African Americans in the 1830 Census
Dauphin County Statistics
The 1830 Census in Dauphin County shows a
substantial growth in the free African American population in the county, and
particularly in the town of Harrisburg. More than one hundred households
in Harrisburg alone have been identified in which the head of the household is
African American or the majority of the residents are African American.
These are found on page four of the database. In Harrisburg, at least 46
households of white families also contained at least one African American
resident, generally in the position of a household servant. Two slaves are
also enumerated.
1830 population totals, African American residents
Halifax 33 (16 male, 17 female)
Jackson Township 9 (4 male, 5 female)
Millersburg 6 (4 male, 2 female)
Middle Paxton Township 24 (13 male, 11 female)
Susquehanna Township 13 ( 6 male, 7 female)
Lower Paxton Township 10 (5 male, 5 female)
Hanover Township 21 (8 male, 13 female)
Derry Township 6 (4
male, 2 female)
Londonderry Township 14 (5 male, 9 female)
Mifflin Township 21 (12
male, 9 female)
Middletown 8 (5 male, 3
female)
Portsmouth 25 (14 male, 11
female)
Swatara Township 57 (27
male, 30 female)
Highspire 12 (5 male, 7 female)
Upper Swatara Township 37 (22
male, 15 female) |
Harrisburg, page 1
African Americans
residing in white
households 92 (36
male, 56 female)
Harrisburg, page 2
African Americans in
independent
households 391
(192 male, 199 female)
Harrisburg total 483 (228
male, 255 female)
county sub-total,
(excluding Harrisburg) 296 (150 male, 146 female)
|
|
Total African American residents,
Dauphin County, PA 779 (378 male, 401 female)1 |
Notes:
1.
This database identifies 779 individuals. Researcher Calobe Jackson, Jr.
has noted that county census summary pages give the total African American
population as 961 and then note later additions that bring the total number of
African Americans in the county to 1025, a difference from these figures of 246
individuals. We will be investigating to find the cause of this
discrepancy, and if possible, add more names to this database.
Ages and sex of African American
residents
0-10 years 207
(104 male, 103 female), 26.6%
10-24 years 221 (90 males, 131 females), 28.4%1
24-36 years 178 (88 males, 90 females), 22.8%
36-55 years 125 (66 males, 59 females), 16.0%
55-100 years 47 (28 males, 19 females), 06.0%
100+ years 1male, <.01%
Sex male 48.5% female
51.5%
|
Number in alms
house 18 (0.023%)
Slaves 15 (0.019%)2
Slave ages
under 10 years: 3
10-24 years: 9
24-36 years: 2
55-100 years: 1 |
Notes:
1. The
greatest disparity in sex occurs in the 10-24 age group, in which females
outnumber males 131 to 90, or at a ratio of 1.45:1. This disparity is at
its greatest in the town of Harrisburg, where there are 91 females for 55 males
in this age group, or 1.65:1. The numbers in the countryside show less of
a sex inequality. These numbers may hint at a high demand for women in
this age range to serve as maids and nannies in white households. The
figures for African Americans living in white households seems to bear this
out. In Harrisburg, two-thirds of the persons in this age group who live
in white households are female.
2. Calobe Jackson's review of the 1830 census summary sheets shows that 18
slaves were reported, instead of the 15 shown here. In our review of the
transcripts, we were unable to locate the additional three slaves and will be
reviewing the original records to see if our transcription is incorrect.
Source
Population Schedules of the Fifth Census of the
United States: 1830. Pennsylvania, Dauphin County. Microfilm in the
Pennsylvania State Archives, Harrisburg, PA.
Correspondence, Calobe Jackson, Jr. to Afrolumens Project, January 4, 2005.
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Page updated May 25, 2023. |
