{"id":85520,"date":"2018-08-02T15:45:03","date_gmt":"2018-08-02T22:45:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.geni.com\/blog\/?p=85520"},"modified":"2021-08-02T14:52:49","modified_gmt":"2021-08-02T21:52:49","slug":"the-first-u-s-census","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.geni.com\/blog\/the-first-u-s-census-85520.html","title":{"rendered":"The First U.S. Census"},"content":{"rendered":"

Have you found ancestors in the United States census? Census records are one of the most important resources in genealogy. With the information provided in these records, finding a relative in the census will often open doors to additional discoveries. The very first U.S. census was conducted on August 2, 1790. Every household was visited by a census taker to record information for each person who was within the household on the census day.<\/p>\n

In the\u00a01790 census, the U.S. population was enumerated to be 3,929,214, although both President George Washington<\/a> and Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson<\/a> were skeptical of the final count and believed the number to be underreporting the population.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a><\/p>\n

U.S. population map following the 1790 census \/ U.S. Census Bureau<\/em><\/p>\n

Under the general direction of Thomas Jefferson, the first census was conducted by U.S.\u00a0marshals\u00a0and included households in\u00a0the original 13 states, plus the districts of Kentucky, Maine, and Vermont and the Southwest Territory (Tennessee). About 650 men on horseback were hired to go door-to-door to\u00a0ensure\u00a0every household in the country was counted.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a><\/p>\n

1790 U.S. census totals by state and district \/ U.S. Census Bureau<\/em><\/p>\n

The amount of information collected by the census has varied over time, but in the first census, there were\u00a0just six questions asked. The 1790 census called for the name of the head of the family and the number of persons in each household\u00a0for the following descriptions:<\/p>\n