Are You Using Mortality Schedules from the Census Records

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What’s a mortality schedule you ask? Well, the U.S. Census Bureau, starting in 1850, began preparing special Non-population Schedules. Population schedules are the ones that we are always using and we tend to call them just “Census Records”. There have been several Non-population schedules, including Agricultural Schedules, Manufacturing Schedules, Social Statistic Schedules, Business Schedules, and this topic – ”Mortality Schedules”

The federal government created mortality schedules as part of the census effort in 1850, 1860, 1870, and 1880. The goal was to name those who were deceased in the 12 months prior to the taking of the census.

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