Census Records
Jackson County, Georgia
U.S. Federal Census Records
U.S. Federal Census coverage for Jackson County, Georgia begins with 1820. 1790 and 1810 Federal Census schedules for Georgia are missing; the 1800 census is available only for Oglethorpe County. As for most of the country, the bulk of the 1890 US census for Georgia was lost to fire in 1921; only fragments for Muscogee county survived.
Population Schedules
All population schedules through 1950 have been digitized and are available from several sources. This guide will focus on digital versions from FamilySearch and Ancestry. Both sites provide guided and free-text searching as well as the ability to browse each township page-by-page. Other features, limitations, caveats:
The Ancestry browsing copy begins with the first page of enumerated households, while the FamilySearch browsing copy begins with the first page of the microfilm copy, which often includes a section of background information. For example, via FamilySearch the 1820 preface to the Jackson County section includes interesting information about businesses and weather composed by the enumerator.
Ancestry’s search form is tailored to the census, while FamilySearch uses the same search form for all types of collections. For example, Ancestry offers the ability to search only within the 1820 census column “total slaves,” a functionality not available via FamilySearch.
Ancestry’s initial record view provides an extensive transcription of the entry, while FamilySearch’s initial record view focuses on citation information. A caveat is that the researcher must examine the actual image and make their own transcription rather than accepting the information provided in the database.
The metadata and search algorithms for the two platforms vary, so if a search is unsuccessful or seems incomplete in one, searching the other is advised.
Ancestry’s entire U.S. Federal Census Collection can be searched simultaneously. FamilySearch does not offer the opportunity to cross-search only census records.
Federal Enumeration of Slaves
Slaves were enumerated on all federal census records from 1790 to 1860. For all censuses that cover Georgia, enslaved people are enumerated under the name of the head of household of the owner, by sex and age range, but not by name. The 1850 and 1860 censuses include separate “slave schedules,” available from both Ancestry and FamilySearch. More information:
Kelly L. Schmidt and Cecilia Wright’s article About the 1850 and 1860 U.S. Census Slave Schedules provides an overview on using the separate slave schedules and foregrounds the shift in how enslaved people were enumerated between 1840 and 1850. The Saint Louis Integrated Database of Enslavement.
Nonpopulation Schedules
Nonpopulation schedules collected information on such categories as manufacturing, agriculture, social statistics, and mortality. Many have been digitized, but a few are available only on microfilm. Several locations hold microfilm, copies, including the Georgia Archives.
Agriculture schedule: The agricultural census was first taken as part of the 1840 census, as a category on a special manufacturing schedule. From 1850 to 1910 agricultural data was enumerated on a separate schedule. It enumerated all free individuals who produced goods over a certain value (generally $100 or more), but enumerators often included farmers who produced goods of lesser value. Data includes total acreage of land, the value of the farm, machinery and livestock, crops produced, etc. In 1880 farm operators were classified as owner, tenant, or sharecropper. The schedules for 1890 were destroyed by fire and those for 1900 and 1910 were destroyed by Congressional order. More information:
Agricultural Schedules 1850 to 1900 is the document that provided detailed instructions to enumerators for the period.
ThoughtCo’s Agricultural Schedules of the United States Census provides background and tips for using the agricultural schedules in research.
Defective, Dependent, and Delinquent (DDD) schedule: Taken only in 1880. Lists individualss who were insane, blind, deaf, homeless, or generally dependent on the government for services. Search expansively since individuals enumerated in this schedule are often residents of prisons, jails, orphanages, mental institutions, and private houses away from their families.
Industry/Manufacturers schedules: Manufacturing schedules in 1820, 1840 and 1850 to 1860 collected information about businesses with an annual gross product of $500 or more. The schedule lists the name & purpose of each company or individual, capital invested, yearly production, and the number of individuals hired, etc. In 1870 distinctions were made between child and adult labor. Searchable, but browsing is recommended when practical. 1820 and 1840 for Georgia are microfilm only.
Mortality schedules: In 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880 census enumerators recorded the deaths of free individuals in the year preceding census day. Data typically includes name, race, sex, marital status, month & cause of death, place of birth, and occupation. 1870 and 1880 for Georgia are microfilm only.
Social Statistics: Produced 1850-1870, these schedules provide statistical data, not information about specific individuals, so browsing is recommended when practical. Data includes real estate value; taxes; information about schools, libraries, newspapers & churches; wages paid to certain categories of employees, including female domestics; numbers of paupers & criminals.
Key Resources
The National Archives web page Search Census Records Online is a comprehensive table of availability via Ancestry and FamilySearch of all census schedules, organized year by year. The table includes other resources for each census year, including FAQs, enumeration district maps, blank forms, and articles about the census.
The U.S. Census Bureau web page Questionnaires and Instructions includes facsimiles of questionnaires and instructions given to enumerators for the population and slave schedules from 1790-2020, as well as a brief overview of changes in the census from year to year.
Maps
United States Enumeration District Maps for the Twelfth through the Sixteenth US Censuses, 1900-1940, FamilySearch.
Census Enumeration Districts for 1930 & 1940, Jackson County GenWeb Project.
Enumeration District Maps for Jackson County for 1940 & 1950, NARA.
Paul K. Graham, Atlas of East and Coastal Georgia Watercourses and Militia Districts, Genealogy Company, 2010.
Territorial, Colonial and State Census Records
No territorial, colonial or state census records exist for Jackson County or its precursor Franklin County. Although Georgia was an original colony, the territory that is now Jackson County was not incorporated into the state until 1783, after being ceded to the United States by the Cherokee and Creek Indians. No census or other listing of native people or whites living in the area prior to cession are known to have been compiled.
Quick Links to U.S. Census Reports with Georgia Content, by Year
1820 Manufacturing Microfilm only, Georgia Archives 331/6
1840 Manufacturing, Microfilm only, Georgia Archives 331/30-31
1870 Mortality Schedule, Microfilm only, Georgia Archives 332/25
1880 Defective, Dependent and Delinquent (DDD) Schedule, Ancestry
1880 Mortality, Microfilm only, Georgia Archives 332/25