry/business/employer (E), wage (W), working on own account (O), or an unpaid worker as a member of the family (NP);Employment listed whether the person was actually at work March 31, 1930, and if not, the line number on the unemployment schedule; Veterans listed whether the person was a veteran of U.S. military or naval forces with codes for which war served - World War (WW), Spanish-American (Sp), Civil War (Civ), Philippine Insurrection (Phil), Boxer Rebellion (Box) or Mexican Expedition (Mex); and did the person live on a farm and the number on the farm schedule.
1940
The privacy law prohibits the Census Office or National Archives from releasing to the public any census name list for 72 years. Therefore, the 1940 Federal Census will be released to the public in the year 2012. Some questions asked on this particular census are: did the house have an indoor flush toilet or outhouse; did it have running water; in what place did this person live on April 1, 1935 (full address was required if different from the 1940 address).