The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1810-07-17
THIRD CENSUS.
DEPARTMENT OF srArE.
Washington City, May II, 1910
(CIRCULAR)

census or enumeration ut the inhabitants of the
United States" also, -" An act to alter and a.
mend an act entitled" An act providing for the
third census or enuTnerstion of the iuhabtants
OF The United States," passed the twenty sixth
day OF March, 1910" and, >" An act further
To alter and amend" An act providing
Tor the third census or enumeration of the inha.
bitaf OF the United States" The two last acts
are amendatory of the first. and require no par
t'cular explanation, being sufficiently ,ieclarstory
OF their specific intentions t, be easily under
stood shall therefore merely remark in rela.
ton to them, that the first anenatsry act dictates
ehe closing OF the enumeration by your assistants
,wiih'n the space Sf five months and that the
last prescribes the forms of the oaths or afirma.
lions, which, you will perceive, are varied from
the forms lard dawn IN the principal act The
term of five months being barely sufficient to
complete the census with accuracy, must press
upon you the necessity and importance of max
ang your arrangements with all possi expedi
tiou, so that the enumeration may actually com
anence throughout all the divisions of your dis.
trict, or territory, on tue very day directed by
the law, which, you will observe, is the first
monday Of August next.
BY the first act it is enioined that the census
should he taken under the direction of the Sec.
rotary OF state and according such instructions
as ne shall gise pursuant to the act. The lead
ing objects OF this provision arc, doubtless, to
insure perfect uniformity in the returns, and
more certainly tn effect the intentions OF lie law
pose.
To prevent mistakes in the FIRMS of the oaths
and afhrmstions prescribed, and to afford YOU
1acih,y IN possessing evidence that the oaths or
afirmations have been taken by your assistants,
have caused them to be printed, and here with
] transmit the number of copies which l have
supposed you may want twill be proper fer
your assistants to subscribe as ell as TO take the
oaths or affirm atoms, and to transmit the sane to
you as soon as taken, or at least with their re
turns also enclose duplicates of the oath or
ainrmation which you yourself to take and
subscribe, one of which you will send to this Of
tice with your returns
The schedule prescribed and deIineated in the
act, exhibits all The distinctions ofpersons, AS to
their coiors, sexes and ages, which are to be OBJ
served IN making the returns. The first section
indeed seems to impert, that tbs sexes and 4.
Ses OF the free persons of color should be distin
Suisbed IN the same as those free white
persons hut this was not intended and the
schedule prescribed by the act, groups all the free
persons, other Than white, in single column
Inc TORN OF the schedule applies to the whole
OF division but it is the design OF the act to oh
tain exact accounts Of the numbers of the inhab
itants IN every small we'll in every large di
vision OF the territory of the United States -
Your assistants, therefore, distinctly to emu
merate the persons (naning the heads of FAM.
ties) IN each separate portion of their respective
divisions, agreeabiy to the annexed form mark
ed 40 The smaller portions of division will
be differently designated in different states In
some states, the subdivisions consist only of WINS
and counties: or cities, towns and counties +;
and IN these, the towns comprehend not merely
compact settlements but tracts of several miles
square the same that in other states are called
townships In some states the counties dvi-
tied into hundreds In others there are districts
which comprehend several counties; and in one
(Soutb Carolina IA district contains several pa
rishes or several counties and parishes Hence
the direction IN the act, to each marshal and TO
eash secretary of a territory, TO assign 10 each
assistant certain division of his district or ter
ritory, which division shall not consist of more
than one county city, bu, may consist IF one
or more towns, to WnshpS, wards, hundred or pa.
gisnes
In making the enumeration, the 5th section of
the act is to be particularly noticed Between
the LIST monday of August next & the day of actu
ally numbering family, some OF its members may
change their residence nevertheless such NM
20 bers to be numbered with the family in which
they resided on the said first Monday of August
And in every family it will be necessary to put
the following questions:
list WHO'S the Master, or Mistress, stew.
ard or overseer, or other principal person there
an?
ID. How many free white males are in the ia.
miy, under ten wears of agel
81 How many of ten, and under sixteen
years
4,h How many of sixteen, and under twenty
six years !
5ih How many of Twenty six, and under forty
five years
9th. How many of forty FIVE years. and up
wards
lThe three last questions will of course, in
clude heads offamili,s
The same Six questions are to be asked
concerning free white females of those respec-
live ages.
7th Then how many other free persons are
there IN the family, except Indians not taxed
9th How many slaves
9th Had any other person or persons their IL
sual abode in the family, on the first Mond,y Of
August, 1910! If any, Of what d, scription 49,
That Isl were they male female OF what a.
ges? OF what col)rs Were they free or slaves
Each person compreiended in these questions
is to be numbered with such family, in the CO
tumn to which he or she properly belongs On
the other hand, any person who, at the time of
che actual enumeration, has his usual abode IN a
family, but who the said first Monday Of Au-
gust, 1910, was a member OF, or had his usual
abode in any family Of the United States, as he
will be numbered with the latter, he is to be o.
mitted in the former.
Each and every free person more than sixteen
years old, belonging to any family, is obliged by
the sixth section OF the act, to these cues
tons. or otherwise To give true account, fire
CURED to the best of his or her knowledge of all
u every person belonging to such family, accord.
ing to the several descriptions aforesaid, under the
penalty of twenty dollars. The fifth section also
directs that persons having no settled place of
residence, shall have then Games inserted IN the
schedule in the columns allotted Cor the heads OF
in that yision in which I,e cr che