African Americans in the 1870 Census

This data set contains alphabetical listings of approximately 660,000 black and mulatto individuals who were enumerated in the 1870 federal census returns from the following states: Georgia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia. In addition, it covers the counties containing the cities of Chicago, New York City, and St. Louis. Baltimore County is also included, as well as Baltimore City, which was independent from the county in 1870. Please note that the original indexers listed records for both of these locations under Baltimore County. From this data set you can get some information about the listed individuals, such as ages and birthplaces. You can also learn where to find copies of the original census records, which may contain more information.

Please note that this census index only attempts to list all heads of household, although transcribers may have inadvertently omitted a few names. In addition to heads of household, this index includes the following:

• Individuals residing within the home who have a different surname than the head of household, regardless of age.
• Any male 50 years of age or older.
• Any female 70 years of age or older.
• Any individual whose color or race is different than the head of household (where the surname stays the same). In this case only the first person 20 years of age or older is listed.
• All individuals living in orphanages.

The records on this data set were derived from 1870 census CD produced by the American Genealogical Lending Library (AGLL).

More About This Data Set

Before using this data set, you should be aware of the following:

The records on this data set contain some or all of the following information: the individual's name, sex, age, birthplace, county and locality in which they resided at the time of the census, and the National Archives microfilm series number, roll number, and page number on which you can find a copy of the original record. Some records also contain comments. Each of these items is described in more detail below.

Name — In some records, you will find three question marks in place of the given name. This indicates that no given name was listed on the original census records. In addition, please note that entries without surnames could not be included on this data set. In cases where the condition of the original census forms made it difficult to determine the exact spelling of a name, or if the name was spelled in an unusually, the record will indicate this. Also, compound names, such as "Van Johnson," are listed without a space between the two parts of the name: "VanJohnson."

Some records contain abbreviated names. In the case of given names, such as "Jas Brown," we did not spell them out, because it is not always possible to tell exactly what the abbreviation stands for. In the case of abbreviated surnames, you will often find two separate records, one containing the abbreviated surname and one containing a likely non-abbreviated name. For example, if the census taker listed the name as "Thadeus Wmwell," it is spelled out in a second entry as "Williamwell, Thadues," because it is unlikely that anyone would search for this individual under the abbreviated surname spelling.

Another case in which you may find names entered twice is when names were grossly misspelled on the original records. For example, if the census taker listed a name as "Whosay Pelassquez" when it should have been "Jose Velassquez," you will find both names in the listings. The reason for this is that if the name were listed only under the original spelling, it would be placed in the index where most users would never think to look.

State and County — You'll learn the state and county in which the individual resided at the time of the census.

Location — Learn where the individual resided at the time of the census. It is usually a township, city, ward, or post office. There are some localities listed in an abbreviated form, as in "#14 C R R P O." The meaning of this abbreviation is unknown.

Race — All individuals in this data set were listed in the original census records as either "Black" or "Mulatto."

Sex — An individual's sex may be listed as "U" for "Unknown."

Age — Ages for very young children may be listed in months instead of years.

Comments — Some records include a comment, such as an occupation, illness, or whether incarcerated.

Birthplace — A birthplace is usually a U.S. state or territory, or a foreign country or region. Please note that some records do not list birthplaces because the original census pages were unreadable. In addition, some of the foreign locations that individuals reported in 1870 may no longer exist or the boundaries may have changed. This is important to know if you wish to search for the birth record of a foreign-born individual. If this field is blank, the birthplace was not listed on the original census record. If this field contains the word "Unknown," then "Unknown" was listed on the original census record.

National Archives Microfilm Series Number, Roll Number, and Page Number — This information will help you locate a microfilm copy of the original record. Although most pages of the original census records show several different page numbers, this index uses the National Archive's numbers which were hand stamped in the upper right corner of the page when the records were bound into volumes. There are quite a few page numbering errors. Because of this, it is not unusual to find several pages listed with identical numbers. In addition, pages may even be listed as follows:

491
491a
491b
491c

When letters are included on the ends of page number, they are listed as numbered, minus the letter. Occasionally, page numbers were omitted. For example, if the page numbers were listed on the microfilm as follows:

491
492
493
no number
496
497

This index uses the number 494 for the page after 493. Page 495 would not exist, and the numbering would then recommence with page 496.