United States Statutes at Large/Volume 1/1st Congress/2nd Session/Chapter 2
March 1, 1790.[Obsolete.]
Chap. II.—An Act providing for the enumeration of the Inhabitants of the United States.[1]
Marshals in the several districts of the U. States to take the enumeration.
Mode of enumeration.Section 1. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the marshals of the several districts of the United States shall be, and they are hereby authorized and required to cause the number of the inhabitants within their respective districts to be taken; omitting in such enumeration Indians not taxed, and distinguishing free persons, including those bound to service for a term of years, from all others; distinguishing also the sexes and colours of free persons, and the free males of sixteen years and upwards from those under that age; May appoint assistants.for effecting which purpose the marshals shall have power to appoint as many assistants within their respective districts as to them shall appear necessary; assigning to each assistant a certain division of his district, which division shall consist of one or more counties, cities, towns, townships, hundreds or parishes, or of a territory plainly and distinctly bounded by water courses, mountains, or public roads. Marshals and assistants to take an oath.The marshals and their assistants shall respectively take an oath or affirmation, before some judge or justice of the peace, resident within their respective districts, previous to their entering on the discharge of the duties by this act required. Form of the oath.The oath or affirmation of the marshal shall be, “I, A. B. marshal of the district of do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will well and truly cause to be made, a just and perfect enumeration and description of all persons resident within my district, and return the same to the President of the United States, agreeably to the directions of an act of Congress, intituled ‘An act providing for the enumeration of the inhabitants of the United States,’ according to the best of my ability.” The oath or affirmation of an assistant shall be, "I, A. B. do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will make a just and perfect enumeration and description of all persons resident within the division assigned to me by the marshal of the district of and make due return thereof to the said marshal, agreeably to the directions of an act of Congress, intituled ‘An act providing for the enumeration of the inhabitants of the United States,’ according to the best of my ability.” The enumeration, to commence on the first Monday in August, 1790, and close in nine months.The enumeration shall commence on the first Monday in August next, and shall close within nine calendar months thereafter. The several assistants shall, within first Monday in the said nine months, transmit to the marshals by whom they shall be respectively appointed, accurate returns of all persons, except Indians not taxed, within their respective divisions, which returns shall be made in a schedule, distinguishing the several families by the names of their master, mistress, steward, overseer, or other principal person therein, in manner following, that is to say:
The number of persons within my division, consisting of appears in a schedule hereto annexed, subscribed by me this day of 179
Form of the schedule.
| Names of heads of families. | Free white males of sixteen years and upwards, including heads of families. | Free white males under sixteen years. | Free white females, including heads of families. | All other free persons. | Slaves. |
Assistant failing to make a return, or making false return, penalty on.
Marshals to file return with the clerks of the district courts, and transmit the aggregate amount thereof to the President, on or before the 1st of Sept. 1791;
penalty for failing so to do.
Forfeitures
how recoverable,Sec. 2. And be it further enacted, That every assistant failing to make return, or making a false return of the enumeration to the marshal, within the time by this act limited, shall forfeit the sum of two hundred dollars.
Sec. 3. And be it further enacted, That the marshals shall file the several returns aforesaid, with the clerks of their respective district courts, who are hereby directed to receive and carefully preserve the same: And the marshals respectively shall, on or before the first day of September, one thousand seven hundred and ninety-one, transmit to the President of the United States, the aggregate amount of each description of persons within their respective districts. And every marshal failing to file the returns of his assistants, or any of them, with the clerks of their respective district courts, or failing to return the aggregate amount of each description of persons in their respective districts, as the same shall appear from said returns, to the President of the United States, within the time limited by this act, shall, for every such offence, forfeit the sum of eight hundred dollars; all which forfeitures shall be recoverable in the courts of the districts where the offences shall be committed, or in the circuit courts to be held within the same, by action of debt, information or indictment; the one half thereof to the use of the United States, and the other half to the informer; but where the prosecution shall be first instituted on behalf of the United States, the whole shall accrue to their use. and discovered.And for the more effectual discovery of offences, the judges of the several district courts, at their next sessions to be held after the expiration of the time allowed for making the returns of the enumeration hereby directed, to the President of the United States, shall give this act in charge to the grand juries, in their respective courts, and shall cause the returns of the several assistants to be laid before them for their inspection.
