1840 United States census: Difference between revisions
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{{Use American English|date = March 2019}} |
{{Use American English|date = March 2019}} |
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{{Short description| |
{{Short description|Sixth US census}} |
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{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2013}} |
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2013}} |
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{{Infobox census |
{{Infobox census |
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| name = 1840 United States |
| name = 1840 United States census |
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| logo = Seal of the United States |
| logo = Seal of the United States Marshals Service.svg |
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| logo_caption = Seal of the [[United States |
| logo_caption = Seal of the [[United States Marshals Service]], which administered the census |
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| image = |
| image = |
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| image_caption = |
| image_caption = |
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| country = United States |
| country = United States |
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| date = {{start date|1840|06|01}} |
| date = {{start date|1840|06|01}} |
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| most_populous = [[New York (state)|New York]]<br>2,428,921 |
| most_populous = [[New York (state)|New York]]<br>2,428,921 |
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| least_populous = [[Delaware]]<br>78,085 |
| least_populous = [[Delaware]]<br>78,085 |
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| authority = [[United States Marshals Service|Office of the United States Marshal]] |
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| previous_census = 1830 United States census |
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| previous_year = 1830 |
| previous_year = 1830 |
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| next_census = 1850 United States |
| next_census = 1850 United States census |
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| next_year = 1850 |
| next_year = 1850 |
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}} |
}} |
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The '''United States |
The '''1840 United States census''' was the sixth [[United States Census|census of the United States]]. Conducted by U.S. marshals on June 1, 1840, it determined the resident population of the [[United States]] to be 17,069,453 – an increase of 32.7 percent over the 12,866,020 persons [[Enumeration|enumerated]] during the [[United States Census, 1830|1830 census]]. The total population included 2,487,355 slaves. In 1840, the center of population was about 260 miles (418 km) west of [[Washington, D.C.]], near [[Weston, West Virginia|Weston, Virginia]] (now in [[West Virginia]]). |
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This was the first census in which: |
This was the first census in which: |
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* A city recorded a population of over 300,000 ([[New York City|New York]]) |
* A city recorded a population of over 300,000 ([[New York City|New York]]) |
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* Multiple cities recorded populations of over 100,000 (New York, [[Baltimore]], and [[New Orleans]]) |
* Multiple cities recorded populations of over 100,000 (New York, [[Baltimore]], and [[New Orleans]]) |
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It was also the last census conducted by U.S. marshals, as starting in 1850 a temporary office would be set up for each census under the purview of the Department of the Interior. |
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==Controversy over statistics for mental illness among Northern blacks== |
==Controversy over statistics for mental illness among Northern blacks== |
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The 1840 |
The 1840 census was the first that attempted to count Americans who were "insane" or "idiotic". Published results of the census indicated that alarming numbers of black persons living in non-slaveholding States were mentally ill, in striking contrast to the corresponding figures for slaveholding States. |
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Pro-slavery advocates trumpeted the results as evidence of the beneficial effects of slavery, and the probable consequences of emancipation.<ref name="Litwack">{{Citation |
Pro-slavery advocates trumpeted the results as evidence of the beneficial effects of slavery, and the probable consequences of emancipation.<ref name="Litwack">{{Citation |
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| issue = 4 |
| issue = 4 |
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| doi = 10.2307/2716144 |
| doi = 10.2307/2716144 |
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| s2cid = 150261737 |
