1850 United States Census

The 1850 U.S. Federal Census was the seventh decennial census and marked a turning point in American genealogy research. It was the first census to list every free person by name, not just heads of household.^[1] Enumerators recorded detailed information about individuals and even collected additional “non-population” data about agriculture, industry, social statistics, and more. For genealogists, the 1850 census provides a wealth of clues about ancestors’ identities, households, and communities. This article will explain all six schedules of the 1850 census – what they are, how to access them (online and offline), and how to interpret the information for family history insights.

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Overview of the 1850 Census SchedulesOverview of the 1850 Census Schedules

In 1850, census takers filled out six separate schedules, each focusing on different aspects of people and the economy. The schedules were:

Population Schedule (Free Inhabitants) – List of all free persons by name, with personal details (age, sex, etc.).
Slave Schedule (Slave Inhabitants) – List of enslaved individuals (usually unnamed) under each slaveholder, with demographic details.
Mortality Schedule – List of people who died in the year prior to the census (June 1849 – May 1850) with information on age, cause of death, etc.
Agricultural Schedule – Data on farms and agricultural production (land acreage, crops, livestock, etc.) for each farmer.
Industrial (Manufacturing) Schedule – Data on manufacturing and industry (business owner, type of goods, capital, employees, output, etc.) for each establishment meeting certain production thresholds.
Social Statistics Schedule – Community statistics on society and economy (aggregate data on property values, taxes, schools, libraries, churches, paupers, crime, wages, etc.).

Each schedule serves a different purpose. The Population Schedule is most directly relevant for tracing individuals, while the others (often called “non-population schedules”) provide context and additional details that can flesh out your ancestors’ lives.

Population Schedule (Free Inhabitants)Population Schedule (Free Inhabitants)

The Population Schedule of 1850 (Schedule No. 1 – Free Inhabitants) is the main census list of people. Every free person in each household was recorded by name, along with personal details:

Residence and Household: Dwelling number and family number in order of visitation (useful for seeing neighbors and household composition.
Name: The name of each free person as of June 1, 1850 (including those temporarily absent; newborns after that date were not listed).
Age: Age in years (as of the census day, June 1) – helpful for estimating birth year.
Sex: Gender of each individual.
Color: Race was noted as white, black, or mulatto (this column can identify free persons of color in the household).
Occupation: Profession, occupation, or trade for each person over 15.
Real Estate Value: Value of any real estate owned (in dollars).
Birthplace: Place of birth (state, territory or country) for each person.
Marital Status: A mark if married within the last year.
Education: A mark if attended school within the last year; also a column noting adults over 20 who cannot read/write.
Disability/Status: Indicates if the person was deaf, dumb, blind, insane, idiotic, pauper, or convict.

Genealogical Clues: This schedule provides fundamental genealogical data. You can reconstruct family groups since individuals in a household are listed together (although relationships are not stated explicitly – parent/child/spouse ties must be inferred from age and gender order). Ages allow you to approximate birth years (remember the age is as of June 1, 1850). Birthplaces listed for each person help track migration (e.g. children born in different states can indicate when a family moved). Occupations may lead to other records (such as employment, military, or apprentice records). Real estate value reveals economic status or land ownership, which could point to land deeds. The literacy indicator (cannot read/write) can give context about education. And if an ancestor is marked as deaf, blind, etc., that might lead to searching for institutional records or medical records.

Accessing the Population Schedule Online: The 1850 population schedules have been widely digitized and indexed, making them accessible on major genealogy websites:

MyHeritage: MyHeritage has the 1850 United States Federal Census Population Schedule available to search online. The United States Census of 1850, conducted on June 1, 1850, determined the resident population of the United States to be 23,191,876 - an increase of 35.9 percent over the 1840 Census. The total population included 3,204,313 slaves. Federal census takers were asked to record information about every person who was in each household on the census day. A census taker might have visited a house on a later date, but the information he collected was supposed to be about the people who were in the house on the census day. The basic census enumeration unit was the county. Each county was divided into enumeration districts, one for each enumerator. The completed forms were sent to the Commerce Department's Census Office in Washington, D.C. Federal censuses are usually reliable, depending on the knowledge of the informant and the care of the census enumerator. Information may have been given to a census taker by any member of the family or by a neighbor. Some information may have been incorrect or deliberately falsified.
National Archives (NARA) Digital Access: The National Archives has digitized the 1850 census as part of Microfilm Publication M432. NARA notes that these images are available on popular genealogy websites. NARA’s own online catalog might not have the images for direct browsing, so using MyHeritage is simpler for most researchers.

