The Waterbury Democrat., 1941-03-14

was taken, General Washington having been inaugurated in New York City, April 30, 1789. When this first census was ordered, the ma chinery of Federal Government was undergoing its most critical test. The executive branch of the govern- ment included but four departments State, Treasury, War and Justice Thomas Jefferson was Secretary of State; Alexander Hamilton, Secre- tary of the Treasury; Henry Knox, Secretary of War; and Edmund Randolph, Atorney- General. Con- gress consisted of 91 members, 26 in the Senate and 65 in the House of Representatives-the numbers specified by the Constitution-pend- ing the enumeration of the 1nha- bitants of the States.
 In 179O the Union consisted of 13 States-Rhode Island, the last of the original 1 3to enter the Union, hav- ing been admitted on May 20. Ver- mont, the first addition, was admit ted in 1791, before the census had been completed. Massachusetts in- cluded Maine; Virginia included West Virginia and nominally in- cluded Kentucky. Georgia included parts of Alabama and Mississippi The present State of Tennessee, formed out of territory ceded to the Union by North Carolina, was known as the Territory South of the Ohio River, or Southwest Territory. The vast area between the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers and the Great Lakes, comprising the present States of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin, with part of Minne- sota,-was called Territory North west of the Ohio River, or North west Territory.
 Early Boundary Lines
 The United States in 1790 was bounded on the west by the Missis- sippi River, beyond which stretched Q vast unexplored territory claimed by the Spanish king. On the south was the Spanish colony of Florida, of which the northern boundary was in dispute, but between which and the settlements in Georgia stretched an uninhabited region containing vast swamps.
 The northern boundary of the U. s. was also in dispute for long dist ances.
 The gross area of the United States in 1790 was 820,377 square miles, but the settled area was only 239,935 square miles.
 The thickfily populated areas were along the seaboard and in the val leys of the large rivers. Western New York and much of western Pennsylvania was wilderness.
 At the time of the Declaration of Independence only six of the thir- teen American States-New Hamp- shire, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Mary land-had definite boundaries.
 The total increase from 1790 to 19O 0in the aggregate population of continental United States was l. 833.9 per cent.
 Tn 1900 there were g persons live ing in the United States who had been enumerated in the 1790 and each successive census.
 U. $. Census Most Comprehensive
 The early censuses were merely counts of inhabitants; additional facts relating to population were next secured, and in recent times the census has included practically all areas of human activity. The Census of the United States is the most comprehensive of any taken i1 any country of the world.
 Up until 1850 only the names of heads of the families were taken and the census records included only the number of males and fe- males in the family was taken, in- cluding such information as the place, month and year of birth.
 This is of utmost importance to- day. Thousands of men and womer born in the United States before State records of births were kept are able to prove their citizenship by means of census records.