Vermont Census Records 1800s

The United States Census Bureau website has scanned copies of the published results https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census/decade.html of the census from 1790 through 2010. For ease of access to the records for Vermont, excerpts for the state counts are available as pdf files below. Each decade includes the composite records for the state and a sample from an individual town.

Vermont in 1800 (PDF 4.6 MB) - Enosburgh in 1800

Vermont in 1810 - manufacturing only (PDF 0.9 MB) - Holland in 1810

Vermont in 1820 (PDF 0.4 MB) - Chelsea in 1820

Vermont in 1830 (PDF 0.1 MB) - South Hero in 1830

Vermont in 1840 (PDF 5.6 MB) - Hubbardton in 1840

Vermont in 1850 (PDF 2.2 MB) - Dorset in 1850

Vermont in 1860 (PDF 1.1 MB) - Springfield in 1860

Vermont in 1870 (PDF 1.3 MB) - Stowe in 1870

Vermont in 1880 (PDF 2.1 MB) - Bristol in 1880

Vermont in 1890 (PDF 1.9 MB) - original records destroyed in fire

Ideas for Census Record Lessons

Look at the census forms for Hubbardton in 1840 and Vernon in 1940. Compare the information the government collected in these two census counts. What do the changes in questions suggest about societal changes between 1840 and 1940?

Print the bar graphs and use the town census records to graph the changes in population over time. What events influenced the changes in population? How does your town graph compare to graphs from other towns?

Analyze Vermont's total population. In which decades did Vermont's total population decrease? What was happening in the United States in these decades that might have contributed to the decline in population? In which decade did Vermont's population grow by the greatest amount? What events contributed to this growth?