Accessing the Population Schedule Offline: If you prefer or need to use offline resources, you have options:

National Archives Facilities: The original 1850 census manuscripts are stored at NARA, and they have been microfilmed (Publication M432, 1,009 rolls for the population schedules). You can visit the National Archives in Washington, DC or certain NARA regional facilities to view the microfilm. Call ahead to ensure they have the 1850 census microfilm for the states you need.
Libraries and Family History Centers: Many large libraries and genealogical societies hold census microfilm or have subscriptions to MyHeritage Library Edition.
Ordering Copies: NARA provides an option to order photocopies or digital copies of specific 1850 census pages through their website (fees may apply). You would need to know the exact location (state, county, enumeration district) and page to request copies.

When using the population schedule, always note the location and page details (state, county, page number) for your records. This will help you cite the source and relocate it if needed. Also, consider collecting the neighbors’ names – sometimes extended family lived nearby, and knowing the community can provide context or clues for further research.

Slave Schedule (Slave Inhabitants)Slave Schedule (Slave Inhabitants)

The Slave Schedule (Schedule No. 2 – Slave Inhabitants) in 1850 enumerated enslaved people separately from the free population. These schedules are unfortunately less detailed for genealogical purposes because enslaved individuals are usually not named. Instead, the schedule lists each slaveholder by name and then details of the enslaved persons they held:

Slave Owner’s Name: Listed at the top of each group of enslaved individuals.
Number of Slaves: Total number of enslaved people owned by that person (sometimes an aggregate number).
Details of Each Enslaved Person: Typically each enslaved individual is listed by age, sex, and color (Black or Mulatto). Names of slaves were not recorded in 1850 (with rare exceptions).
Fugitives, Manumissions, Disabilities: Additional columns noted the number of slaves who escaped (“fugitives from the state”), number manumitted (freed), and any who were deaf, dumb, blind, insane, or idiotic. These columns were often sparsely used but can contain a check or number. For example, an enslaved person who had escaped by census day might be noted as a “fugitive,” or an enslaved person with a disability might be flagged.

Genealogical Clues: Despite the lack of names, slave schedules are crucial for African American genealogy and for researching slaveholding families. If your ancestor was an enslaved person, you can use the 1850 (and 1860) slave schedules to identify potential slaveholders who match your ancestor’s circumstances. Typically, a researcher will:

Determine where an ancestor lived in 1870 (the first census where formerly enslaved people are listed by name), and note their age and surname.
Then, look at 1850 and 1860 slave schedules in that county or area for slaveholders with the same surname, or any slaveholder who has an enslaved person of a matching age and sex. For example, if an African American male ancestor was 20 in 1870 (thus about 0 in 1850), you’d look in 1850 for slave owners who had a male slave aged about 0 (infant) and again in 1860 for a 10-year-old male slave. It’s an inexact process, but strong age matches under a particular slaveholder can support a hypothesis of which family might have enslaved your ancestors.
The schedules can also be used in reverse: if you know the name of a slaveholding family (perhaps from wills, deeds, or oral history), you can confirm details of their enslaved individuals. For instance, a will might name slaves, and the 1850 slave schedule can show the ages/genders of slaves held by that person, corroborating identities.
Keep in mind that enslaved people over age ~100 were sometimes named by the census taker as a special note. This was rare, but if you see an age like 100+ on the schedule, check if a name or anecdote was recorded. In one known case (1860 in Hampshire County, Virginia), an entire set of slave names was recorded contrary to instructions, but this was an anomaly. Generally, you will not find names of slaves in 1850 records. Instead, the slave schedule provides supporting evidence – ages, numbers, and demographics – to be used alongside other records.

For those researching slaveholder ancestors, the slave schedules can reveal how many people they enslaved and details about those individuals (age, sex, color). This can be important context for family history and can guide you in finding plantation records or estate records. For example, if an ancestor in 1850 is shown owning a large number of slaves of various ages, you might then seek out plantation ledger books, wills, or probate inventories from that time and place for more information on those individuals.

