Search United States, 1860 Slave Schedule Browse

The Eighth Census of the United States, taken on 1 June 1860, includes the enumeration of enslaved peoples on a separate schedule from the free population. These schedules include the name of the enslaver, the number of enslaved and number of slaves manumitted.

While these records do not name the enslaved individually, they are a key resource for understanding the lives of the enslaved and their enslavers immediately prior to the American Civil War (1861 – 1865). In 1862, the Emancipation Proclamation was issued and thus the 1860 Census is the last in which slavery is legal in the United States. For further research, the 1870 US Census is also essential for tracking the movement of these individuals as they worked to build their lives over. The 1850 US Census also includes a slave schedule, in which the same type of information was recorded.

In most instances, there was no effort to retain family groupings within the census. Most enslavers listed individuals in age order, from oldest to youngest. Utilizing this collection is best done with other supporting evidence and searches built combining estimated age, sex, and if known, the name of the enslaver.

Under the enslaver’s name, a line for each enslaved person shows:

• Age
• Color (Black or mulatto)
• Sex
• Whether deaf-mute, blind, insane, or idiotic
• Whether a fugitive from the state

The names of the enslaved were not recorded, with very few exceptions.

The following locations were included in the slave schedule. Next to each state is the corresponding microfilm number and rolls from the National Archives and Records Administration:

• Alabama, M653, Rolls 27-36
• Arkansas, M653, Rolls 53-54
• Delaware, M653, Roll 100
• District of Columbia, M653, Roll 105
• Florida, M653, Roll 110
• Georgia, M653, Rolls 142-153
• Kentucky, M653, Rolls 401-406
• Louisiana, M432, Rolls 427-431
• Maryland, M653, Rolls 484-485
• Mississippi, M653, Rolls 595-604
• Missouri, M653, Rolls 661-664
• North Carolina, M653, Rolls 920-927
• South Carolina, M653, Rolls 1229-1238
• Tennessee, M653, Rolls 1281-1286
• Texas, M653, Rolls 1309-1312
• Utah Territory, M653, Roll 1314
• Virginia, M653, Rolls 1386-1397
• Virginia, Free and Slave Schedules (Northern Halifax County only), M1808, 1 roll

Notes about specific states:

• In the State of Louisiana, counties are named “Parishes.”
• In the State of South Carolina, counties are named “Districts.”

If you would like to cite this record in your family history research, Findmypast suggests the following format:

Findmypast.com. United States, 1860 Slave Schedule Browse [online database]. Original data: United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Eighth Census of the United States, 1860. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1860. M653, 1,438 rolls.