Census transcriptions:

Aroostook County, Maine, 1840 US Census

(including communities on the north bank of the upper St.John River in Carleton -- now Madawaska -- County, New Brunswick)

• About the 1840 Census of Aroostook County

• Transcriptions Go the list of Aroostook towns that have been transcribed with links to transcriptions

• A Guide to the 1840 US Census, Maine, Aroostook County List of Aroostook Townships in the order they appear in the census, their page numbers, and links to those I've put online
• Index of persons in the 1840 US Census of Aroostook County
• Annotations: The popup boxes Additional information about individuals who appear in the census: marriage, maiden names, etc.
• Notes on the census of the Madawaska Settlements North and South of the St.John River (including: Why a US census of communities in New Brunswick?)
• Today's townships What they were called in the 1840 census
• 1840 townships What they're called today
• French names A note on the challenge of finding French names in the 1840 US Census of Aroostook County
• The Census takers Some information on the guys whose names appear at the top of each census page
• A brief history of Aroostook County's townships and their early settlers
• Links Some other Aroostook genealogy and census links
• These pages are part of the US GenWeb Census Transcription Project and the US GenWeb Archives Census Project, and are generated using their excellent Centrans database software. They are posted here in a modified format. These transcriptions are linked to the US GenWeb Maine Census page and the US GenWeb Archives Census Project
• Be sure to check out the other census and survey transcriptions on this site, including the 1820 US Census of Matawascah Parish, the 1830 US Census of Madawaska, the 1831 Deane and Kavanagh Survey of Madawaska, the 1833 New Brunswick Census of Madawaska--all of which survey both north and south banks of the St.John--and the 1850 US Census of Aroostook Co. For a full list, go the the Upper St.John River Valley front page.

About the 1840 Census

The Sixth Census of the United States, undertaken in 1840, was a head of household census; that is, it recorded the name only of the heads of families; the rest of the information was recorded in terms of numbers of people within households, without names. The census data is supposed to be as of June 1, 1840, the date on which census enumeration began; the census in Aroostook County seems to have been completed by the end of September 1840. The actual enumeration was to be undertaken by Assistant US Marshals.

The census form itself breaks the population down by race, sex, and slave vs. free status. In particular, it asked about number of free white males and females in 5-year age groups to 20, 10-year age groups from 20 to 100, and 100 years old and over; number of slaves and free colored persons in six broad age groups; number of deaf and dumb; number of blind; number of insane and idiotic in public or private charge; number of persons in each family employed in each of seven classes of occupations; number of schools and number of scholars; number of white persons over 20 who could not read and write; number of pensioners for Revolutionary or other military service.

In the census of Aroostook County, the census takers were not consistent in taking down information about the occupations of individuals, about the number of students in each family, or about the number of people in each family who could not read and write. In some cases, that information was carefully noted (for example in the divisions surveyed by census taker John M. Hutchinson). In other cases however, it was not. In addition, the very last column, on those who cannot read and write, is often not visible in the microfilm copy of the census. So the lack of information in a column does not mean there were no people in that category in the household. If a number is in the column, however, it means that the census taker did mark it down and that it was legible on the microfilm copy of the census.

In addition to townships that are in the County of Aroostook, the 1840 census includes communities that are now in Madawaska County, New Brunswick (for an explanation, see Notes on the census of the Madawaska Settlements North and South of the St.John River). In addition, two townships in Penobscot County, Township Number 3, 6th and 7th Ranges (now Stacyville and Sherman Station) were included, possibly because the road (now Route 11) between Township 3, Range 5 (now Sherman) northward to Township 6, Range 5 (now Moro Plantation) passes through Penobscot County at that point.

Once the enumeration was finished, "correct" copies of the completed census forms were "set up at two of the most public places within the Division, open to the inspection of all concerned," according to notes at the end of each division's pages, and one was sent to the US district court in the region.

Aroostook County in 1840 had a population of 9,413. There were three people listed under "free colored" people; and obviously no slaves (Maine had entered the Union in 1820 as a free state). 2,273 people worked in agriculture, 27 in manufacturing, 9 in "learned professions and engineering." There was only one Revolutionary war or other military pensioner; 971 people over the age of 20 who could not read and write, 29 public grammar or common schools with about 1,150 students.

Here's a breakdown of the free white population of the county by age and sex:

Age	Males:	Females:
0-4 years	930	846
5-9	749	704
10-14	555	509
15-19	450	497
20-29	1,186	677
30-39	705	426
40-49	389	256
50-59	200	122
60-69	93	55
70-79	29	26
80-89	6	4
90-99	1	1
100+	0	0
Total	5,293	4,123

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Transcriptions of the 1840 US Census of Aroostook County, Maine by township names and page numbers (Microfilm Roll #M704-136)

These pages are transcriptions of names as the census takers wrote them. Some of the names (especially the French ones) were not taken down correctly by the enumerator, but the census transcription project's goal is an exact copy of what was written. Only information in the space under "Remarks" is not transcribed from the census (rather, it explains or gives further information).

For clues on the French names that are misspelled, see my page on French names in the 1840 census of Aroostook County. For a few people for whom I have specific information, for example the "correct" spelling of the name, maiden name, etc., I have put that information into the "Remarks" space (in parentheses).

If you have information about someone in the census--correct name spelling, maiden name, etc.--let me know and I'll add it.

I am also putting links into these pages. If there is a page elsewhere with info on an individual, I will put a link from the census transcription page to that page. If you'd like me to link anyone, please let me know the page address.

These transcriptions have been done from the microfilm copy of the census, input into the US GenWeb Census Project software CenTrans, and then proofread against that copy and corrected. I then formatted them into the pages here.

A Note on Page Headings
At the top of each page of the transcription is information about that page. Some is self-explanatory, but here are explanations of some of the other information:

Stamped no.: Numbers stamped in the upper right hand corner of each full schedule page. These are the page numbers used in this transcription and in the published index to the 1840 census.
Reel no.: The number of the microfilm reel that contains this particular county's census returns.
Division: Name of townships listed in the 1840 Census, as written vertically in the far left hand column of the original census form (under the heading "Names of County, City, Ward, towns, Township, Parish, Precinct, Hundred or District").
Page no.: For the transcription of the Madawaska Settlements, I have numbered each page in those divisions consecutively; for the rest of the county, this is the same number as the "stamped number".
Enumerated by: The name of the Assistant US Marshal who acted as the census taker for the division. More information on the census takers.
Reference: Numbers that are on the right-hand edge of the microfilm, above the actual images of the census pages, that indicate a location on the microfilm roll, not specific pages. Useful to find a specific place on the microfilm roll without having to use a microfilm viewer, or when scanning through a large number of pages, or for finding pages whose stamped page numbers are difficult to see.

Pages 1 through 44 of this microfilm reel contain the totals for every township and county in the State of Maine; the census of Aroostook county thus does not begin until page 45.

To see the full list of towns in the 1840 census in the original order, with page numbers, microfilm reference numbers, and total population of each township, go to the Guide to the 1840 US Census, Aroostook County.

Click here to see the current names of the Aroostook townships that are included in the 1840 census; or here to see what the 1840 townships are called today.

Alphabetical list of townships in the 1840 US Census of Aroostook County, Maine: Links to online transcriptions:

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Last revised 26 Jul 2003
© 2003 C. Gagnon