How do I pull data on the 1850 and 1860 slave schedules?

USA
1

I’d like to gather some statistics. I used to use the Historiacl Census Browser at UVA which was much more user freindly to those of us (like myself) who are not accustomed to using a tool as complicated as this.

I’d like to be able to find out, for example, the numbers of slaves in 1850 and 1860 owned by large slaveholders (100 or more).

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

2

You can definitely find that data at IPUMS NHGIS. Here are the required steps:

Create an account

  1. Register for an account on NHGIS. On the main NHGIS site (linked above), please click the LOGIN link in the upper right hand corner.

  2. Once you’ve created an account, you need to verify your email address. We will send you an email. Please click the link in it to verify.

Find the data

  1. Go to https://www.nhgis.org/

  2. Click the Get Data button in the middle of the screen to go to the data access system.

  3. Click the TOPICS button under APPLY FILTERS. This will open the TOPICS filter pop up.

  4. Scroll down to the bottom of the TOPIC pop up and click the green plus icon next to Slavery. Click the SUBMIT button to apply the filter.

  5. You will now see 39 source tables listed under SELECT DATA.

  6. Click the YEARS button under APPLY FILTERS. This will open the YEARS filter pop up.

  7. Click on the checkboxes next to 1850 and 1860. Click the SUBMIT button to apply the filter.

  8. Now you will see 19 source tables listed under SELECT DATA.

  9. For 1850, you will want table NT15. Number of Slaves per Slave Holder. Click the green checkbox next to that table to add it to your data cart.

  10. For 1860, you will want table NT14. Slave Holders by Number of Slaves. Click the green checkbox next to that table to add it to your data cart.

  11. Next, click the green CONTINUE button in the upper right hand corner. This will take you to the Data Options page.

  12. Click the green SELECT GEOGRAPHIC LEVELS button to open the pop up. Click the green plus icons next to the geographic levels you want the data for (e.g., nation, state, or county).

  13. Click the SUBMIT button to apply your selection.

  14. Next, click the green CONTINUE button in the upper right hand corner. This will take you to the Review and Submit page.

  15. Click the SUBMIT button to submit your extract request. The system will create the data for you and send you an email when it’s ready to download. The data will come in a CSV file that can be opened in Microsoft Excel or other spreadsheet software.You will also get a text file that describes the contents of the CSV file (e.g., what does each column in the CSV mean).

I hope this helps you find the data you’re looking for!