The 1840 U.S. census is the sixth census taken since the 1790 U.S. Census. The official census day was 1 June 1840 and the enumeration was completed in 5 months. The U.S. Marshalls and their assistants were responsible for taking the count in each district. The 1840 U.S. census had pre-printed forms and was similar to the 1830 U.S. census in style. The 1840 U.S. census is the last census to consist primarily as a tally sheet.

Questions for the 1840 U.S. Census

The number of questions increased for the 1840 U.S. census. Additional age groupings were created with 5 year increments for the younger age groups. Age groupings also increased for the Free Colored Persons and Slaves categories.

Additional questions were asked about military service, disability, and education, although these questions were only counts. The disability question was intended to track the number of “insane” or “idiotic” people living in a household.

The number of questions for the census is rather extensive, so more details can be found at the National Archives page for the 1840 U.S. census. The National Archives also has a blank form that can be used to transcribe the census for your ancestor.

Missing Records

The census covered all the states and territories that existed in 1840. The schedules for Clarendon County, South Carolina is the only known location to be missing. It is possible there are individual pages missing from other locations. Some locations were included with other areas. For example, West Virginia was included with Virginia.

Census Statistics

The total U.S. population increased about 32% from the previous census to about 17 million people. The most populous state was New York with a population of 2.4 million people. The least populous was Delaware with 78,000 people. Once again, New York City was the most populous city with about 312,000 people. Additional statistics can be found at the Wikipedia page for the 1840 U.S. census.

A look at Colby Ross

As I continue my Darthula Ross research project, I traced Colby Ross in the 1840 U.S. census¹. Colby Ross is a potential candidate to be Darthula Ross’ father. I found Colsbury Ross in DeKalb County, Tennessee. DeKalb County is about 70 miles north of Franklin County. It seems odd that Colby would have relocated 70 miles north for a short time and then turn around and head south to Limestone County, Alabama by 1850.

Both FamilySearch and Ancestry identify this particular grouping of census schedules as DeKalb County, Tennessee, but I am not sure it is correct. One possible explanation for this is the actual census sheet identifies the location as the middle district of Tennessee. It is possible the location is mis-attributed to DeKalb County, or perhaps it is a mixture of the center of the state. Franklin County as a location makes a bit more sense because it is closer to Limestone County, Alabama, a journey of about 70 miles Southeast.

The National Archives has a land case file for Colby Ross and I intend to order it at some point. A land case file may provide details about Colby Ross, his family, his origins, and his locations.

The 1840 U.S. census shows that Colby Ross’ family has grown. Here is a transcript of the tally sheet for Colby Ross:

• White male age under 5 years = 2
• White male age 5-10 years = 2
• White male age 10-15 years = 1
• White male age 30-40 years = 1
• White females under 5 years = 1
• White female age 5-10 years = 1
• White female age 30-40 years = 1

This breaks down like this:

• White male age under 5 years = 2
  • Thomas Ross b. 1837
  • Unknown male child
• White male age 5-10 years = 2
  • 2 unknown male children
• White male age 10-15 years = 1
  • Uknown male child
• White male age 30-40 years = 1
  • Colby Ross b. 1813
• White females under 5 years = 1
  • Parthena Ross b. 1840
• White female age 5-10 years = 1
  • Cynthia Ann Ross b. 1830
• White female age 30-40 years = 1
  • Michael b. 1808

This analysis reveals some interesting things. There are a total of 7 children with 4 unknown male children. Only Thomas, Parthena and Cynthia Ann have been identified because of the 1850 U.S. census². It is possible the oldest child was out of the house by 1850. It is also possible all 4 of the mystery children died between 1840 to 1850. It may be impossible to identify any of the unknown children due to a lack of records.

The mother or mother-in-law that was counted in the 1830 U.S. census is also not included in the count here. It is possible she passed away.

That leaves the discrepancy with Colby Ross’ age. Later census records gave an estimate of 1813, but it is possible that his birth year was earlier. The 1840 U.S. census would place his birth year between 1800 and 1810. Since Colby had a child that could have been 15 years old in 1840, it would make sense if his birth year was between 1800 and 1810.

The census also reveals that 4 members of the family were employed in agriculture and 2 were in school. Colby Ross did not appear to own any slaves.

At this point it is looking less likely that Colby Ross is the father of Darthula Ross. There is only one female child born between 1835 to 1840 and it appears to be Parthena. The 1850 U.S. census reveals more about the family, which will be detailed later.

Sources

1. 1840 U.S. Census, DeKalb County, Tennessee, population schedule, Middle District, TN. Duncan, p. 264 (stamped), line 6, Colsbury Ross household; digital image, Ancestry (http://ancestry.com : accessed 5 March 2023); citing NARA microfilm publication M704, roll 520.
2. 1850 U.S. Census, Limestone County, Alabama, population schedule, District 4, p. 12 (stamped), dwelling 163, family 163, Colby Ross household; digital image, FamilySearch (http://familysearch.org : accessed 29 January 2023); citing NARA microfilm publication M432, roll 8.