The Federal Government did not provide blank printed forms to the U.S. Marshals.   Uniform printed forms were used only if supplied by the U.S. Marshal at his own expense to his assistants.  Otherwise, the assistant marshals used whatever paper was available, and recorded the information by hand in the format required by Congress shown below:

The law required "That every person whose usual place of abode shall be in any family on [August 4, 1800], shall be returned as of such family, and the name of every person, who shall be an inhabitant of any district or territory, but without a settled place of residence, shall be inserted in the column of the aforesaid schedule, which is allotted for the heads of families, in that division where he or she shall be on [August 4, 1800], and every person occasionally absent at the time of the enumeration, as belonging to that place in which he usually resides in the United States."

Secretaries of State John Marshall (1800-1801) and James Madison (1801-1809) had general supervision of census operations and tabulating and reporting the results to the President and Congress.

The U.S. Marshal for each Federal judicial district was responsible for taking the census in his district with the help of assistant marshals whom he appointed. Each took an oath or affirmation that "I will well and truly cause to be made, a just and perfect enumeration and description of all persons resident within my district or territory, and return the same to the Secretary of State, agreeably to the directions of an act of Congress, intitualed [sic, entitled], 'An act providing for the enumeration of the inhabitants of the United States,' according to the best of my ability."

Every free person over age 16 was required to cooperate: "That each and every free person more than sixteen years of age, whether heads of families or not ... shall be, and hereby is obligated to render to such assistant of the division, a true account, if required, to the best of his or her knowledge, of all and every person belonging to such family ... on pain of forfeiting twenty dollars...."

The census began on Monday, August 4, 1800, and was finished within 9 months.

U.S. marshals conducted the 1800 census following rules and directions established in "An Act providing for the second Census or enumeration of the Inhabitants of the United States,” dated February 28, 1800.

• Name of the county, parish, township, town, or city, where the family resides
• Name of head of family
• Number of free white males under 10 years of age
• Number of free white males of 10 and under 16 years of age
• Number of free white males of 16 and under 26 years of age
• Number of free white males of twenty six and under 45 years of age
• Number of free white males of 45  years of age and upwards
• Number of free white females under 10 years of age
• Number of free white females of 10 and under 16 years of age
• Number of free white females of 16 and under 26 years of age
• Number of free white females of twenty six and under 45 years of age
• Number of free white females of 45  years of age and upwards
• Number of all other free persons, except Indians, not taxed [free African-Americans]
• Number of slaves