History

Index of Questions

1880

For the 1880 census, enumerators asked residents questions across several categories, including occupation, health, education, and nativity. Listed by column number, the following information was gathered:

1. Number of dwelling home, in order of visitation by the enumerator
2. Number of family, in order of visitation by the enumerator
3. Name
4. Color
   
   Enumerators were to mark "W" for White, "B" for Black, "Mu" for Mulatto, "C" for Chinese [a category which included all east Asians], of "I" for American Indian
5. Sex
6. Age
7. If the person was born within the census year, what was the month?
8. Relationship to the head of the family
9. Is the person single?
10. Is the person married?
11. Is the person widowed or divorced?
    
    Enumerators were to mark "W" for widowed and "D" for divorced
12. Was the person married within the census year?
13. Profession, occupation, or trade
14. Number of months the person had been employed within the census year
15. Was, on the day of the enumerator's visit, the person was sick or disabled so as to be unable to attend to ordinary business or duties? If so, what was the sickness or disability?
16. Was the person blind?
17. Was the person deaf and dumb?
18. Was the person idiotic?
19. Was the person insane?
20. Was the person maimed, crippled, bedridden, or otherwise disabled?
21. Had the person attended school in the past year?
22. Can the person not read?
23. Can the person not write?
24. What was the person's place of birth?
25. What was the person's father's place of birth?
26. What was the person's mother's place of birth?