Collection contains the original returns compiled by the census enumerator. Schedules exist in four main categories: agriculture, manufacturing, "defective, dependent, and delinquent classes," and social statistics. The 7th (1850); 8th (1860); 9th (1870); and 10th (1880) censuses are included, while the states covered are Colorado, District of Columbia, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Tennessee, and Virginia, with scattered records for Montana, Nevada, and Wyoming. In many cases the returns are not complete. For a given schedule all counties of a state may not be represented.

Original census returns as collected by the census enumerators containing abundant detailed information on the various questions covered. The following states and schedules are in the collection, either in part or in full, by counties which constitute the last item shown in the following list:

Colorado: agriculture, 1870, Arapahoe to Weld; manufacturing, 1870, Arapahoe to Weld; social statistics, 1870, Arapahoe to Weld; agriculture, 1880, Arapahoe to Weld; defective classes, 1880, Arapahoe to Weld; manufacturing, 1880, Arapahoe to Summit.

District of Columbia: agriculture, manufacturing, and social statistics, 1850, 1860, 1870; agriculture, 1880; detectives, delinquents, and dependents, special manufacturing schedules, 1880; indigent and pauper, 1880.

Georgia: agriculture, 1850, Appling to Putnam; social statistics, 1850, Baker to Wilkinson; agriculture, 1860, Appling to Worth; social statistics, 1860, Appling to Worth; agriculture, 1870, Appling to Worth; social statistics, 1870, Appling to Worth; agriculture, 1880, Appling to Worth; defective, delinquent, and dependent classes, 1880, Appling to Worth; manufacturing, 1880, Appling to Worth.

Kentucky: agriculture, 1850, Adair to Woodford; manufacturing, 1850, Adair to Woodford; social statistics, 1850, Adair to Woodford; agriculture, 1860, Adair to Woodford; manufacturing, 1860, Adair to Woodford; social statistics, 1860, Adair to Woodford; agriculture, 1870, Adair to Woodford; agriculture (recapitulation), 1870, Allen to Woodford; manufacturing, 1870, Adair to Woodford; social statistics, 1870, Adair to Woodford; agriculture, 1880, Adair to Woodford; defective, delinquent dependent classes, 1880, Adair to Woodford; manufacturing, 1880, Adair to Woodford.

Louisiana: agriculture, 1850, Ascension to Washington; social statistics, 1850, Assumption to Washington; agriculture, 1860, Ascension to Winn; social statistics, 1860, Ascension to Winn; agriculture, 1870, Ascension to Winn; agriculture (recapitulation), 1870, Ascension to Winn; social statistics, 1870, Ascension to West Feliciana; agriculture, 1880, Ascension to Winn; defective, delinquent, and dependent classes, 1880, Ascension to Winn; manufacturing, 1880, Ascension to Winn.

Montana: agriculture, 1880.

Nevada: agriculture, 1880.

Tennessee: agriculture, 1850, Anderson to Wilson; manufacturing, 1850, Anderson to Wilson; social statistics, 1850, Anderson to Wilson; agriculture, 1860, Anderson to Wilson; manufacturing, 1860, Monroe to Wilson; social statistics, 1860, Anderson to Wilson; agriculture, 1870, Anderson to Wilson; manufacturing, 1870, Anderson to Lewis; social statistics, 1870, Anderson to Wilson; agriculture, 1880, Anderson to Wilson; defective, dependent, and delinquent classes, 1880, Anderson to Wilson; manufacturing, 1880, Anderson to Wilson.

Virginia: free inhabitants, slaves, deaths, agriculture, manufacturing, social statistics, 1860, Halifax.

Wyoming: agriculture, 1880.

With the exception of the Colorado material, all records are also on microfilm.

[Description taken from Guide to the Cataloged Collections in the Manuscript Department of the William R. Perkins Library, Duke University (1980)]