1850 & 1860 Slave Schedule - Errors
1850 & 1860 Schedule 2 - (Slave Schedule)
The typical practice in both the 1850 and 1860 Slave Schedules was to omit the names of enslaved people.
Names of enslaved individuals were very rarely included in the Slave Schedules. If names were recorded, it might have occurred due to a clerical exception or in specific local contexts, like in a supplementary note.
To find the names of enslaved individuals from these areas, researchers usually need to look into other types of records, such as wills, probate records, bills of sale, or manumission records.
1850 and 1860 Slave Schedule Overview
Brian Sheffey
This video covers the following:
- Introduction to Slave Schedules
- 1850 Slave Schedule Questions
- 1860 Slave Schedule Questions
1850 & 1860 Slave Schedule
The primary information recorded included
The schedule listed the name of the slave owner.
The schedule included columns for the age, sex, and "color" of each enslaved person. The "color" column typically had entries like "B" for Black or "M" for Mulatto.
Each owner’s total number of enslaved people was noted.
Any disabilities among the enslaved population, such as blindness, deafness, or insanity, were sometimes recorded.
There was a column indicating whether any of the enslaved individuals had escaped within the year.
Schedule 1: Free Inhabitants (Free Person of Color)
Schedule 1 was designed to record all free inhabitants, which included both white individuals and free people of color.
Free People of Color:
Listed by Name: Free people of color were fully documented by name on this schedule, along with details such as age, sex, race (usually marked as “B” for Black or “M” for Mulatto), occupation, place of birth, literacy, and property ownership.
Considered Free Citizens: They were treated similarly to white inhabitants in terms of census documentation, reflecting their legal status as free individuals.
Detailed Information: The census collected detailed information about their lives, including real estate and personal property values in 1860.
Schedule 2: Slave Inhabitants (This Person was a Slave)
Schedule 2 was specifically for documenting the enslaved population.
Slaves:
Not Listed by Name: Unlike free people of color, enslaved individuals were generally not listed by name. Instead, they were recorded under the name of the slave owner.
Demographic Information: The census recorded the age, sex, and race (marked as “B” for Black or “M” for Mulatto) of each enslaved person, along with information such as whether they were fugitives from the state or had any disabilities.
Treated as Property: Enslaved people were considered property under the law, and the census reflected this by listing them anonymously and focusing on demographic details that were relevant to the slave owner’s interests.
1850 Slave Schedule 2 Errors
Enumerator Error - Some slaves are listed by name on the following census
Bowie County, TX
Scott County, TN
Utah County, Utah
1860 Slave Schedule 2
The 1860 Schedule 2 Slave Inhabitants is a specific part of the United States Census taken in 1860. It was used to enumerate the enslaved population in states where slavery was legal at that time. This schedule was separate from the main population census and had its own unique features.
Unlike the main census, which listed the free population by name, the slave schedule recorded enslaved individuals anonymously. This schedule was used only in states where slavery was still legal in 1860, which included Southern states and a few border states.
1860 Slave Schedule 2 Errors
Enumerator Error - Some slaves are listed by name on the following census
Boyd County, KY
Camden County, NC
Hampshire County, VA
St. Louis, MO - 2nd Ward
Twiggs County, GA
