1840 Federal
Census for Clay County, Missouri
Description:
This
database details those persons enumerated in the 1840
United States Federal Census, the Sixth Census of the
United States. In addition, the names of those listed
on the population schedule are linked to the actual
images of the 1840 Federal Census, copied from the
National Archives and Records Administration
microfilm, M704, 580 rolls. (If you do not initially
find the name on the page that you are linked to, try
a few pages forward or backward, as sometimes
different pages had the same page number.)
Enumerators of the 1840 census were asked to include
the following categories in the census: name of head
of household, number of free white males and females
in age categories: 0 to 5, 5 to 10, 10 to 15, 15 to
20, 20 to 30, 30 to 40, 40 to 50, 50 to 60, 60 to 70,
70 to 80, 80 to 90, 90 to 100, over 100; the name of
a slave owner and the number of slaves owned by that
person; the number of male and female slaves by age
categories; the number of foreigners (not
naturalized) in a household; and the number of deaf,
dumb and blind persons within a household.
Additionally, the 1840 census asked for the first
time the ages of revolutionary war pensioners, as
well as the number of persons attending school. The
categories allowed Congress to determine persons
residing in the United States for collection of taxes
and the appropriation of seats in the House of
Representatives.
The following rolls of film have not yet been linked
to federal census images by Ancestry.com, and thus
can not be searched in this linked index, M704: 1,
35, 37, 42, 45-46, 50, 59, 101-102, 116, 129,
131-134, 142, 147, 150, 179, 248, 288-289, 299-303,
307-310, 312, 318, 330, 414, 421, 429, 446, 483, 487,
509, 515, 517-538. They have however been indexed and
can be searched in the separate, unlinked, U.S.
Federal Census indexes at U.S. Federal Census index.
For details on the contents of the film numbers that
have not been linked yet, visit the following
N.A.R.A. web page: N.A.R.A.. The linked images for
these rolls of film will be made available on
Ancestry.com in the near future. This database is
certain to prove useful for those seeking early
American ancestors.
[NOTE: ]
Additional Information
The United States was the first country to call for a
regularly held census. The Constitution required that
a census of all "Persons...excluding Indians not
taxed" be performed to determine the collection
of taxes and the appropriation of seats in the House
of Representatives. The first nine censuses from
1790-1870 were organized under the United States
Federal Court system. Each district was assigned a
U.S. marshal who hired other marshals to administer
the census. Governors were responsible for
enumeration in territories.
The official enumeration day of the 1840 census was 1
June 1840. All questions asked were supposed to refer
to that date. By 1840, there were a total of
twenty-six states in the Union, with Arkansas and
Michigan being the latest editions. The two new
territories of Wisconsin and Iowa were also
enumerated. There were no substantial state or
district wide losses.
Taken from Chapter 5: Research in Census Records, The
Source: A Guidebook of American Genealogy by Loretto
Dennis Szucs; edited by Loretto Dennis Szucs and
Sandra Hargreaves Luebking (Salt Lake City, UT:
Ancestry Incorporated, 1997).
William Dollarhide, The Census Book: A Genealogist's
Guide to Federal Census Facts, Schedules and Indexes,
Heritage Quest: Bountiful, UT, 2000.
