By now, most of you are familiar with federal census records and you have probably used the population schedules. But did you know that there are additional schedules that were taken for some census years? These additional schedules are most often referred to as non-population schedules. Although their name implies otherwise, some of them do contain names and other personal information.
There are seven different non-population schedules: Agriculture; Defective, Dependent, Delinquent; Industry & Manufacturing; Mortality; Social Statistics; Veteran; and Slave. They are all arranged alphabetically by state, county and minor civil division.
Agriculture Schedule
Agriculture schedules were taken in 1850 and 1860 for farms and plantations that
produced $100 or more of products yearly. In 1870 and 1880 a farm had to produce $500 or
more in products and be 3 acres or larger. Information that you can expect to find in an
agriculture schedule is farm owner, agent or manager and specific details about the machinery,
livestock such as the number and kind of cows, horses and pigs, and produce such as what crops
were planted and what they yielded.
Manufacturing and Industry Schedules
Manufacturing and Industry schedules are basically the same. The name changed in
different census years. Manufacturing schedules were taken in 1810, 1820, 1830 and 1880.
Industrial schedules were taken in 1850, 1860, and 1870. These schedules usually recorded name
and location of the business, materials and machinery used, annual production and information
about number and sex of employees.
Mortality Schedules
Mortality schedules record deaths in the year preceding the census. For example 1860
mortality schedules include persons who died between 1 Jun 1859 and May 31, 1860. Mortality
schedules are available for 1850 through 1880 and 1900 in Minnesota. Information that can be
found is name, age, sex, marital status, state or country of birth, month of death, occupation,
cause of death, and length of illness.
Defective, Dependent, Delinquent
Often referred to as the DDD schedules, they are officially termed supplemental schedules
and were done only in 1880. These schedules have separate pages for the insane, deaf, dumb,
blind, homeless children, paupers and criminal persons. The DDD schedules list persons by name
and give many details about that person. Items 16-19 on the population schedule give the clue to
look at the DDD schedules. In turn, the DDD schedule references the page and line on the
population schedule.
Social Statistics
The social statistics schedules are available for 1850, 1860, and 1870. They provide
statistical data, but do not contain names. These schedules can provide valuable information about
an ancestors community. Social Statistic schedules give detailed information on cemeteries,
churches, newspapers, schools, wages, taxes and real estate, trade societies, lodges, clubs and
other groups.
Veterans Schedule
Veterans schedules were done in 1890 for Union Veterans and Widows of Union
Veterans. Many of these were lost in the same fire that destroyed most of the 1890 population
schedule. Washington, D.C., half of Kentucky and alphabetically from Louisiana to Wyoming
were saved.
This schedule can be used for verifying military service, distinguishing between soldiers with the same name and identifying military units.
Slave Schedules
Slave schedules were done in 1850 and 1860. Slaves were enumerated separately but not
by name. In most cases, the owner is named and the slaves are numbered, and can be
distinguished from one another by age, sex and color. Slave schedules can be found on microfilm
at NARA-Rocky Mountain Region. Ancestry.com has some indexes.
Genealogists do not frequently use non-population schedules because few have been indexed, and they can be more difficult to locate.
Non-population schedules can located by checking the NARA web site at http://www.archives.gov or by checking the following books: Kathleen W. Hinckley, Your Guide to the Federal Census (Cincinnati: Betterway Books, 2002); Loretto Dennis Szucs and Matthew Wright, Finding Answers in U.S. Census Records (Orem, Utah: Ancestry Publishing, 2002); William Dollarhide, The Census Book (Bountiful, Utah: Heritage Quest, 2000).