The surviving schedules were indexed by state and published by the Bureau of the Census in the early 1900s. Published and microfilmed 1790 schedules for Virginia were reconstructed from state enumerations and tax lists. As in most cases, the researcher who relies on printed transcripts may miss important information and clues found only in the original version. The 1790 census records are useful for identifying the locality to be searched for other types of records for a named individual. Free men of color are listed as heads of household by name.
Slaves appear in age groupings by name of owner.
By combining those age groupings with probate inventories and tax list data, it is sometimes possible to determine names of other family members and the birth order of those individuals.