The 1870 U.S. Census was the ninth census taken since 1790. This census is significant because it was the first census taken after the American Civil War and the first census in which the formerly enslaved are named. This census shows the impact of the American Civil War by showing where people and families moved, who may have survived, etc. This is especially true of the Southern States. There are a number of controversial things that happened with this census.

I previously wrote about some of the difficulties of the 1870 U.S. census. Of particular note, there are missing people in the census. In my previous blog article I detailed the missing people that should have been recorded in Lauderdale and Limestone County, Alabama. If your census search includes the Southern States, do not be surprised at the difficulty of finding your ancestors in the census.

Questions for the 1870 U.S. Census

The census forms used in the 1870 U.S. Census were similar to the forms used in 1850 and 1860, with some minor variations. There was one primary schedule in which everyone, including the formerly enslaved, were named. There were five total schedules for the census that include: Population, Mortality, Agriculture, Products of Industry, and Social Statistics. So there is a lot of information that can be gleaned about the state of the country in 1870.

The National Archives lists the questions that were asked.

1. Dwelling-houses, numbered in the order of visitation.
2. Families, numbered in the order of visitation.
3. Name of every person whose usual place of abode on the first day of June, 1870, was in this family.
4. Age at last birth-day.  If under 1 year, give months in fractions, thus, 3/12.
5. Sex – Males (M), Females (F).
6. Color – White (W), Black (B), Mulatto (M), Chinese (C), Indian (I).
7. Profession, occupation, or trade of each person, male or female.
8. Value of real estate owned.
9. Value of personal estate owned.
10. Place of Birth, naming the State or Territory of U.S., or the Country, if of foreign birth.
11. Father of foreign birth [hash mark if yes]
12. Mother of foreign birth [hash mark if yes]
13. If born within the year, state month (Jan., Feb., etc.).
14. If married within the year, state month (Jan., Feb., etc.).
15. Attended school within the year [hash mark if yes]
16. Cannot read [hash mark if yes]
17. Cannot write [hash mark if yes]
18. Whether deaf and dumb, blind, insane, idiotic, pauper, or convict [indicate disability]
19. Male Citizens of U.S. of 21 years of age and upwards [hash mark if yes]
20. Male Citizens of U.S. of 21 years of age and upwards, whose right to vote is denied or abridged on other grounds than rebellion or other crime.

Missing Records

In addition with some missing people, there are some missing records. The schedules for Minnesota counties from Aitkin through Sibley were somehow destroyed. Fortunately, there were copies made of the census at the time and the state copy for Minnesota survived. Individual pages may have gone missing due to poor storage and transportation. The 1870 U.S. census has been digitized and can be viewed at all the major genealogy sites.

Controversy

There were concerns at the time that some of the counts may have been improperly recorded. For example, there were accusations that the enumerators would stand outside of tenements and count the windows. They would then make up names to fill in the sheets. There were a few localities who felt the count was under reported. As a result, some areas demanded a recount. These areas were:

• Indianapolis, Indiana
• New York City, New York
• Geauga County, Ohio
• Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Statistics

The total population increased about 22% to 38,925,598. This rate of change was less than any of the previous census’s. This slower rate of growth was the primary reason for the accusations about under-counting. It could also be attributed to the loss of life due to the American Civil War, or even enumerators not visiting every area.

The most populous state was New York city at 4,382,759 and the least populous was Nevada at 42,941. The most populous city was New York City at 942,292. Additional city and state statistics can be found at the Wikipedia page for the 1870 U.S. census.

This census tracked ethnic groups for the first time. This set of statistics shows the diversity that existed in the United States at the time. The race question was expanded to include White (W), Black (B), Mulatto (M), Chinese (C), and Indian (I). These statistics are also available at Wikipedia.

A look at Drucilla Waits

To see the impact of the American Civil War, Drucilla Waits is a good example. Drucilla was married to William B. Langford and they lived in Lauderdale County, Alabama with their children. The individuals listed in the household reveal a bit about what happened.

Name	Age	Birth year	Occupation	Property Value	Birthplace
D. B. Lankford	56	1814	Keeping House	$400	South Carolina
Pollie	38	1832			South Carolina
Martha	32	1838			South Carolina
Harriet	20	1850			Alabama
Caroline	20	1850			Alabama
James	17	1853	Farm hand		Alabama
1870 U.S. Census, Lauderdale County, Alabama, population schedule, Township 2, R 13 W, p. 205 (penned), p. 544 (stamped), dwelling 1495, family 1412, D. B. Lankford household; digital image, FamilySearch (http://www.familysearch.com : accessed 2 April 2023); citing NARA microfilm publication M593, roll 21.

Looking at the family it is clear there are missing people. According to Drucilla’s FamilySearch profile and also the 1860 U.S. Census², Drucilla and William Langford had 10 children. William Langford, Joseph Jacob Langford, and Richard Langford are all missing. That leaves Drucilla, her daughters, and her youngest son trying to survive after the war.

William Langford likely died during the Civil War. It is unclear if he served in the Confederacy. If he did, he would have been in his 60’s, much too old to serve as a private. In the 1866 Alabama State Census³, Drucilla indicates a soldier in the family died. It may be impossible to know for sure what may have happened to William.

Joseph Jacob Langford also likely died in the war or shortly thereafter. Richard Langford died in 1859⁴, so he would not be included in the 1870 U.S. census.

I find it remarkable that all of Drucilla’s daughters are still with her in 1870. The Civil War and the Reconstruction period must have been extraordinarily difficult. Many of the area’s young men had been killed so there would not have been many marriage prospects. I imagine it took all of their labor to farm the land and earn enough to survive.

Drucilla was not completely alone. She was living next to her brother James K. Waits who also farmed on a significant piece of property. Listed between James K. Waits and Drucilla appear to be some formerly enslaved individuals with the last name of Waits. Could they have been enslaved by James Waits? A closer look at the image reveals quite a lot about these families.

Sources:

1. 1870 U.S. Census, Lauderdale County, Alabama, population schedule, Township 2, R 13 W, p. 205 (penned), p. 544 (stamped), dwelling 1495, family 1412, D. B. Lankford household; digital image, FamilySearch (http://www.familysearch.com : accessed 2 April 2023); citing NARA microfilm publication M593, roll 21.
2. 1860 U.S. Census, Lauderdale County, Alabama, population schedule, Western Division, Gravelly Springs Post Office, p. 33 (penned), dwelling 242, family 242, William Langford household; digital image, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org : accessed 29 January 2023); citing NARA microfilm publication M653.
3. 1866 Alabama State Census, Lauderdale County, Alabama, population schedule, Township no. 2, Range 13 West, page 11 (penned), Drucilla Langford household; digital image, FamilySearch (http://familysearch.org : accessed 29 January 2023); citing Department of Archives and History, Montgomery.
4. 1860 U.S. Census, Lauderdale County, Alabama, mortality schedule, Western Division, p. 1 (penned), line 24, Richard Langford; digital image, Ancestry (https://ancestry.com : accessed 2 April 2023); citing Alabama State Department of Archives & History; Montgomery, Alabama; U.S. Census Mortality Schedules, Alabama, 1850-1880; Archive Roll Number: 1.