Edward H. Nabb Research Center for Delmarva History & Culture Enduring Connections: Exploring Delmarva's Black History

Source Information

1850 U.S. Census Free Blacks

Censuses & Lists • 13,368 Records • Uploaded November 9, 2021

The 1850 census was the seventh census recorded in the United States. These records include all individuals who were listed as 'Black' or 'Mulatto' in the field that denoted racial identity. For individuals who lived in the household of a white family, the transcriber notes may indicate "in HH [household] of ____."

Census records are preserved at the National Archives and Records Administration, which makes digitized copies of the censuses available through digitization partners. These partners include FamilySearch and HeritageQuest (accessible with most local library cards directly from website; for example, see Wicomico Public Libraries' database listings).

Counties included: Accomack, Northampton, Somerset, Worcester, and Sussex

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Fields Included

The list below shows the data fields included in this source. If a field is marked as Indexed, it is searchable.

  • District Indexed
  • County
  • Line Number
  • Dwelling Number
  • Family Number
  • First Name Indexed
  • Surname Indexed
  • Age
  • Sex
  • Color
  • Occupation Indexed
  • Value of Real Estate Indexed
  • Place of Birth Indexed
  • Was the person married within the last year?
  • Was the person at school within the last year?
  • If this person was over 20 years of age, could they not read and write?
  • Is the person deaf-mute, blind, insane, or idiotic? Indexed
  • Transcriber Notes Indexed
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