Part of the U.S. Federal Censuses from 1850-1880 included a mortality schedule enumerating the individuals who had died in the previous year. Because each of the censuses from 1850-1880 began on June 1, "previous year" refers to the 12 months preceding June 1, or June 1 (of the previous year) to May 31 (of the census year). This database contains an index to all individuals enumerated in these mortality schedules. In addition, each individual is linked to the census image on which they appear. Not all information that is recorded on the actual census is included in the index. Therefore, it is important that you view the image on which your ancestor is recorded to obtain all possible information about him/her.
Questions asked in the mortality schedules:
Deceased's name
Sex
Age
Color (White, black, mulatto)
Whether widowed
Place of birth (state, territory, or country)
Month in which the death occurred
Profession, occupation, or trade
Disease or cause of death
Number of days ill
Parents' birthplaces (added in 1870)
Place where disease was contracted and how long the deceased was a resident of the area (added in 1880)
Why mortality schedules are useful:
Mortality schedules are essentially nationwide, state-by-state death registers that predate the recording of vital statistics in most states. While deaths are under-reported, the mortality schedules remain an invaluable source of information.
Mortality schedules are useful for tracing and documenting genetic symptoms and diseases and verifying and documenting Africa American, Chinese, and Native American ancestry, although African Americans are often included, especially if they were slaves.
Which states are included?
The following table shows for which states and years mortality schedules exist. Those in bold are ones that Ancestry.com has or will soon post online. The remaining states will be posted as Ancestry.com can acquire the data.