Accessing Slave Schedules Online: The 1850 slave schedules have also been digitized, though they are often in separate databases from the population census:

MyHeritage – MyHeritage has indexed the 1850 Slave Schedules. Name index of slave schedules listing slave owners and only age, gender and color data of the slaves in census states or territories in 1850. This was the first time that slave information was captured as a separate schedule. Indexed data and browse are available for the following: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Virginia. Slave schedules are not available for other states.
Other Genealogy Sites – Some specialized websites and message boards have partially indexed slave schedules. For example, AfriGeneas (https://www.afrigeneas.org/) has user-contributed indexes for certain areas. These can be useful to quickly find if a particular name was a slave owner in 1850. Always verify with the actual image, though, to see the full context.

Accessing Slave Schedules Offline: If you cannot find the slave schedule online for the area you need, you can use offline methods:

National Archives (NARA) – The National Archives holds the original microfilm of these schedules (Microfilm publication M432 for 1850). While NARA’s online catalog might not have all images freely online, they do provide some resources. For example, NARA’s 1850 Census Forms page provides blank forms and explains the schedules You can access the slave schedule microfilms via NARA facilities or some may be available on the National Archives website or affiliate sites.
State Archives and Libraries – Many state archives have copies of the Slave Schedules for their state. Some even have projects to put them online. For instance, the Missouri State Archives provides PDFs of the 1850 and 1860 slave census schedules for each county in Missouri. Check the resources for the specific state or county you’re researching – local genealogical societies may have published the slave schedule data in books or websites.
Historical Societies: Local historical or genealogical societies in Southern states sometimes have extracts or indices of slave schedules. For example, a state genealogical magazine might have published “1850 Slave Census of X County” with a list of slaveholder names and counts. These can be gold mines for research, so check society publications or the Periodical Source Index for your area.

When you locate a slave schedule entry, interpret it with care. Note the owner, location, and all details of each enslaved person listed. It’s often useful to chart out the enslaved persons by age and sex. If you suspect one of them is your ancestor, try to find that same grouping (owner and ages) again in 1860 to see changes (children growing older, etc.), and then find the names in 1870. The case study later in this guide will illustrate how this can be done in practice.

Special note: Slave schedules exist for the majority of slave states in 1850, but not all. According to NARA, 1850 slave schedules survive for: Alabama, Arkansas, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah (territory), and Virginia. No slave schedule was made for states that did not allow slavery. Keep this in mind when searching.

Mortality Schedule (Deaths in the Year)Mortality Schedule (Deaths in the Year)

The 1850 Mortality Schedule (sometimes called Schedule No. 3 – Mortality) is a special census of people who died in the 12 months before the census. Specifically, it covers deaths between June 1, 1849 and May 31, 1850. Enumerators asked about persons who had died in each household in that year and recorded details about the deceased. The mortality schedule for 1850 includes the following information for each deceased person:

Name of the deceased.
Age.
Sex.
Color (Race). In 1850, this would typically be white, black, or mulatto – both free and enslaved people who died were supposed to be listed. (Enslaved individuals might be listed by first name or as “slave of [owner]” in some cases.)
Marital Status. Whether the person was married or widowed at time of death.
Place of Birth. State or country of birth (helps identify origins of the deceased).
Month of Death. Which month in 1849/1850 the person died.
Occupation. (Often recorded for adult males, occasionally for others if relevant, e.g. “wife” or a profession for women if they had one).
Cause of Death. The illness or cause (e.g. cholera, childbirth, consumption).
Length of final illness. (Sometimes noted in days, weeks, or months sick before death).

This schedule can be incredibly valuable because it may be the only death record available for someone in that time period. In 1850, most states did not have a formal vital registration of deaths, and many people who died left behind no tombstones or church burial records. So if an ancestor “disappears” between 1840 and 1850, the mortality schedule is one place to check for their death.