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}}, and sources there cited.</ref> Anti-slavery advocates contended, on the contrary, that the published returns were riddled with errors, as detailed in an 1844 report by [[Edward Jarvis (physician)|Edward Jarvis]] of Massachusetts in the [[American Journal of the Medical Sciences]], later published separately as a pamphlet,<ref name="Litwack" /><ref>{{cite book | author = Edward Jarvis | title = Insanity Among the Coloured Population of the Free States | publisher = T.K. & P.G. Collins, Printers | year = 1844 | location = Philadelphia | url = http://resource.nlm.nih.gov/101475758 | |
}}, and sources there cited.</ref> Anti-slavery advocates contended, on the contrary, that the published returns were riddled with errors, as detailed in an 1844 report by [[Edward Jarvis (physician)|Edward Jarvis]] of Massachusetts in the [[American Journal of the Medical Sciences]], later published separately as a pamphlet,<ref name="Litwack" /><ref>{{cite book | author = Edward Jarvis | title = Insanity Among the Coloured Population of the Free States | publisher = T.K. & P.G. Collins, Printers | year = 1844 | location = Philadelphia | url = http://resource.nlm.nih.gov/101475758 | access-date = May 31, 2013}}</ref> and in a memorial from the [[American Statistical Association]] to Congress, praying that measures be taken to correct the errors.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Edward Jarvis|author2=William Brigham|author3=J. Wingate Thornton|title=Memorial of the American Statistical Association Praying the Adoption of Measures for the Correction of Errors in the Returns of the Sixth Census|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PYEFAAAAQAAJ|access-date=May 31, 2013|series=Public Documents Printed by Order of the Senate of the United States, Second Session of the Twenty-Eighth Congress|volume=I|number=5|year=1844}}</ref> |
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The memorial was submitted to the House of Representatives by [[John Quincy Adams]], who contended that it demonstrated "a multitude of gross and important errors" in the published returns.<ref name="Adams (1877)">{{cite book|author=John Quincy Adams|editor=Charles Francis Adams|title=Memoirs of John Quincy Adams: comprising portions of his diary from 1795 to 1848|url=https://archive.org/details/memoirsjohnquin00adamgoog| |
The memorial was submitted to the House of Representatives by [[John Quincy Adams]], who contended that it demonstrated "a multitude of gross and important errors" in the published returns.<ref name="Adams (1877)">{{cite book|author=John Quincy Adams|editor=Charles Francis Adams|title=Memoirs of John Quincy Adams: comprising portions of his diary from 1795 to 1848|url=https://archive.org/details/memoirsjohnquin00adamgoog|access-date=May 31, 2013|year=1877|publisher=J. B. Lippincott & Co.|location=Philadelphia|pages=[https://archive.org/details/memoirsjohnquin00adamgoog/page/n35 27]–28, 61, 119–20}}</ref> In response to the House's request for an inquiry, Secretary of State [[John C. Calhoun]] reported that a careful examination of the statistics by the supervisor of the census had fully sustained their correctness.<ref>Litwack (1958), 267</ref><ref name="Calhoun, ''Works'' V">{{cite book|author1=John Caldwell Calhoun|author2=South Carolina General Assembly|editor=Richard K. Crallé|title=The Works of John C. Calhoun: Reports and Public Letters|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RzUTAQAAMAAJ|access-date=May 31, 2013|volume=V|year=1859|publisher=D. Appleton and Company|location=New York|page=458}} Calhoun engaged William A. Weaver, the superintendent of the 1840 census, to review the figures and check them against related data from the 1830 census. ''Ibid.'' Weaver reported that he had examined "each specification of error" and concluded that the memorialists had themselves erred in their claims. While there doubtless had been minor errors, he said, there had been no glaring methodological mistakes as charged. ''See'' William Edwin Hemphill, ed., [https://books.google.com/books?id=3xKqzUctxPsC&dq=%22sixth+census%22+united+states+william-weaver&pg=PA156 ''The Papers of John C. Calhoun: 1845''], Columbia: Univ. of South Carolina Press, 1993, vol. 21, p. 156.</ref> The returns were not revised.<ref>Litwack (1958), 268</ref> |
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==Census questions== |
==Census questions== |
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The 1840 census asked these questions:<ref>{{cite web|url=http://purl.org/net/nysl/nysdocs/9643270|title=Library Bibliography Bulletin 88, New York State Census Records, 1790-1925|year=1981|publisher=[[New York State Library]]}} |
The 1840 census asked these questions:<ref>{{cite web|url=http://purl.org/net/nysl/nysdocs/9643270|title=Library Bibliography Bulletin 88, New York State Census Records, 1790-1925|year=1981|publisher=[[New York State Library]]}} Several pages on U.S. federal web sites incorrectly assert that the 1840 census questionnaire closely followed that from the 1830 census, which did not include questions concerning mental illness.</ref> |
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* Name of head of family |
* Name of head of family |
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* Address |
