Who Conducted ther First Census in 1790
The 16 U. S. Marshals, One Territorial Govenor Who Conducted the First U. S. Census

Henry Dearborn, Maine, was a 38-year-old, who played a central role in the American Revolution, the early political landscape of the United States and the 1790 Census.

    After distinguishing himself in some of the bloodiest battles of the Revolution, Dearborn served as the district of Maine’s first U.S. marshal. In this capacity, he personally enumerated the populations of 23 towns in three different counties.

    With the assistance of his deputies, he determined that Maine then had a population of 96,540 people. His task completed, Dearborn’s political career skyrocketed. He went on to serve in Congress and as secretary of war.

    Robert Forsyth, Georgia. In the fall of 1789, President Washington appointed Forsyth, a veteran of the Revolution and family friend, as Georgia’s first U.S. marshal, a decision that would prove fateful. Forsyth and his deputies enumerated 82,548 people by 25 June 1791, and met the original deadline set by Congress.

    Forsyth continued to serve as a marshal until 1794, when he was shot and killed while trying to arrest a former churchman named Beverly Allen. Forsyth became the first federal law enforcement officer killed in the line of duty.

    Isaac Huger, South Carolina. Like most of his colleagues, Huger had a rich career of service to his state and the nation, beginning when he joined the Provincial South Carolina Regiment, and fought in the Anglo-Cherokee War as a lieutenant at age 18.

    In the years following, Huger served as a member of the First Provincial Congress of South Carolina, fought in numerous battles during the Revolution and worked as sheriff of the Charleston District. His service and personal friendship with Washington led to an appointment as South Carolina’s first U.S. marshal in the fall of 1789. Huger failed to return South Carolina’s 1790 Census responses by the initial 5 Sept 1791, deadline But he secured a congressional extension to avoid the hefty $800 penalty ($22,345.57 today). He ultimately delivered South Carolina’s census returns with the help of his 18 deputy marshals on 5 Feb 1792. Final population count: 249,073.

    Jonathan Jackson, Massachusetts, was not a veteran of the Revolution but his knowledge and personal prestige among his regional contemporaries proved invaluable during the 1790 Census. Using his connections as a local politician, successful businessman and military officer during the 1786-87 Shay’s Rebellion, Jackson hired 16 local deputies to enumerate Massachusetts’ population within the nine-month timeframe established by Congress. His state’s then-population: 378,787. After the census count, Jackson continued to serve as U.S. marshal of

Massachusetts for several more years before moving on to more lucrative positions in other state and local public and private sectors.

    Thomas Lowrey, New Jersey. An Irish immigrant, Lowrey utilized his business skills and personal wealth to secure a place in his local community and the new American federal government. By the time Washington appointed him New Jersey’s first U.S. marshal in the fall of 1789, Lowrey was an established businessman who had provided funding for the first church in Flemington, N.J., and had served as a commissary officer in the Continental Army.

    According to 1790 Census records, New Jersey appears to have been the first state to complete the Census by 2 April 1791, despite having, at the time, the ninth-largest population at 184,139.

    Lowrey continued to serve his community and nation as New Jersey’s U.S. marshal (1789-1801) and as a member of both the New Jersey Assembly in 1791 and 1792, and Hunterdon County Board of Chosen Freeholders (1791-1794).

    Samuel McDowell, Jr., Kentucky, was appointed as U.S. marshal for the District of Kentucky in the fall of 1789, McDowell, Jr., a 25-year-old veteran of the Revolution, became the youngest member of the U.S. Marshal Service. Although he initially brought a limited amount of experience to the position, McDowell had a patriotic fervor that contributed to his success in the role and to Kentucky gaining statehood on 1 June 1792. McDowell and his deputies (many of whom were likely his relatives) completed their task in June 1791, three months before the deadline. Kentucky then had a population of 73,677, which made it eligible for statehood and the right to send representatives and senators to the U.S. Congress.

    Allan McLane, Delaware. While McLane, a veteran of the Revolution and federalist delegate to Delaware’s 1787 State Convention, failed to obtain a financially lucrative federal position, Washington appointed him Delaware’s first marshal in the fall of 1789. During his tenure as a marshal, McLane was paid $100 - the smallest amount of financial compensation received by any of the first U.S marshals to oversee the 1790 enumeration of Delaware’s population, which then totaled 59,096 people.

    After the count ended on 4 May 1791, McLane served as a marshal for nearly six more years, before becoming the collector of Customs for the Port of Wilmington.

    Lewis R. Morris, Vermont. Because of Vermont’s late entry into the Union, the state did not get an appointed U.S. marshal until 4 March 1791. Morris and his deputies completed the enumeration of their new state’s population by 24 Oct 1791. After reviewing and compiling the returns from other states, then-Secretary





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