Examining U.S. Population Growth 1790–1900

By an Act of Congress in 1907 and “In order to permanently to preserve the valuable but vanishing census records which still remain, relating to the first year of constitutional government, and in response to urgent requests from many patriotic societies…Congress authorized…the publication, by the Director of the Census, of the names of heads of families returned at the First Census.”

After publication of multiple volumes it was determined a final volume was needed. This final volume was to act as historical reference to the First Census and present statics regarding change since the 1790 census up to 1900. The task fell to W. S. Rossiter, chief clerk of the Census. The results were A Century of Population Growth: From the First Census of the U.S. to the Twelfth 1790-1900. The latest printing was done in 1989 by Heritage Quest Press – and while technically out-of-print, a very few copies are still available.

This reference title relates histories of censuses that were taken in the United States, beginning in 1790. It reports population in the Colonial and Continental periods, population of counties and their subdivisions, white and black population, and proportion of children in white population. A Century of Population Growth also contains information on surnames of the white population in 1790, nationality as indicated by names of heads of families reported at the first census, interstate migration, foreign born population, statistics of slaves, and occupations and wealth.

One of the most interesting parts of the book runs from pages 227 through 270 – found under the heading of General Tables, and Nomenclature, Dealing With Names Represented by at Least 100 White Persons, By States and Territories, at the First Census, 1790. This section lists the surnames and their variations (some with a dozen or more variations) of white folks with a least 100 persons in the census. It shows the average size of the families, and how many heads of families, as well as how many other family members were enumerated. – then it breaks down how many families were to be found per state.

This book is a treasure trove of information about censuses and provides a unique perspective through statical analysis. The book is filled with tables, charts, and maps making review and comparison quick and easy.

Population in the Colonial and Continental Periods

Census procedure in colonial and continental periods
Population prior to 1790
Recent estimates of early population
Population of cities
Changes in urban population, 1710–1900

The United States in 1790

Boundaries and area
Currency
Transportation
The postal service
Industries
Education
Newspapers and periodicals
Slavery
Indians

The First Census of the United States

The First Census Act
Debates in the Congress
Provisions of the Act
Execution of the law
The enumeration
The returns
The enumerator’s schedules

Area and Total Population

Area
Population
Population by areas of enumeration
By states and territories
Density of population

Population of Counties and Their Subdivisions

County areas made comparable
Population of minor civil divisions
Names of towns not returned separately at the First Census
Population of cities

White and Negro Population

Survivors of 1790
Whites and negroes in total populations
In four principal cities
Comparison of increase in the United States and Europe
Increase by immigration
Natural increase
Of whites
Of negroes
Summary

Sex and Age of the White Population

Decrease in proportion of males
In proportion of each sex under 16 years
Influence of immigration
Of modern sanitary science

Analysis of the Family

Average size of private families
Slaveholding and nonslaveholding families
Proportion of children
Dwellings

Proportion of Children in the White Population

Ratio of white adults of self-supporting age to white children
Of white children to adult white females
Effect of changes in the proportion of children

Surnames of the White Population in 1790

Approximate number
Nomenclature
Preponderance of English and Scotch names
Unusual and striking surnames
Distribution of surnames
Concentration of population under certain names
Absence of middle names

Nationality as Indicated by Names of Heads of Families Reported at the First Census

Nationality in states for which schedules exist
In those for which schedules are missing
Composition of population of typical counties in 1900
Slaveholding by nationality

Interstate Migration

Analysis of population according to geographic division of residence and of birth
Decrease in contribution of original area of population of added area

Foreign Born Population