* Address |
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! Rank !! State !! Population |
! Rank !! State !! Population |
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| 1 || New York || 2,428,921 |
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| 2 || Pennsylvania || 1,724,033 |
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| 3 || Ohio || 1,519,467 |
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| 4 || Virginia <ref>Includes population in the future state of West Virginia</ref>|| 1,239,792 |
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| 5 || Tennessee || 829,210 |
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| 6 || Kentucky || 779,828 |
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| 7 || North Carolina || 753,419 |
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| 8 || Massachusetts || 737,699 |
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| 9 || Georgia || 691,392 |
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| 10 || Indiana || 685,866 |
| 10 || Indiana || 685,866 |
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| 22 || New Hampshire || 284,574 |
| 22 || New Hampshire || 284,574 |
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| X || West Virginia <ref>Between 1790 and 1860, the state of West Virginia was part of Virginia; the data for |
| X || West Virginia <ref>Between 1790 and 1860, the state of West Virginia was part of Virginia; the data for this state reflects the present-day boundary.</ref> || 224,537 |
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| 23 || Michigan || 212,267 |
| 23 || Michigan || 212,267 |
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| X || Florida || 54,477 |
| X || Florida || 54,477 |
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| X || Iowa <ref>Includes portion of what is now [[Minnesota]] lying west of the [[Mississippi River]], as well as portions of what is now [[North Dakota]] and [[South Dakota]] lying east of the Missouri River</ref>|| 43,112 |
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| X || Iowa || 43,112 |
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| X || District of Columbia <ref>The District of Columbia is not a state but was created with the passage of the [[Residence Act]] of 1790. The territory that formed that federal capital was originally donated by both Maryland and Virginia; however, the Virginia portion was [[District of Columbia retrocession|returned by Congress]] in 1846.</ref> || 33,745 |
| X || District of Columbia <ref>The District of Columbia is not a state but was created with the passage of the [[Residence Act]] of 1790. The territory that formed that federal capital was originally donated by both Maryland and Virginia; however, the Virginia portion was [[District of Columbia retrocession|returned by Congress]] in 1846.</ref> || 33,745 |
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|- |
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| X || Wisconsin || 30,945 |
| X || Wisconsin <ref>Includes portion of what is now [[Minnesota]] lying east of the [[Mississippi River]]</ref>|| 30,945 |
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==City rankings== |
==City rankings== |
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{| class="wikitable sortable" |
{| class="wikitable sortable" |
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! Rank !! City !! State !! Population<ref name=census1998>{{citation |title=Population of the 100 Largest Cities and Other Urban Places in the United States: 1790 to 1990 |year=1998 |url=https://www.census.gov/library/working-papers/1998/demo/POP-twps0027.html |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau }}</ref> !! [[List of regions of the United States#Census Bureau-designated regions and divisions|Region (2016)]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/econ/census/help/geography/regions_and_divisions.html |title=Regions and Divisions |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau | |
! Rank !! City !! State !! Population<ref name=census1998>{{citation |title=Population of the 100 Largest Cities and Other Urban Places in the United States: 1790 to 1990 |year=1998 |url=https://www.census.gov/library/working-papers/1998/demo/POP-twps0027.html |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau }}</ref> !! [[List of regions of the United States#Census Bureau-designated regions and divisions|Region (2016)]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/econ/census/help/geography/regions_and_divisions.html |title=Regions and Divisions |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |access-date=September 9, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161203020637/http://www.census.gov/econ/census/help/geography/regions_and_divisions.html |archive-date=December 3, 2016 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}</ref> |
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| 01 || [[New York City|New York]] || [[New York (state)|New York]] || 312,710 || [[Northeastern United States (U.S. Census Bureau)|Northeast]] |
| 01 || [[New York City|New York]] || [[New York (state)|New York]] || 312,710 || [[Northeastern United States (U.S. Census Bureau)|Northeast]] |
