r Non-population schedules contained in Ancestry’s database include agriculture, industry/manufacturers and social statistics. Agricultural schedules are useful for both historians and family historians, providing an overall view of the agricultural state of the nation. These schedules recorded statistics on farms, plantations, and market gardens, listing the names of owners, agents, and managers. The type of statistics recorded included the total acreage of land, the value of the farm, machinery and livestock, the amount of staples (wool, cotton, grain, etc.) produced, and the value of animals slaughtered, etc. In 1880, farm operators were classified as owner, tenant, or sharecropper.
Industry schedules are useful for illustrating the industrial and technological development of the country. These schedules collected information about manufacturing, mining, fishing, and mercantile, commercial, and trading businesses with an annual gross product of $500.00 or more. The schedule lists the name of each corporation, company, or individual, a description of the type of business, amount of capital invested, the quantity and value of resources used, the quantity of yearly production, and the number of individuals hired, etc. In 1870 distinctions were made between child and adult labor. In 1880 companies were classified into categories.
Social statistics schedules compiled from 1850 to 1880 contain three items of specific interest for the genealogist: (1) The schedules list cemetery facilities within city boundaries, including maps with cemeteries marked; the names, addresses, and general description of all cemeteries; procedures for interment; cemeteries no longer functioning; and the reasons for their closing. (2) The schedules also list trade societies, lodges, clubs, and other groups, including their addresses, major branches, names of executive officers, and statistics showing members, meetings, and financial worth. (3) The schedules list churches, including a brief history, a statement of doctrine and policy, and a statistical summary of membership by county. Knowing the cemeteries, societies and churches in the area where your family lived can help you find many more records
Other information recorded on the social statistics schedules include the aggregate value of property, a breakdown of taxes paid, a list of schools (you may find your family in school records), colleges, and academies with their numbers of teachers and students, a list of libraries and their number of books, a list of newspapers and periodicals published within a community, which is very helpful for a genealogist, the number of paupers supported by the community, the number of criminals convicted within the previous year, and the number of convicts in jail.