Genealogical Clues: The mortality schedule can provide or confirm death information such as exact date (month/year) and cause of death for ancestors. It also can list people not found in the population schedule because they died before census day – for example, a child who died in April 1850 would not appear with the family in the population schedule (since they weren’t alive on June 1), but will appear in the mortality schedule. You might discover infants or family members who died in that gap year. The age and birth place help connect the deceased to known families (e.g. if you see an unusual surname in the mortality schedule, you might link them to a family of the same surname in the county). Also note that enslaved people are included in mortality schedules – sometimes by given name, sometimes just as “slave, [age], belonging to [owner’s name]” depending on how the assistant marshal recorded it. This means the mortality schedule can be a resource for African American research as well, to find the death of an enslaved ancestor (when other records are scarce).

One can also use the mortality schedules to understand epidemics and community health. If you notice many people in the list died of the same cause around the same time, it likely indicates a disease outbreak (for instance, many deaths from “cholera” or “flux” in summer 1849. For genealogists, this provides context – perhaps explaining why several members of a family died that year.

Accessing Mortality Schedules Online:

MyHeritage: MyHeritage has a database 1850 United States Federal Census (Mortality Schedule) (https://www.myheritage.com/research/collection-30016/). Name index and images of mortality schedules listing inhabitants of the United States who died between June 1849 and May 1850. This was the first time a mortality schedule was included with the general population census schedule. Searchable data and browse are available for the following: Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Virginia. Mortality schedules are not available at all for other states..
Other Sources: The federal mortality schedules have been transcribed or published in various places. The U.S. Census Bureau website also provides some information on mortality schedules (though not individual records). Some state archives have these schedules; for instance, the Florida Memory site has digitized mortality schedule images for certain areas. Genealogy websites like DeathIndexes.com list links state-by-state for mortality schedule resources. If you can’t find a mortality entry online, check if a local genealogical society published it – many 19th century mortality lists were printed in genealogy magazines.

Accessing Mortality Schedules Offline:

National Archives: NARA’s microfilm publications include mortality schedules. They are often grouped by year range. For 1850, the mortality schedules for all states are on microfilm (NARA microfilm series T1132 covers some mortality schedules, though exact publication numbers vary). You can access these at the National Archives or request copies of specific entries.
Libraries: Large libraries like the Library of Congress or state libraries may hold the microfilm as well.
Published Books: In some cases, mortality data was extracted and published in book form by historical societies. For example, you might find a book like “Mortality Schedules of [State] 1850-1860” in a library’s genealogy section.

Using mortality schedules in research is often straightforward: once you find your ancestor’s entry, you gain their death information. Make sure to note the county and state, as well as the census year, in your records. You can then seek complementary records – for example, knowing the month and cause of death might lead you to look for a church burial record or a newspaper obituary around that time. The mortality schedule itself is a secondary source (the information was reported, possibly by a family member or neighbor, to the census taker), but it’s a contemporary record from shortly after the death, which gives it considerable reliability. Always consider the possibility of spelling variations in names, and that some people might have been missed if the family didn’t report the death.

Agricultural Schedule (Farm Production)Agricultural Schedule (Farm Production)

The Agricultural Schedule (Schedule No. 4 – Productions of Agriculture) accompanied the 1850 census to gather data on farming. If your ancestor was a farmer in 1850, there may be an entry about their farm in this schedule. The agricultural schedule lists each farm and details its production and assets. Key information recorded in 1850 includes:

Name of the farmer. This could be the owner, manager, or agent responsible for the farm. Usually it will match the name of a household head in the population schedule who reported farming as occupation.
Acres of Land: How many acres of land were improved (cultivated) and how many were unimproved (woodland or not under cultivation). This gives a sense of farm size.
Cash Value of Farm: The total value of the farm in dollars (land, buildings) as estimated in 1850.
Value of Farming Implements and Machinery: A separate valuation of the equipment on the farm.
Livestock: Numbers of various livestock on hand – typically horses, asses and mules, milk cows, working oxen, other cattle, sheep, and swine were enumerated. The schedule also often lists the value of the livestock in total.
Crops and Produce: The quantity of major crops produced in the year ending June 1, 1850. Common crops included wheat, rye, Indian corn (maize), oats, rice, tobacco, cotton, wool, beans and peas, Irish potatoes, sweet potatoes, barley, buckwheat, etc., depending on the region. It also included produce such as dairy products (like butter or cheese in pounds), orchard products, wine, homemade manufactures, and value of animals slaughtered in the past year.

