for purposes of data collection. The published data made no use of State combinations. Instead, the summary table listed the 13 States (Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and Virginia) and three districts (Kentucky, Maine, and Vermont) under one heading, “Districts.” Two territories (Territory Northwest of River Ohio, and Territory South of River Ohio) also were under the heading of “Districts” but below the grand totals for the 16 areas listed above.
In 1790, U. S. marshals conducted the decennial census within judicial districts (this method of enumeration continued until 1870) while Territory South of River Ohio was enumerated by the Governor. Indian warfare prevented the 1790 enumeration of Territory Northwest of River Ohio. Figure 6-2 shows the major geographic entities of the first U.S. Census.
With one exception, the published returns of the 1790 census did not use any geographic combinations of counties within States; the listing of counties within States was alphabetical, with minor civil divisions and some incorporated places appearing in similar sequence. The table for Maryland was the exception; it arranged the county totals by western shore and eastern shore. Although the geographic pattern of the States and territories shifted frequently over the next half-century, decennial census publications from 1800 to 1840 made no use of large-area summary units. In general, States were listed in geographic order, beginning with Maine.
The 1850 decennial census brought considerable change to the enumeration process and the tabular presentation of statistical compilations. The published reports received the attention of the well-known editor, journalist, and statistician, James D. B. DeBow, who became the Superintendent of the Census in 1853. He directed the statistical compilations of the 1850 decennial census and completed the publication of several printed