Assistants, rate of compensation to.Sec. 4. And be it further enacted, That every assistant shall receive at the rate of one dollar for every one hundred and fifty persons by him returned, where such persons reside in the country; and where such persons reside in a city, or town, containing more than five thousand persons, such assistant shall receive at the rate of one dollar for every three hundred persons; but where, from the dispersed situation of the inhabitants in some divisions, one dollar for every one hundred and fifty persons shall be insufficient, the marshals, with the approbation of the judges of their respective districts, may make such further allowance to the assistants in such divisions as shall be deemed an adequate compensation, provided the same does not exceed one dollar for every fifty persons by them returned. Marshals, their compensation.The several marshals shall receive as follows: The marshal of the district of Maine, two hundred dollars; the marshal of the district of New Hampshire, two hundred dollars; the marshal of the district of Massachusetts, three hundred dollars; the marshal of the district of Connecticut, two hundred dollars; the marshal of the district of New York, three hundred dollars; the marshal of the district of New Jersey, two hundred dollars; the marshal of the district of Pennsylvania, three hundred dollars; the marshal of the district of Delaware, one hundred dollars; the marshal of the district of Maryland, three hundred dollars; the marshal of the district of Virginia, five hundred dollars; the marshal of the district of Kentucky, two hundred and fifty dollars; the marshal of the district of North Carolina, three hundred and fifty dollars; the marshal of the district of South Carolina, three hundred dollars; the marshal of the district of Georgia, two hundred and fifty dollars. And to obviate all doubts which may arise respecting the persons to be returned, and the manner of making returns,
Rules for ascertaining residence.Sec. 5. Be it enacted, That every person whose usual place of abode shall be in any family on the aforesaid first Monday in August next, shall be returned as of such family; and the name of every person, who shall be an inhabitant of any district, 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 the said first Monday in August next, 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.
What person of a family shall render an account of the numbers therein,Sec. 6. And be it further enacted, That each and every person more than sixteen years of age, whether heads of families or not, belonging to any family within any division of a district made or established within the United States, shall be, and hereby is, obliged 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 respectively, according to the several descriptions aforesaid, on pain of forfeiting twenty dollars,and penalty for refusing. to be sued for and recovered by such assistant, the one half for his own use, and the other half for the use of the United States.
Copies of the schedule in each division to be set up at public places, and when.
Extended to Rhode Island by act of July 5, 1790, ch. 25.
To the state of Vermont, March 2, 1791, ch. 12.Sec. 7. And be it further enacted, That each assistant shall, previous to making his return to the marshal, cause a correct copy, signed by himself, of the schedule, containing the number of inhabitants within his division, to be set up at two of the most public places within the same, there to remain for the inspection of all concerned; for each of which copies the said assistant shall be entitled to receive two dollars, provided proof of a copy of the schedule having been so set up and suffered to remain, shall be transmitted to the marshal, with the return of the number of persons; and in case any assistant shall fail to make such proof to the marshal, he shall forfeit the compensation by this act allowed him.
Approved, March 1, 1790.
- ↑ The acts providing for taking a census of the inhabitants of the United States, subsequent to this act, have been: 1800.—Act of February 28, 1800, chap. 12; act of April 12, 1800, chap. 23. 1810.—Act of March 26, 1810, chap. 17; act of May 1, 1810; act of March 2, 1811, chap. 34; act of March 3, 1811, chap. 44. 1820.—Act of March 14, 1820. 1830.—Act of March 23, 1830, chap. 39. 1840.—Act of March 3, 1839, chap. 79; act of February 26, 1840, chap. 3; act of Jan. 14, 1841, chap. 3, act of September 1, 1841, chap. 15; resolution September 1, 1841.