This schedule essentially creates a profile of a farm’s production and wealth. It’s useful for genealogists to understand an ancestor’s economic situation and lifestyle. For instance, you can see what crops your ancestor grew – were they a subsistence farmer growing a bit of everything, or a specialized farmer (such as a large tobacco planter)? How many livestock did they have? This can distinguish farmers of different scales (someone with 10 acres vs. someone with 500 acres). It may also help differentiate two people of the same name in an area by the size of their farm or type of crops (e.g., John Smith Sr. vs John Smith Jr., if one had a large farm and the other a small one).

Important: Not every farmer appears in this schedule. In 1850, farms that produced less than $100 worth of products in the year were excluded. Very small subsistence plots might not be listed. So if your ancestor was very poor or had a tiny farm, they might not show up. By contrast, if someone is listed as a farmer in the population census and owns some land, they are likely to appear, but if they were a laborer or sharecropper working someone else’s land, they would not have their own entry.

Genealogical Clues: The agricultural schedule can complement the population schedule in several ways:

It can place an ancestor in a specific place and time beyond the population schedule. For example, if county land records are lost, the agricultural schedule still confirms your ancestor was farming in that county in 1850 and gives an idea of their land holdings.
The list of crops and livestock can tell you about your ancestor’s daily life and responsibilities. If you see they had 40 sheep, likely they were involved in wool production; if they grew tobacco, that was their cash crop; if they produced a lot of butter, they had a dairy operation, etc.
You can compare 1850 and 1860 agricultural data (and 1870/1880 if applicable) to see progress or decline. One case study found that a farmer, Jesse R. Haley of Halifax County, Virginia, increased his farm’s value and livestock significantly between 1850 and 1860, indicating prosperity before the Civil War. Such comparisons can show the impact of economic changes or events (like the Civil War’s effect on Southern farms, or improved fortunes over time).
The agricultural schedule also shows the neighborhood – it’s usually arranged similarly to the population schedule by geographic order. You can see neighbors’ farm entries, which can be important for F.A.N. club research (Friends, Associates, Neighbors). Neighbors in agricultural schedules might be relatives or in-laws, or simply give context (perhaps your ancestor learned a technique from a neighbor growing the same crop).
If you find multiple people of the same name in the population census, the agricultural data can help differentiate them by farm details . For example, “John Miller” age 50 and “John Miller” age 28 might both be farmers, but one has a large farm with specific crops, whereas the other rents or has a small farm – matching those details to wills or later records might help tell who is who.

Accessing Agricultural Schedules Online: Agricultural schedules are not as readily searchable by name as the population census, but many have been digitized:

FamilySearch: FamilySearch does not have a separate indexed database for agricultural schedules, but many are available through the Catalog. You would search the catalog for “[State] 1850 agricultural census” or check under the state’s census records. In some cases, FamilySearch may have microfilm images viewable online (sometimes image-only, without index). Browse those images for the county of interest.
State Archives or University Libraries: Some archives have digitized their state’s non-population schedules. For example, the Indiana State Archives or North Carolina archives may have these on microfilm accessible on site or via request. A few may have put images online in their digital collections.
Published Extracts: If online access is difficult, look for published extracts. For instance, genealogical periodicals might have an article like “1850 Agricultural Schedule for [County], [State]” listing all the farmers. Using search engines or resources like PERSI (Periodical Source Index) can sometimes locate these.

Accessing Agricultural Schedules Offline:

National Archives: NARA holds these records on microfilm as well. Often, the agricultural, manufacturing, and social statistics schedules for a state were filmed together in a “Nonpopulation” series. For example, one NARA microfilm publication might encompass all of Georgia’s 1850-1880 agriculture schedules. At NARA research rooms, you can request the reel for your state and county.
Local Repositories: State libraries, historical societies, or land grant university libraries (particularly those with agricultural history interest) might have copies of the microfilm for their state. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) or state agricultural extension archives occasionally have historic agricultural census data too.