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| 37 || [[Allegheny, Pennsylvania|Allegheny]] || [[Pennsylvania]] || 10,089 || [[Northeastern United States (U.S. Census Bureau)|Northeast]] |
| 37 || [[Allegheny, Pennsylvania|Allegheny]] || [[Pennsylvania]] || 10,089 || [[Northeastern United States (U.S. Census Bureau)|Northeast]] |
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|- |
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| 38 || [[ |
| 38 || [[Smithfield, Rhode Island|Smithfield]] || [[Rhode Island]] || 9,534 || [[Northeastern United States (U.S. Census Bureau)|Northeast]] |
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| 39 || [[ |
| 39 || [[Hartford]] || [[Connecticut]] || 9,468 || [[Northeastern United States (U.S. Census Bureau)|Northeast]] |
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| 40 || [[ |
| 40 || [[Lynn, Massachusetts|Lynn]] || [[Massachusetts]] || 9,367 || [[Northeastern United States (U.S. Census Bureau)|Northeast]] |
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| 41 || [[ |
| 41 || [[Detroit]] || [[Michigan]] || 9,102 || [[Midwestern United States|Midwest]] |
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| 42 || [[ |
| 42 || [[Roxbury, Massachusetts|Roxbury]] || [[Massachusetts]] || 9,089 || [[Northeastern United States (U.S. Census Bureau)|Northeast]] |
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| 43 || [[ |
| 43 || [[Nantucket]] || [[Massachusetts]] || 9,012 || [[Northeastern United States (U.S. Census Bureau)|Northeast]] |
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| 44 || [[ |
| 44 || [[Bangor, Maine|Bangor]] || [[Maine]] || 8,627 || [[Northeastern United States (U.S. Census Bureau)|Northeast]] |
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| 45 || [[ |
| 45 || [[Alexandria, D.C.|Alexandria]] || [[District of Columbia]] || 8,459 || [[Southern United States|South]] |
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| 46 || [[ |
| 46 || [[Lancaster, Pennsylvania|Lancaster]] || [[Pennsylvania]] || 8,417 || [[Northeastern United States (U.S. Census Bureau)|Northeast]] |
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| 47 || [[ |
| 47 || [[Reading, Pennsylvania|Reading]] || [[Pennsylvania]] || 8,410 || [[Northeastern United States (U.S. Census Bureau)|Northeast]] |
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|- |
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| 48 || [[ |
| 48 || [[Cambridge, Massachusetts|Cambridge]] || [[Massachusetts]] || 8,409 || [[Northeastern United States (U.S. Census Bureau)|Northeast]] |
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| 49 || [[ |
| 49 || [[Wilmington, Delaware|Wilmington]] || [[Delaware]] || 8,367 || [[Southern United States|South]] |
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| 50 || [[ |
| 50 || [[Newport, Rhode Island|Newport]] || [[Rhode Island]] || 8,333 || [[Northeastern United States (U.S. Census Bureau)|Northeast]] |
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| 51 || [[ |
| 51 || [[Portsmouth, New Hampshire|Portsmouth]] || [[New Hampshire]] || 7,887 || [[Northeastern United States (U.S. Census Bureau)|Northeast]] |
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| 52 || [[ |
| 52 || [[Wheeling, West Virginia|Wheeling]] || [[Virginia]]<ref>Is in present day West Virginia</ref> || 7,885 || [[Southern United States|South]] |
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| 53 || [[ |
| 53 || [[Taunton, Massachusetts|Taunton]] || [[Massachusetts]] || 7,645 || [[Northeastern United States (U.S. Census Bureau)|Northeast]] |
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| 54 || [[ |
| 54 || [[Paterson, New Jersey|Paterson]] || [[New Jersey]] || 7,596 || [[Northeastern United States (U.S. Census Bureau)|Northeast]] |
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| 55 || [[ |
| 55 || [[Worcester, Massachusetts|Worcester]] || [[Massachusetts]] || 7,497 || [[Northeastern United States (U.S. Census Bureau)|Northeast]] |
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| 56 || [[ |
| 56 || [[Georgetown (Washington, D.C.)|Georgetown]] || [[District of Columbia]] || 7,312 || [[Southern United States|South]] |
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| 57 || [[ |
| 57 || [[Newburyport]] || [[Massachusetts]] || 7,161 || [[Northeastern United States (U.S. Census Bureau)|Northeast]] |
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| 58 || [[ |
| 58 || [[Lexington, Kentucky|Lexington]] || [[Kentucky]] || 6,997 || [[Southern United States|South]] |
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| 59 || [[ |
| 59 || [[Nashville]] || [[Tennessee]] || 6,929 || [[Southern United States|South]] |
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| 60 || [[ |
| 60 || [[Schenectady]] || [[New York (state)|New York]] || 6,784 || [[Northeastern United States (U.S. Census Bureau)|Northeast]] |
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| 61 || [[ |
| 61 || [[Fall River, Massachusetts|Fall River]] || [[Massachusetts]] || 6,738 || [[Northeastern United States (U.S. Census Bureau)|Northeast]] |
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| 62 || [[ |
