Legible Federal Census Non-Population Schedules, 1850

GothixGrafx

Cadet
Joined
Jul 15, 2016
I've only got one good eye and it isn't helping with this one. Does anyone have a legible copy of the header for the "Federal Census Non-Population Schedules, 1850"?

Example:
Expired Image Removed

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.
 
It looks like Darlington County, South Carolina from the Third Division in November
1850. It is an agricultural schedule giving details of farming activities that was taken
after June 1, 1850. The column headings are hard for me to pick up even with my
magnifiers on so I am of no help there.
 
Here are the categories for Schedule 4:
1850agric.png

All agricultural schedules, 1850-1900 are described HERE.
 
It seems somewhat illogical to ask for agricultural "Produce during the year ending June 1." For most American crops, the harvest season is in the Fall. So the farmer would have to include any Spring harvest of 1850, and the Fall harvest of 1849. I wonder how many were actually that precise. Most, I expect, gave broad estimates.

These figures can only serve as general guidelines, of course. June-June 1849/1850 might have been an exceptionally good year, or a catastrophically bad one. So, we can't know, without annual figures, if those in the census year were in any way "typical." Up here local Assessors' Records provided similar data (though not as detailed) every year, and can act as a reasonable accounting over extended periods of time, tracing trends or abrupt changes. I am sure there were similar local, county or state agencies in S.C. that kept the same kind of records.

jno
 
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