Federal population census records are among the genealogist's most commonly
used resources. They provide us with a geographical location where our
ancestors once lived. They also provide us with some count of the number of
family members at the location and, in the later censuses, they provided us
with names, sex, race, ages, places of birth, occupations, property value,
and literacy information.
There are, however, some non-population schedules that accompany the federal
decennial censuses. In the censuses of 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1890 and
1900, and in an interdecennial census taken in 1885 by Colorado, Florida,
Nebraska and the territories of South Dakota and New Mexico, mortality
schedules were included. In "Along Those Lines . . ." this week, let's
discuss mortality schedules and what information they can provide.
What Is a Mortality Schedule?
Mortality schedules provided the federal government with another means of
collecting specific vital statistical information. The federal censuses of
1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1885, 1890 and 1900 included questions about persons
who had died in the household during the twelve months immediately
preceding the census. (The 1890 and 1900 mortality schedules have,
unfortunately, been destroyed.) Census day was declared to be June 1st of
1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, and 1885. Therefore, the enumerator (census taker)
was to ask questions about people who had died between June 1st of the
previous year and May 31st of the current year.
Special schedules (forms) were used to collect the mortality information.
The enumerator asked for the following information:
- Name of the deceased
- Age
- Sex
- Color
- Birthplace
- Month of death
- Occupation or trade
- Disease or cause of death
- Number of days ill
The parents' birthplaces were added to the list of questions in 1870. In
1880, two more questions were added:
- Place where the disease was contracted
- Number of years the deceased had been a resident of the area
How Can a Mortality Schedule Be Used?
Mortality schedules were taken for all states at the time of each of these
censuses. These records were considered less important than the population
census records, and some estimates indicate that deaths were underreported
by 20-40%. Some records are missing and others that exist are incomplete.
Nevertheless, the records that do exist are important because, in most
cases, they predate the keeping of death records in many of the states.
Mortality records are useful in documenting death dates of family members
not recorded or publicized elsewhere. If you have a family member who
appears in one decennial census and you can't find him/her in the next,
checking the mortality schedule of the state in that second census gives you
a one-in-ten chance of finding a death date. Once found, that can be the
pointer you need to locate obituaries, mortuary records, church death
records, cemeteries, probate records, and land transfer records.
Additionally, the cause of death shown on a mortality schedule may provide
genetic diseases.
Not only can the information in these records help determine the location of
the family member at the time of his/her death, it can supplement the
population census schedule by providing birth information of the individual
and, in 1870 and later, his/her parents.
Where Can These Records Be Located?
The problem with mortality schedules is that they are scattered about. The
National Archives and records Administration (NARA) has many, but not all of
these records on microfilm. (Please refer to NARA's Web page at
http://www.nara.gov/publications/microfilm/census/census.html for detailed
information about their census microfilm holdings.)
Prior to NARA's establishment in 1934, the federal government offered the
original manuscripts of the mortality schedules to the respective states.
Those original materials are maintained in the state archives (AL, DE, ME,
MS, NY, RI, WV), state libraries (U of AR, CA, CT, IN, MD, NH, OR, VT) or at
the state historical societies (ID, MN, MO, NV, WI) of those states listed.
(A typescript of the ND documents is located at the ID State Historical
Society.) The original schedules for the other states who declined or did
not respond were given to the DAR's library in Washington, DC.
The LDS Family History Library also has microfilm of some of the mortality
schedules. Check with the closest LDS Family History Center to determine
what films they have and to ask them to borrow film from Salt Lake City for
your research use.
Some but not all of the mortality schedules have been indexed.
Summing Up
Mortality schedules may be an important clue you have overlooked in your
research. Granted, they provide only a one-in-ten chance of locating
information about a family member, but that one chance may be your only
opportunity to locate a death record for your ancestor. If you have not
investigated mortality schedules and some of the other supplemental census
schedules, you may be missing an important clue.
Happy hunting!
George
Copyright 1999 George G. Morgan. All Rights reserved.
"Along Those Lines . . ." is a weekly feature of the Genealogy Forum on
America Online (Keyword: ROOTS).
The article originally appeared in the Genealogy Forum on America Online.
You may send e-mail to alonglines@aol.com. George Morgan would like to hear
from you but, because of the volume of e-mail, is unable to personally
respond to each letter individually. He also regrets that he cannot assist
you with your personal genealogical research.
George is also the author of The Genealogy Forum on America Online. Learn
how to use one of the world’s most important and respected online
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"Along Those Lines"
