1800 Ancestry Census Records Search

Guide, Clues & Finding Aid for the 1800 U. S. Federal Census.

The 1800 census was the second census of the United States which was to be taken every 10 years. Its purpose was for the correct apportionment for Congress by state and for tax reasons. Because of the difficutly of travel to the states and territories northwest of the Ohio River and to the Mississippi Territory, it took nine months to complete.



Where can I find the 1800 U.S. Census?

There are numerous websites where the 1800 census can be found. Some are transcription only, some also have images. Only some are indexed. While the indexes may be similar, the transcriptions and the search engines for each website are unique. If you can't find your ancestor in one website, try another. Read the difference between the different websites.

  • Ancestor Search Transcribed U.S. Census Records Search
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    Search for U.S. census transcriptions on websites across the internet including the U.S. GenWeb Projects.

    Some of the 1800 census has been transcribed by volunteers and placed on the internet.

    Search by name, county, state and/or year.





  • Ancestry.com 1800 United States Federal Census

    All the surviving 1800 census has been digitized and indexed by Ancestry. You can view for free the only website that has all fields of the census transcribed including names, location, and numbers of family members. Ancestry also has a very strong and flexible search engine. The complete transcribed census is free.



  • Family Search

    The Mormon genealogy site offers a free searchable and browsable index and census transcription. Images are available at family history centers.



  • Internet Archive

    This copy of the 1800 census microfilm can be read online or the PDF files can be downloaded. Browsable but not indexed.








Can't find someone in your census search?


Surname spelling was varied in 1800. You may find your ancestors name spelled different ways even on the same record. The census taker may have written the name on the census sheet phonetically as the name sounded to him. Not only may the name have been written incorrectly on the original census, the handwriting may have difficult to decipher when creating the index or the microfilm may have been too faded to read correctly.






What can I learn from the 1800 Census Records?

Census Date - August 2, 1800
The 1800 census lists the name of the head of household; there is just a head count for other family members by age and gender.

Census questions:

  • City or town or district or township and county of residence
  • Name of the head of each household.
  • Number (but not name) of Free White Males:
    • under 10 years old
    • age 10 and under 16
    • age 16 and under 26
    • age 26 and under 45
    • age 45 and over
  • Number (but not name) of Free White Females:
    • under 10 years old
    • age 10 and under 16
    • age 16 and under 26
    • age 26 and under 45
    • age 45 and over
  • Number (but not name) of free "colored" persons
  • Number (but not name) of slaves of all ages

Download blank census form




How can you use the 1800 Census?



  • You can identify immediate neighbors who may be related.
  • You can identify number of people living in household.
  • You can browse to find spelling variations of your surname to help you find additional records.
  • You can use the location to look for churches, cemeteries, courthouses, and other places where your ancestor may have left records.
  • You can identify slave holders






What states are in the 1800 Census?

The 1800 census enumerated about than five million people in the thirteen original states. Unfortunately, some of 1800 census was destroyed during the War of 1812. The surviving states include: Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and Vermont.


The states of Georgia, Indiana Territory, Kentucky, Mississippi Territory, New Jersey, Northwest Territory, Virginia, Tennessee, and Alexandria County, District of Columbia census were destroyed.






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