Once you have the agricultural schedule for your ancestor, take time to analyze it. It can be tempting to gloss over the numbers, but consider making a summary: e.g., “In 1850, John Doe owned 100 acres (60 improved), worth $1000, had 2 horses, 3 cows, 20 sheep, 50 swine, grew 200 bushels of corn and 100 bushels of wheat, etc.” This paints a picture of his farm. Such details can enrich a family narrative (“the Doe family farm had 20 sheep, so they likely were producing wool or mutton, and Jane Doe may have been kept busy carding wool and spinning yarn…”). Also note any unusual entries – did they grow an uncommon crop for that area? Did they report any “home manufactures” (which might mean Jane was making cloth or soap at home, for example)? These non-population details truly add color to your ancestors’ lives.

Industrial (Manufacturing) ScheduleIndustrial (Manufacturing) Schedule

The Industrial Schedule (also called the Manufacturing Schedule, Schedule No. 5 in 1850) collected data on manufacturing, industry, and commerce. In 1850, this schedule recorded information for businesses, factories, and artisans that met a minimum production value. (Many small shops might have been excluded if below the threshold; generally enterprises producing less than $500 in goods per year were not listed.) If your ancestor was a craftsman, miller, manufacturer, or owned a small industrial operation, they might appear here.

Information captured in the 1850 manufacturing schedule includes:

Name of Manufacturer or Company. This could be an individual’s name or a company name. For example, “John Smith” if he ran a blacksmith shop, or “Brown & Co. Mill.”
Type of Establishment or Product. What kind of business it was – e.g. grist mill, cotton textile factory, iron foundry, shoemaker, carpenter, distillery, etc.
Capital Invested. The amount of capital (in dollars) invested in the business. This indicates the scale of the operation.
Raw Materials Used. Quantities and kinds of raw material consumed in the last year (for instance, a woolen mill might list how many pounds of wool, a lumber mill how many logs).
Annual Production. The quantities of finished goods produced in the year and their value. For example, a flour mill might say it produced X barrels of flour valued at $Y total.
Power or Machinery. The kind of power used (water power, steam engine, hand-power) and machinery details if applicable.
Number of Employees. Often broken down by male and female employees, and possibly by adults/children.
Average Monthly Wage. The typical cost of labor, by male/female.

In 1850, many of these entries were small operations – local mills, blacksmiths, small factories. This schedule can reveal if your ancestor was not just a “laborer” but perhaps owned a workshop or had a secondary occupation beyond what was listed in the population schedule. For example, a census might list someone as “farmer” in the population schedule, but if he also operated a sawmill on the side that produced significant lumber, he could appear in the industrial schedule with details of that sawmill.

Genealogical Clues: If you find an ancestor here, you learn a lot about their business. Knowing the type of business can lead to further research – e.g., patents if they invented machinery, or business licenses. The output and capital data tells you how successful or large it was (and perhaps your ancestor’s financial status). The location will be given by the county/town so you know where the business was. Also, seeing the employees number could hint that some family members worked there (many family businesses employed relatives). It also provides a community context: you might discover, say, that your ancestor’s county had 5 sawmills and he ran one of them – indicating local economic conditions, competition, or collaboration. Additionally, knowing the kinds of machinery or power used (water vs steam) can give insight into how modern or traditional the operation was.

Accessing Industrial/Manufacturing Schedules Online:

FamilySearch: Use the Catalog to find 1850 manufacturing schedules. They may be listed under “Industry and manufacturing schedules 1850” for a state. If images are available, you’ll need to browse. Indexing is limited, so manual browsing is key unless you know an ancestor’s business name to search for.
Other Sources: Some local history books or journals have compiled lists of early manufacturers from these schedules. For example, you might find a county history that says “In 1850, according to the census industrial schedule, our county had 12 grist mills, 5 tanneries, etc.” These secondary sources can guide you to the fact your ancestor had a business. The Census Bureau’s archives might have summary statistics (not individuals) published in 1850 reports for manufacturing – useful for context, though not for specific names.

Accessing Industrial Schedules Offline:

National Archives: NARA’s microfilm for non-population schedules will include the manufacturing schedules. The arrangement is usually by state, then county. If looking at microfilm, once you find the reel for your county’s nonpopulation schedules, scroll to the part labeled “Products of Industry” or similar for 1850.
Libraries/Archives: Similar to agricultural schedules, you can find these at major libraries or via inter-library loan (some libraries may loan microfilm of non-population schedules).
Genealogical Societies: Check if any society has transcribed the 1850 industrial data for your area. Sometimes enthusiasts extract lists of businesses for local history.

