Alfords in the 1790 Census
[This was previously published in AAFA ACTION, Volume VI, Number 2,
Fall 1993, Page 48-56]
[AAFA Members who desire a data base file (.dbf) contact GAlford2@cs.com]
The federal census of 1790 was the first nation-wide population count of the
United States. Prior to that time, many of the
Colonial states conducted censuses or kept tax records, but 1790 was important
to family history researchers for two reasons.
For the first time, our entire country was enumerated in a consistent format
and during a narrow time frame.
The 1790 census is most useful for locating the residence of a family. Once
you know the place your family lived, you then
know where to look for other information, such as deeds, wills or church records.
Census day in 1790 was August 1st, which
means all information was collected on or after that date. In some states it
took almost a year to complete.
In addition to the name of the head of household and the place of residence,
the 1790 census gives general information
regarding family composition. There are five fields of information:
1. Free white males 16 years and older
2. Free white males under 16 years of age
3. Free white females
4. All other free persons (i.e. freed slaves)
5. Number of slaves
Use these fields to interpret the numbers in the actual enumeration. In other
words, in the first family listed below, John Alvord
was the head of the household, there were 4 free white males 16 years and older,
4 free white males under 16 years, 3 free
white females, and no other people.
INTERESTING NOTE: Lodwick Alford, enumerated in Wake Co., NC, had more than
twice as many slaves- 24 -than any
other Alford in this census!
Since these statistics cover all persons living in the household, including
borders, servants, etc., one must be careful in drawing
conclusions about a family.
The National Archives, and many other institutions have microfilm copies of
census reports for the following twelve states:
Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, North
Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island,
South Carolina and Vermont. Washington D.C. is included with Maryland. The census
was taken in several other states;
namely Delaware, Georgia, Kentucky, New Jersey, Tennessee and Virginia; but
these records were apparently destroyed
during the British attack on Washington during the War of 1812. For some of
these states, efforts have been made to
reconstruct the federal census using state census or tax records. Reconstructed
census records have been noted as such on the
following tabulation.
The entire 1790 census is reproduced on twelve microfilm rolls. In addition,
a comprehensive index has been prepared, which
is filmed on three rolls. The following extraction was taken from the federal
index, as opposed to the original enumeration.
The extraction of "ALFORDS" in the 1790 census included spelling
variations such as Alfred, Alvord, Halvord, Olford, etc. Maximum effort
has been made to provide accurate data that is true to the original
census. Errors or omissions should be brought to the attention of the
AAFA Census Project Officer, Alicia
Houston.
There were no Alfords or spelling variations in Rhode Island.
