The 1810 census was begun on 6 August 1810. The
count was due within nine months, but the due date was extended by law to ten
months.
Questions Asked in the 1810 Census
Name of
family head; number of free white males and females in age categories: 0 to 10,
10 to 16, 16 to 26, 26 to 45, 45 and older; number of other free persons except
Indians not taxed; number of slaves; and town or district and county of
residence.
Research Tips for the 1810 Census
The 1810
census records are useful in identifying the locality to be searched for other
types of records for a named individual. The 1810 census will, in most cases,
help distinguish the target family from others of the same name; help to
determine family size; locate possible relatives with the same name; identify
immediate neighbors who may be related; identify slaveholders; and spot spelling
variations of surnames. Free men “of color” are named as heads of household.
Slaves appear in age groupings by name of owner. By combining those age
groupings with probate inventories and tax list data, it is sometimes possible
to determine names of other family members and the birth order of those
individuals. Manufacturing schedules are scattered among the 1810 population
schedules.