When you locate an entry, interpret the manufacturing schedule carefully. The column headings can be hard to read, so it helps to have a reference. The National Archives provides blank forms and descriptions of each column for these schedules. For example, if your ancestor is listed as operating a distillery with $5000 capital, using 2000 bushels of corn to produce 500 gallons of whiskey, employing 2 men – that tells a fascinating story of his enterprise! It also might explain wealth seen (or lost) elsewhere. Always consider the historical context: what demand existed for that product in 1850, and might there be records of the business in newspapers or local government docs (licenses, etc.)?

Social Statistics ScheduleSocial Statistics Schedule

The Social Statistics Schedule (Schedule No. 6 in 1850) is quite different from the others: it does not list individuals at all. Instead, it collected community-wide information on the social, religious, and economic statistics of each area. While it may not name your ancestor, it provides a snapshot of the community where your ancestor lived, which can be valuable background for your family history. The 1850 social statistics schedule gathered data at the level of counties, cities, or other political subdivisions, including:

Real Estate Valuation: The total value of real estate for the area (which gives an idea of wealth in the community).
Annual Taxes: Aggregate taxes collected in the area.
Education: Number of schools, and counts of teachers and pupils. This indicates the educational resources available – for example, you might learn there were 3 common schools in your ancestor’s county with 120 pupils total. If your ancestors had children, this tells you whether local schooling was prevalent.
Libraries: Number of libraries (public, school, or circulating) and the number of volumes in them. In a town with a library, an educated ancestor might have had access to books.
Newspapers: The name and circulation of any newspapers published in the area. If a newspaper is listed, that’s a hint to a genealogist to look for surviving issues of that paper for news about your family.
Churches: The number of churches by denomination, plus the accommodation (seating capacity) of each, and the value of church property. This reveals the religious makeup of the community – e.g., a county might have 5 Baptist and 3 Methodist churches, etc. If you know your family’s denomination, this tells you how many congregations were around for them to potentially attend.
Paupers: The number of people on poor relief (native and foreign-born), and the cost of supporting them. This gives clues about poverty in the area; if your ancestor was very poor, they might appear in other records of paupers, and this confirms how many were in that situation.
Crime: The number of criminals convicted in the year, and perhaps the number in prison. Not directly about ancestors, but if you’re researching a black sheep or just context, it shows crime rates.
Wages: Average wages for common occupations (e.g., average daily wage for a farm laborer, carpenter, or average yearly wage for a live-in domestic). This context helps you understand the economic conditions your ancestors faced.

Genealogical Clues: Again, while no ancestors are named here, the social statistics can enrich your narrative. For example, if your ancestor settled a county in 1850 that had no library and no newspaper, you know communication and information were limited. If the county had high property values or lots of schools, it indicates a more established or prosperous area. If you find that there were, say, 50 paupers in the county and your ancestor was not among them, perhaps they were relatively better off; conversely, if you suspect an ancestor might have been in the poorhouse, this tells you the poorhouse population. Knowing there was a newspaper with a certain name means you can seek it out for birth, marriage, or death notices of the time. The data about churches could guide you to church records (e.g., if there were two Methodist churches, you might try to find those church’s baptism or marriage registers for your family events).

Accessing Social Statistics Schedules Online:

Social statistics schedules are part of the non-population census records, but because they contain no personal names, they are not indexed by person. To access them:

Census Bureau Publications: After the 1850 census, the aggregated data from social statistics were often published. The Census Office’s official report “Compendium of the Seventh Census” (1850) includes summaries. However, those usually report state or national totals, not always the granular local data. For local-level data, the manuscript schedules (what we are discussing) are the source.

Accessing Social Statistics Schedules Offline:

National Archives: As with others, NARA has these on microfilm by state. You can view them at NARA or request specific info. Because it’s statistical and not name-specific, requests might be less common, but an archivist could help you pull the data for a particular county if you ask.
Libraries: The microfilms for non-population schedules include social stats. Check state archives or major libraries in the state. For example, a state archive might have the social statistics schedules for all their counties in 1850 on one reel.
Abstracts in Publications: Occasionally, historians have abstracted interesting parts of these schedules (like a list of newspapers, or a list of churches in 1850). Local historical journals might have articles summarizing the social statistics of that county. It can be worthwhile to search academic databases or Google Books for “1850 social statistics [County or State]” to see if someone compiled them.

