1870 Federal Population Census Schedule  Click to View Sample
from US 1870 Census of Haywood County, TN  Overview of the 1870
Census  The 1870 census started on June 1, 1870 and it was taken
over a 5-month time period.  Each person was recorded in the
1870 census according to their place of residence on June 1,
1870, regardless of when the enumerators actually questioned
those people.  The enumerators were required to number the
records according to the order in which they visited each
residence. Birthdays were also recorded in a more accurate way,
especially for children who weren’t yet one year old. Ages were
recorded as fractions. For example, a child who was 3 months old
was recorded as 3/12. Sex, color, profession, real estate
ownership, literacy level and mental and physical competency
levels of each person were also recorded in the 1870 census.
Unique Features of the 1870 Census  Parental Birth – One of the
features of the 1870 census is that it was the first census to
place emphasis on parental birth