Information regarding United States Federal Census and Race

Prior to 1850 names of all household members were not recorded.Just heads of households and numbers indicting a childs age

1850 Included all names of household members. Included race of person

1850 & 1860included Race (White,Black, Mulatto)

Indian were first counted for in (1860 )in the catergory of Civilized Indians,meaning those who living among the general population and paying taxes.Indians retaining Tribal connections were estimated in number.

TIP: Check the Census under the SURNAME (INDIAN) no other fields need to be filled out

http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?gsfn=&gsln=indian&gsby=&gsbco=1&gsbpl=1%2c+&gsdy=&gsdco=1&gsdpl=1%2c+&sbo=0&rank=1&db=&ti=0&ti.si=0&gl=allgs&gss=ansmp&gst=&so=1&o_iid=21416&o_lid=21416&o_it=21416

(This is an example of what you will see

1870 & 1880 included Race ( White,Black,Mulatto,Chinese or Indian)

1890 listed (White ,Black, Mulatto ( one half negro blood), quadrom (one quarter) Octoroon,(One eightth),Chinese, Japanese,or Indian.

1910 & 1920 Mulatton is defined as all persons having any trace of Negro Blood

1930 A person of mixed white and negro was concidered Negro regardless of percentage.

A person who was part Indian and part Negro was also to be listed as Negro unless the Indian blood was predominate and the person was concidered Indian in the community

A person of mixed White Blood and Indian Blood was reported as Indian except where the Indian blood was concidered very small and the person was concidered White in the commnity

American Indians were to report the degree of Indian Blood and the tribe in the colum intended for birth place of the father and mother.

Persons who were born in Mexico or have parents who were born in Mexico and were not definately White,Negro,Indian,Chinese or Japanese were classified as Mexican.

Persons of mixtures of race other than the above were listed as the race of the father.

Even though ennumeraters were suppose to list race in the above fashion, many people were listed as White regardless of what their actual race was.

Indians were very rareley counted in the early Cenus,enumerators were to only report to include Indians who were taxed. ( Not living on a reservation)   

This information comes from the Book(Your Guide to the Federal Cenus) Author Kathleen W.Hinckley