When you have the social statistics data for your ancestor’s county or town, add the context to your family history. For instance, if you write a family story: “In 1850, John Doe was farming in Greene County. According to the 1850 social statistics, Greene County had 2 grist mills, 1 weekly newspaper (the Greene Gazette with 500 readers), 7 churches (mostly Methodist and Baptist), and only 2% of families were considered paupers. Education was limited, with just 3 schools for 300 children – perhaps explaining why John Doe’s older children were illiterate. The average daily wage for a farm laborer was $0.50, which shows how hard it was to save money in those days.” These details, drawn from the social statistics, make your genealogical writing richer and more accurate to the time. They essentially set the scene in which your ancestors lived.

Tips for 1850 Census ResearchTips for 1850 Census Research

The 1850 United States Federal Census and its supplemental schedules offer a rich source of information for genealogists. By exploring all six schedules – Population, Slave, Mortality, Agricultural, Industrial, and Social Statistics – you can gain a multi-dimensional understanding of your ancestors’ lives in mid-19th century America. Here are a few final tips to keep in mind:

Use a Checklist: When researching an ancestor in 1850, make it a habit to check each relevant schedule. For a farmer ancestor, find them in the population schedule, then look for them in the agricultural schedule. If an ancestor died around 1850, look at the mortality schedule. If an ancestor was enslaved or a slaveholder, examine the slave schedule. This ensures you don’t miss valuable data.
Correlate Information: Data from one schedule can complement another. For example, if the population schedule shows your ancestor had $800 in real estate, the agricultural schedule might detail that property. Or if the population schedule lists an occupation like “miller,” the industrial schedule might have an entry about the mill he operated. Cross-reference details to build evidence.
Be Mindful of Dates: Remember that all the schedules have slightly different reference periods. The population and slave schedules effectively snapshot June 1, 1850. The mortality schedule covers June 1849–May 1850 deaths. The agricultural and industrial schedules usually cover the production in the year prior (so roughly 1849-50). Keep the time frame in mind when interpreting data (e.g., crops listed were harvested in 1849).
Consult Original Images: Whenever possible, look at the actual images of the schedules, not just transcriptions. Transcribers sometimes make errors, especially with the non-population schedules where handwriting for crop names or causes of death can be difficult. The original images might have marginal notes or clarifications (for instance, a mortality schedule entry might note “(slave)” next to a name, or an agricultural schedule might have a footnote about a crop failure).
Learn the Column Headings: For non-population schedules, it helps to have a reference to the column titles (like the blank forms from NARA). This way you know exactly what each number represents. We’ve summarized them in this guide, but seeing the form can prevent confusion between similar columns (e.g., number of sheep vs number of swine).
Use Reliable Sources: As you continue research, remember to use resources like the National Archives and MyHeritage Wiki for guidance. These sources can point out quirks, such as missing records for certain counties or special cases like the Utah territory census copy.
Cite Your Sources: When you extract information from any census schedule, document where it came from. For example, note “1850 U.S. census, Monroe County, Alabama, agricultural schedule, line 12, John Doe” or “1850 mortality schedule for Smith County, Tennessee, entry for Jane Doe, age 40, died May 1850 of cholera.” This will help you or others verify the information later.

ConclusionConclusion

By leveraging all the schedules from the 1850 census, you create a fuller picture of your family in 1850. You can see not just who they were, but how they lived – what they owned, what they did for a living, the challenges they faced, and the community around them.

Explore more about the 1850 United States CensusExplore more about the 1850 United States Census

1850 United States Federal Census record collection at MyHeritage
1850 United States Federal Census (Mortality Schedule) record collection at MyHeritage
1850 Census Questions - IPUMS USA
1850 Census Enumerator Instructions - IPUMS USA
1850 Census Records - National Archives and Records Administration
1850 Census Instructions to Marshals and Assistant Marshals of the United States - US Census Bureau
1850 U.S. Federal Census - Cyndi's List

References

↑ Census Information on Individuals. Connecticut State Library

[1] Census Information on Individuals. Connecticut State Library

[1]