| 62 || [[Warwick, Rhode Island|Warwick]] || [[Rhode Island]] || 6,726 || [[Northeastern United States (U.S. Census Bureau)|Northeast]] |
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| 63 || [[ |
| 63 || [[Portsmouth, Virginia|Portsmouth]] || [[Virginia]] || 6,477 || [[Southern United States|South]] |
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| 64 || [[ |
| 64 || [[Dover, New Hampshire|Dover]] || [[New Hampshire]] || 6,458 || [[Northeastern United States (U.S. Census Bureau)|Northeast]] |
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| 65 || [[ |
| 65 || [[Augusta, Georgia|Augusta]] || [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]] || 6,403 || [[Southern United States|South]] |
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| 66 || [[ |
| 66 || [[Lynchburg, Virginia|Lynchburg]] || [[Virginia]] || 6,395 || [[Southern United States|South]] |
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| 67 || [[ |
| 67 || [[Gloucester, Massachusetts|Gloucester]] || [[Massachusetts]] || 6,350 || [[Northeastern United States (U.S. Census Bureau)|Northeast]] |
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| 68 || [[ |
| 68 || [[Cleveland]] || [[Ohio]] || 6,071 || [[Midwestern United States|Midwest]] |
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| 69 || [[ |
| 69 || [[Dayton]] || [[Ohio]] || 6,067 || [[Midwestern United States|Midwest]] |
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| 70 || [[ |
| 70 || [[Middletown Township, New Jersey|Middletown]] || [[New Jersey]] || 6,063 || [[Northeastern United States (U.S. Census Bureau)|Northeast]] |
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| 71 || [[ |
| 71 || [[Nashua, New Hampshire|Nashua]] || [[New Hampshire]] || 6,054 || [[Northeastern United States (U.S. Census Bureau)|Northeast]] |
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| 72 || [[ |
| 72 || [[Columbus, Ohio|Columbus]] || [[Ohio]] || 6,048 || [[Midwestern United States|Midwest]] |
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| 73 || [[ |
| 73 || [[Harrisburg]] || [[Pennsylvania]] || 5,980 || [[Northeastern United States (U.S. Census Bureau)|Northeast]] |
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| 74 || [[ |
| 74 || [[Hudson, New York|Hudson]] || [[New York (state)|New York]] || 5,672 || [[Northeastern United States (U.S. Census Bureau)|Northeast]] |
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| 75 || [[ |
| 75 || [[Auburn, New York|Auburn]] || [[New York (state)|New York]] || 5,626 || [[Northeastern United States (U.S. Census Bureau)|Northeast]] |
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| 76 || [[ |
| 76 || [[Marblehead, Massachusetts|Marblehead]] || [[Massachusetts]] || 5,575 || [[Northeastern United States (U.S. Census Bureau)|Northeast]] |
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|- |
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| 77 || [[ |
| 77 || [[New London, Connecticut|New London]] || [[Connecticut]] || 5,519 || [[Northeastern United States (U.S. Census Bureau)|Northeast]] |
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|- |
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| 78 || [[ |
| 78 || [[Wilmington, North Carolina|Wilmington]] || [[North Carolina]] || 5,335 || [[Southern United States|South]] |
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|- |
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| 79 || [[ |
| 79 || [[Augusta, Maine|Augusta]] || [[Maine]] || 5,314 || [[Northeastern United States (U.S. Census Bureau)|Northeast]] |
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|- |
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| 80 || [[ |
| 80 || [[Plymouth, Massachusetts|Plymouth]] || [[Massachusetts]] || 5,281 || [[Northeastern United States (U.S. Census Bureau)|Northeast]] |
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| 81 || [[ |
| 81 || [[Cumberland, Rhode Island|Cumberland]] || [[Rhode Island]] || 5,225 || [[Northeastern United States (U.S. Census Bureau)|Northeast]] |
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|- |
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| 82 || [[ |
| 82 || [[Andover, Massachusetts|Andover]] || [[Massachusetts]] || 5,207 || [[Northeastern United States (U.S. Census Bureau)|Northeast]] |
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| 83 || [[ |
| 83 || [[Frederick, Maryland|Frederick]] || [[Maryland]] || 5,182 || [[Southern United States|South]] |
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| 84 || [[ |
| 84 || [[Bath, Maine|Bath]] || [[Maine]] || 5,141 || [[Northeastern United States (U.S. Census Bureau)|Northeast]] |
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| 85 || [[ |
| 85 || [[Middleborough, Massachusetts|Middleborough]] || [[Massachusetts]] || 5,085 || [[Northeastern United States (U.S. Census Bureau)|Northeast]] |
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| 86 || [[ |
| 86 || [[Evesham Township, New Jersey|Evesham]] || [[New Jersey]] || 5,060 || [[Northeastern United States (U.S. Census Bureau)|Northeast]] |
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| 87 || [[ |
| 87 || [[Gardiner, Maine|Gardiner]] || [[Maine]] || 5,042 || [[Northeastern United States (U.S. Census Bureau)|Northeast]] |
