U.S. Census: Traces History Of Census-Taking.

Since 1790 when U.S. marshals traveled on horseback over rutted backwoods trails to enumerate the residents of a new nation, a census of population has been taken every 10 years. The Commerce Department’s Census Bureau today released a report that traces the evolution of the population census from 1790 to 2000.

The report, Measuring America: The Decennial Censuses from 1790 to 2000, contains images or descriptions of the questionnaires used in each census, along with the instructions given to census-takers on how to fill out the form.

Also included is a synopsis of how each census was conducted and information about its historical significance. On its cover is a reproduction of a Norman Rockwell painting of a census enumerator at work, which appeared on the cover of The Saturday Evening Post in 1940.

The publication tracks the development of the census from a relatively primitive exercise in 1790 to the highly sophisticated operation that took place in 2000. In 1790, marshals counted 3.9 million U.S. residents. Householders were asked a variety of questions to count the population and assess the new nation’s industrial and military capacity.

The 2000 Census, in contrast, counted 281.4 million and included a first-ever, $167 million paid advertising campaign and the option of responding to the census online.

The 140-page publication is a resource for those doing census-related research, including genealogists attempting to learn more about their ancestors and historians and demographers looking for a snapshot of life in America at a given point in the nation’s history. It is intended to assist census data users in interpreting the responses they find on census forms, as well as the summary statistical tables.

The publication updates and expands on 200 Years of Census Taking: Population and Housing Questions, 1790-1990, which was last published in 1989.

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