The census of 1860

The data

The transcription as files, with what each field is and how accurate it was measured to be.

Files

The schedules are a public record. This transcription is published by Charleston in the War for any use with attribution to charlestoninthewar.com.

Fields

page / line / frame
The printed sheet number and line, and the microfilm frame (page + 2) on reel 1216 — the citation.
dwelling / family
The enumerator's running numbers, carried down to every member.
name_as_written
Exactly as on the sheet, ditto mark included; ? marks an uncertain reading.
given / surname / surname_inferred
The name split for indexing; surname_inferred is true where the sheet has a ditto and the surname is supplied from above.
age / sex / color
As written; ages under one year as a fraction (9/12); color blank means white, B black, M mulatto.
occupation / real_estate / personal_estate / birthplace
As written. A ditto in birthplace means the entry above.
notes
Anything the enumerator added (a margin note, a struck figure) or the reader had to say about the line.

How accurate it is

342 of 2,000 rows carry a question mark on a name, age or sex. Columns 11–14 (married within the year, attended school, cannot read, infirmities) were not transcribed in the pilot except where noted.

A second, blind reading of a sample is pending; until it is done no accuracy figure is claimed.