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| 88 || [[ |
| 88 || [[Danvers, Massachusetts|Danvers]] || [[Massachusetts]] || 5,020 || [[Northeastern United States (U.S. Census Bureau)|Northeast]] |
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| 89 || [[ |
| 89 || [[Concord, New Hampshire|Concord]] || [[New Hampshire]] || 4,897 || [[Northeastern United States (U.S. Census Bureau)|Northeast]] |
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|- |
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| 90 || [[ |
| 90 || [[Dorchester, Massachusetts|Dorchester]] || [[Massachusetts]] || 4,875 || [[Northeastern United States (U.S. Census Bureau)|Northeast]] |
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| 91 || [[ |
| 91 || [[Easton, Pennsylvania|Easton]] || [[Pennsylvania]] || 4,865 || [[Northeastern United States (U.S. Census Bureau)|Northeast]] |
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| 92 || [[ |
| 92 || [[Woodbridge Township, New Jersey|Woodbridge]] || [[New Jersey]] || 4,821 || [[Northeastern United States (U.S. Census Bureau)|Northeast]] |
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| 93 || [[ |
| 93 || [[York, Pennsylvania|York]] || [[Pennsylvania]] || 4,779 || [[Northeastern United States (U.S. Census Bureau)|Northeast]] |
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|- |
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| 94 || [[ |
| 94 || [[Zanesville]] || [[Ohio]] || 4,766 || [[Midwestern United States|Midwest]] |
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|- |
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| 95 || [[ |
| 95 || [[Beverly, Massachusetts|Beverly]] || [[Massachusetts]] || 4,689 || [[Northeastern United States (U.S. Census Bureau)|Northeast]] |
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|- |
|- |
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| 96 || [[ |
| 96 || [[Danbury, Connecticut|Danbury]] || [[Connecticut]] || 4,504 || [[Northeastern United States (U.S. Census Bureau)|Northeast]] |
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| 97 || [[ |
| 97 || [[Chicago]] || [[Illinois]] || 4,470 || [[Midwestern United States|Midwest]] |
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| 98 || [[ |
| 98 || [[Carlisle, Pennsylvania|Carlisle]] || [[Pennsylvania]] || 4,351 || [[Northeastern United States (U.S. Census Bureau)|Northeast]] |
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|- |
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| 99 || [[ |
| 99 || [[Pottsville, Pennsylvania|Pottsville]] || [[Pennsylvania]] || 4,345 || [[Northeastern United States (U.S. Census Bureau)|Northeast]] |
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| 100 || [[ |
| 100 || [[Columbia, South Carolina|Columbia]] || [[South Carolina]] || 4,340 || [[Southern United States|South]] |
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<!-- |- |
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| 100 || [[Haverhill, Massachusetts|Haverhill]] || [[Massachusetts]] || 4,336 || [[Northeastern United States (U.S. Census Bureau)|Northeast]] |
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| 101 || [[Barnstable, Massachusetts|Barnstable]] || [[Massachusetts]] || 4,301 || [[Northeastern United States (U.S. Census Bureau)|Northeast]] |
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| 102 || [[Fayetteville, North Carolina|Fayetteville]] || [[North Carolina]] || 4,285 || [[Southern United States|South]] |
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| 103 || [[Burlington, Vermont|Burlington]] || [[Vermont]] || 4,271 || [[Northeastern United States (U.S. Census Bureau)|Northeast]] |
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| 104 || [[Steubenville]] || [[Ohio]] || 4,247 || [[Midwestern United States|Midwest]] |
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| 105 || [[New Albany, Indiana|New Albany]] || [[Indiana]] || 4,226 || [[Midwestern United States|Midwest]] --> |
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==External links== |
==External links== |
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* [https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2020/10/17/1840-census-slavery-insanity/ "1840 census: False count on insanity showed slavery was good for Blacks"] by Peter Whoriskey, ''The Washington Post'', October 17 2020 |
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* [http://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/1840b-01.pdf Compendium of the Enumeration of the Inhabitants and Statistics of the United States . . . from the Returns of the Sixth Census .... (Washington, D.C., 1841)] |
* [http://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/1840b-01.pdf Compendium of the Enumeration of the Inhabitants and Statistics of the United States . . . from the Returns of the Sixth Census .... (Washington, D.C., 1841)] |
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* [https://www.census.gov/history/www/through_the_decades/overview/1840.html Overview of the 1840 Census] on www.census.gov. |
* [https://www.census.gov/history/www/through_the_decades/overview/1840.html Overview of the 1840 Census] on www.census.gov. |
