Family Tree Friday: Nonpopulation Census Records – Agricultural
Schedules A couple of weeks ago I showed you an example of a
Mortality Schedule. Today I want to show you another type of
Nonpopulation schedule – this time an Agricultural Schedule. If
you have an ancestor who was a farmer in the mid-nineteenth
century, you may be able to find information about their farm.
You may find the total acreage of the farm and how it was used,
as well as the value and quantity of produce and livestock on
the farm. For example, in 1870 William Wonduly owned 40 acres of
improved land and two acres of unimproved land in the form of
woodland. The cash value of his farm was $8,400. In addition, he
owned three horses and five cows. He produced 300 bushels of
Indian corn and 150 pounds of butter annually. If you had only
looked at the 1870 population schedule, you wouldn’t have
learned any of this. One really interesting thing about William
Wonduly’s farm is that it was located in Philadelphia.
Researchers are often surprised