Lists Describe Situation At Death

Every genealogist has heard about Mortality Censuses, but few could explain in detail what the documents offer. Let’s change that today!

According to the United States Census Mortality Schedule Register, compiled and published by Family History Library staff in 1992, mortality schedules (lists of deaths) were compiled as part of the census enumeration from 1850 to 1900.

By 1910 vital registration was considered so complete that census counts of mortality were no longer necessary.

The federal mortality schedule listed only those who died during the 12 months prior to June 1 of the census year. They contained the same basic information as the regular census schedules: name, age, sex, color or race, whether free or slave, marital status, birthplace and occupation. They also included the month of death, cause of death, and in some censuses, the number of days sick before death.

Mortality schedules can be especially helpful for slave ancestry because that kind of detailed information on each slave was not given in the regular slave schedules.

The register’s introduction says, as with regular censuses, Mortality Schedules included additional, different questions each time.

The 1870 schedule had columns indicating if parents were foreign-born. The 1880 schedules added questions about the state or country of parents’ birth, and length of residence in that county.

In some cases, federal mortality schedules were filmed with the state mortality schedules (such as the New York 1855, 1865 and 1875 schedules).

Three sets of the 1850-1870 federal mortality schedules were made. One set remained with the county, one went to the state and the third to Washington, D.C.

County and state schedules are usually found interspersed with their respective population schedules, and most are available on microfilm.

Only one copy of the 1880 schedules exists. The lists for 1890 and 1900 were destroyed. The federal government’s copies of mortality schedules for all years prior to 1885 were offered to state depositories in 1918 and 1919. The DAR library in Washington, D.C., received the schedules for Arizona, Colorado, District of Columbia, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana and Tennessee because those states declined their schedules.

In 1980, the originals were sent to the National Archives. Most other original schedules are now at state libraries, archives and historical societies.

The United States Census Mortality Schedule Register’s Appendix A, lists all those Mortality Schedules indexed by Search 8 in the AIS Microfiche Census Index (commonly known as the AIS Index).

Appendix B lists the original mortality schedules not at the Family History Library, what years and the name and address of the repository where they are available.

Perhaps you’re saying what good will this information do me since the book is in the Family History Library and not readily available?

If you desire to use a Mortality Schedule, do some homework reading, like “The Source,” then use the AIS Census Index at any Family History Center branch library.

If you think there’s a filmed schedule out there you want to access, but haven’t yet found, send a SASE to the Family History Library (35 N. West Temple, Salt Lake City, UT 84150) and ask if they would check the two appendices for you.

Today’s Laugh: “Genealogy without documentation is mythology.”