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* [https://www.cyndislist.com/us/census/1840/online/ 1840 U.S. Federal Census {{hyphen}} Online Records and Indexes] on www.cyndislist.com (21 Links) Includes links to sites with any or all of the following: digitized images, indexes, transcriptions, extractions, abstracts, and partial or whole copies of census materials. |
* [https://www.cyndislist.com/us/census/1840/online/ 1840 U.S. Federal Census {{hyphen}} Online Records and Indexes] on www.cyndislist.com (21 Links) Includes links to sites with any or all of the following: digitized images, indexes, transcriptions, extractions, abstracts, and partial or whole copies of census materials. |
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* [https://guides.loc.gov/census-connections/decennial-census/1840-1880#s-lib-ctab-22509999-0 Library of Congress research guide for 1840 census] - links to primary documents |
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{{USCensus}} |
{{USCensus}} |
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{{Authority control}} |
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[[Category:1840 in the United States|United States Census, 1840]] |
[[Category:1840 in the United States|United States Census, 1840]] |
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[[Category:United States |
[[Category:United States census]] |
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[[Category:1840 censuses|United States]] |
[[Category:1840 censuses|United States]] |
Latest revision as of 21:17, 5 June 2024
1840 United States census | ||
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| ||
General information | ||
Country | United States | |
Authority | Office of the United States Marshal | |
Results | ||
Total population | 17,069,453 ( 32.7%) | |
Most populous | New York 2,428,921 | |
Least populous | Delaware 78,085 |
The 1840 United States census was the sixth census of the United States. Conducted by U.S. marshals on June 1, 1840, it determined the resident population of the United States to be 17,069,453 – an increase of 32.7 percent over the 12,866,020 persons enumerated during the 1830 census. The total population included 2,487,355 slaves. In 1840, the center of population was about 260 miles (418 km) west of Washington, D.C., near Weston, Virginia (now in West Virginia).
This was the first census in which:
- A state recorded a population of over two million (New York)
- A city recorded a population of over 300,000 (New York)
- Multiple cities recorded populations of over 100,000 (New York, Baltimore, and New Orleans)
It was also the last census conducted by U.S. marshals, as starting in 1850 a temporary office would be set up for each census under the purview of the Department of the Interior.
Controversy over statistics for mental illness among Northern blacks
[edit]The 1840 census was the first that attempted to count Americans who were "insane" or "idiotic". Published results of the census indicated that alarming numbers of black persons living in non-slaveholding States were mentally ill, in striking contrast to the corresponding figures for slaveholding States.
Pro-slavery advocates trumpeted the results as evidence of the beneficial effects of slavery, and the probable consequences of emancipation.[1] Anti-slavery advocates contended, on the contrary, that the published returns were riddled with errors, as detailed in an 1844 report by Edward Jarvis of Massachusetts in the American Journal of the Medical Sciences, later published separately as a pamphlet,[1][2] and in a memorial from the American Statistical Association to Congress, praying that measures be taken to correct the errors.[3]
The memorial was submitted to the House of Representatives by John Quincy Adams, who contended that it demonstrated "a multitude of gross and important errors" in the published returns.[4] In response to the House's request for an inquiry, Secretary of State John C. Calhoun reported that a careful examination of the statistics by the supervisor of the census had fully sustained their correctness.[5][6] The returns were not revised.[7]
Census questions
[edit]The 1840 census asked these questions:[8]
- Name of head of family
- Address
- Number of free white males and females
- in five-year age groups to age 20
- in 10-year age groups from 20 to 100
- 100 years and older
- number of slaves and free colored persons in six age groups
- number of deaf and dumb, by race
- number of blind, by race
- number of insane and idiotic in public or private charge, by race
- number of persons in each family employed in seven classes of occupation
- number of schools and number of scholars
- number of white persons over 20 who could not read and write
- number of pensioners for Revolutionary or military service
Data availability
[edit]No microdata from the 1840 population census are available, but aggregate data for small areas, together with compatible cartographic boundary files, can be downloaded from the National Historical Geographic Information System. A compendium of data from the sixth census, organized by States, counties, and principal towns is available on the web site of the Census Bureau.
