of State Thomas Jefferson informed Congress that Vermont had a population of 85,539. However, the count proved to be flawed. Years later, it was discovered that Morris or his enumerators had misclassified “Free people” as “slaves” and made a mathematical error in their final tally of Vermont’s population.
John Parker, New Hampshire, As a former state sheriff, merchant and Revolution veteran, John Parker’s history of community service made him a prime candidate to become New Hampshire’s first marshal in 1789. As the oldest marshal in the “first class” of the United States Marshal Service, he oversaw the count and found that 141,885 people lived in the Granite State in the 1790s. Tragically, John Parker died just 20 days before Jefferson sent the initial 1790 census returns to Congress.
William Peck, Rhode Island. Like many others, Peck tried to parlay his U.S. marshal appointment into a more lucrative federal appointment or private career. Peck suffered financial difficulties after the Revolution, he made some bad investments and almost landed in debtors’ prison.
He later capitalized on Rhode Island’s entry into the United States as the 13th state by lobbying President Washington for a well-paid federal government position. In the summer of 1790, Peck’s efforts paid off. Washington appointed him as Rhode Island’s first U.S. marshal. In his new position, he oversaw the 1790 enumeration of Rhode Island and determined that 68,825 people were then living in the second-smallest state in the nation.
Nathaniel Ramsay, Maryland. Like many of his colleagues in the Marshal Service, Ramsay’s experience and devotion to his country made him an ideal candidate. He had served as an officer in William Smallwood’s Maryland battalion during the Revolution, when he participated in George Washington’s first 1776 and 1777 military campaigns and the 1777-78 winter encampment at Valley Forge. He was wounded and captured by the British during the battle of Monmouth Courthouse. In January 1781, Ramsay returned to his home in Maryland, where he resumed his law practice and took an active role in local politics.
After his appointment as a U.S. marshal, Ramsay and his deputies conducted a successful enumeration of Maryland’s population, counting 319,723 people. Ramsay continued to serve until his retirement in 1798.
John Skinner, North Carolina. Due to North Carolina’s late ratification of the Constitution, Skinner, a veteran of the Revolution and prominent federalist in North Carolina’s state government, was appointed U.S. marshal on 8 June 1790 instead of in the fall of 1789.
Despite this delay, Skinner and his 15 deputies still completed their enumeration by 5 Sept 1791. They counted 393,751 people, making North Carolina the third-largest state. After his four-year term as a marshal, Skinner retired from public service and managed his private business interests for the remainder of his life.
William Smith, New York. Smith had an illustrious and colorful career as a soldier, diplomat, U.S. marshal and politician that spanned four decades. While perhaps better known as one of Washington’s aides during the American Revolution or for marrying the daughter of John and Abigail Adams, Smith’s role in the 1790 Census is just as intriguing.
As one of the only U.S. marshals to expand the scope of the 1790 Census by adding two additional columns – male and female – to the census forms, Smith enhanced the Census Bureau’s mission to collect, analyze and distribute data products that consumers can use in their daily lives.
Smith’s final returns showed New York’s population was 340,120. New York City had a population of 33,131, making it the largest city in the young nation. Today, New York City maintains this distinction with an estimated population of 8,398,748.
The Census and the United States Today
Since the completion of the 1790 Census, the U.S. Census Bureau has evolved into a complex federal agency that collects, analyzes and interprets a vast amount of data related to the United States and its territories.
While the scope of the Census Bureau’s mission has grown in scale, its primary objective, as specified in the U.S. Constitution, remains the same.
Today, the United States has an estimated population of 329,342,883 and encompasses a landmass of 3,531,905 square miles.
The Census Bureau remains committed to expanding upon the legacy of public service that the first class of the U.S. Marshal Service established in 1789-1790.
Source: Andrew Babin, historian, US Census Bureau’s Public Information Office