1880 Census of
African Americans

Calobe Jackson, Jr. has been studying the history of the United States Census and has been particularly interested in researching its implementation in the Harrisburg area.  He has participated in the census as a census-taker and is highly knowledgeable about the accuracy of the census as it pertains to the African American community.

how to read a listing from these pages 

All names are listed alphabetically by surname under the categories used to classify African Americans in 1880:  either "Black" or "Mulatto."  Surnames are alphabetized, then sorted by year of birth, with the oldest listed first and youngest last.  Surnames with a prefix, such as Mc or O', may be listed under the first letter of the remainder of the name.

sample listing

• CARTER, Mary Self (1843) F B Bir: MD
  Cen: PA
  Dauphin County, Harrisburg

key

• CARTER, Mary Self ¹ (born in1843) F(emale) B(lack)² (State of) Bir(th): MD³
  Cen(sus): PA³
  Dauphin County, Harrisburg⁴

notes

1. Relation of the person to the head of the household.  "Self" indicates the person who is enumerated as the head of the household.  Other entries include "wife," "son," "daughter," and various abbreviations, such as "Gdau" for granddaughter, "SonL" for son-in-law, etc.
2. African Americans were classified as either "Black," or "Mulatto."  An "M" designation in this spot signifies a mulatto classification.  All such classifications were left to the discretion of the census taker, whose judgment could be highly subjective.
3. States of birth are indicated by modern postal service two-letter designations.
4. City, borough or township within the county.  Some names of communities are no longer used, such as "Churchville," which was near Oberlin.