State rankings
[edit]Rank | State | Population |
---|---|---|
1 | New York | 2,428,921 |
2 | Pennsylvania | 1,724,033 |
3 | Ohio | 1,519,467 |
4 | Virginia [9] | 1,239,792 |
5 | Tennessee | 829,210 |
6 | Kentucky | 779,828 |
7 | North Carolina | 753,419 |
8 | Massachusetts | 737,699 |
9 | Georgia | 691,392 |
10 | Indiana | 685,866 |
11 | South Carolina | 594,398 |
12 | Alabama | 590,756 |
13 | Maine | 501,793 |
14 | Illinois | 476,183 |
15 | Maryland | 470,019 |
16 | Missouri | 383,702 |
17 | Mississippi | 375,651 |
18 | New Jersey | 373,306 |
19 | Louisiana | 352,411 |
20 | Connecticut | 309,978 |
21 | Vermont | 291,948 |
22 | New Hampshire | 284,574 |
X | West Virginia [10] | 224,537 |
23 | Michigan | 212,267 |
24 | Rhode Island | 108,830 |
25 | Arkansas | 97,574 |
26 | Delaware | 78,085 |
X | Florida | 54,477 |
X | Iowa [11] | 43,112 |
X | District of Columbia [12] | 33,745 |
X | Wisconsin [13] | 30,945 |
City rankings
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b Leon F. Litwack (1958), "The Federal Government and the Free Negro, 1790–1860", Journal of Negro History, 43 (4): 261–78, 263–68, doi:10.2307/2716144, JSTOR 2716144, S2CID 150261737, and sources there cited.
- ^ Edward Jarvis (1844). Insanity Among the Coloured Population of the Free States. Philadelphia: T.K. & P.G. Collins, Printers. Retrieved May 31, 2013.
- ^ Edward Jarvis; William Brigham; J. Wingate Thornton (1844). Memorial of the American Statistical Association Praying the Adoption of Measures for the Correction of Errors in the Returns of the Sixth Census. Public Documents Printed by Order of the Senate of the United States, Second Session of the Twenty-Eighth Congress. Vol. I. Retrieved May 31, 2013.
- ^ John Quincy Adams (1877). Charles Francis Adams (ed.). Memoirs of John Quincy Adams: comprising portions of his diary from 1795 to 1848. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott & Co. pp. 27–28, 61, 119–20. Retrieved May 31, 2013.
- ^ Litwack (1958), 267
- ^ John Caldwell Calhoun; South Carolina General Assembly (1859). Richard K. Crallé (ed.). The Works of John C. Calhoun: Reports and Public Letters. Vol. V. New York: D. Appleton and Company. p. 458. Retrieved May 31, 2013. Calhoun engaged William A. Weaver, the superintendent of the 1840 census, to review the figures and check them against related data from the 1830 census. Ibid. Weaver reported that he had examined "each specification of error" and concluded that the memorialists had themselves erred in their claims. While there doubtless had been minor errors, he said, there had been no glaring methodological mistakes as charged. See William Edwin Hemphill, ed., The Papers of John C. Calhoun: 1845, Columbia: Univ. of South Carolina Press, 1993, vol. 21, p. 156.
- ^ Litwack (1958), 268
- ^ "Library Bibliography Bulletin 88, New York State Census Records, 1790-1925". New York State Library. 1981. Several pages on U.S. federal web sites incorrectly assert that the 1840 census questionnaire closely followed that from the 1830 census, which did not include questions concerning mental illness.
- ^ Includes population in the future state of West Virginia
- ^ Between 1790 and 1860, the state of West Virginia was part of Virginia; the data for this state reflects the present-day boundary.
- ^ Includes portion of what is now Minnesota lying west of the Mississippi River, as well as portions of what is now North Dakota and South Dakota lying east of the Missouri River
- ^ The District of Columbia is not a state but was created with the passage of the Residence Act of 1790. The territory that formed that federal capital was originally donated by both Maryland and Virginia; however, the Virginia portion was returned by Congress in 1846.
- ^ Includes portion of what is now Minnesota lying east of the Mississippi River
- ^ Population of the 100 Largest Cities and Other Urban Places in the United States: 1790 to 1990, U.S. Census Bureau, 1998
- ^ "Regions and Divisions". U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on December 3, 2016. Retrieved September 9, 2016.
- ^ Is in present day West Virginia
External links
[edit]- "1840 census: False count on insanity showed slavery was good for Blacks" by Peter Whoriskey, The Washington Post, October 17 2020
- Compendium of the Enumeration of the Inhabitants and Statistics of the United States . . . from the Returns of the Sixth Census .... (Washington, D.C., 1841)
- Overview of the 1840 Census on www.census.gov.
- 1840 U.S. Federal Census - Online Records and Indexes on www.cyndislist.com (21 Links) Includes links to sites with any or all of the following: digitized images, indexes, transcriptions, extractions, abstracts, and partial or whole copies of census materials.
- Library of Congress research guide for 1840 census - links to primary documents