Mortality Schedules

In 1850, 1860, 1870, & 1880 there were mortality schedules listing those individuals who had died within the year ending on June 1 of the census year.  The 1850 & 1860 schedules list the name; age; sex; color; slave or free; marital status; place of birth; month of death; cause of death; profession; and number of days ill.  The 1870 schedule adds columns for whether the individual’s parents are foreign born and deletes the number of days ill and the slave or free columns.  Finally, the 1880 schedule adds columns for residency, where the disease was contracted, and the attending physician’s name.

Beginning in 1890, the mortality schedule was reduced to aggregate data for a few cities from each state.  Missouri cities in 1890 were Kansas City and St. Louis.  St. Joseph was added in 1900.

The 1850-1880 Morality schedules have been indexed and are available through the Census Records and Tax Lists database.  

Sample FormStatistical Summaries
1850 PDF file* Statistical summaries are available on the Census Bureau’s website https://www.census.gov/prod/www/decennial.html.  This link will take you off-site.  Once you are there, click on the year of the census.  Then click on the ZIP file for a specific report.
1860 PDF file*
1870 PDF file*
1880 PDF file*
1890 (destroyed by 1896 fire)
1900 (destroyed by Federal order)

*The Archives has this schedule on microfilm and DVD.  To search a mortality schedule, see the Census Records and Tax Lists database or complete and submit a research request.