The 1870 census index for African Americans can help you locate an ancestor in selected states and cities after the Civil War. Use the free lookup form below to request a search for one person. Add a place, approximate age, or known relative to help identify the right entry.
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What this index covers
This 1870 census index includes African Americans in selected areas, rather than every person in the national census. The collection’s stated coverage includes Georgia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia, together with Baltimore, Chicago, New York City, and St. Louis.
The underlying census can provide a person’s name, age, birthplace, occupation, and other household details. However, the 1870 schedule did not state each person’s relationship to the head of household. Shared residence alone does not prove a particular family relationship.
How to use a possible match
Start with the state and county or city where the ancestor may have lived in 1870. Include an approximate birth year and the names of relatives who might appear nearby. If a name changed or appears with different spellings, include the variants you have found.
A match in the 1870 census index is a lead to the original population schedule. Read the whole household and nearby entries, then compare ages, birthplaces, and other details with records from earlier or later years. Keep the original spelling in your notes alongside any interpretation.
If this index produces no match, consider whether the person lived outside its selected coverage. You can also search the wider 1870 census, try spelling variants, and look for relatives or neighbors. Record the locality and page for each possible entry so you can compare candidates carefully.
Please read the free lookup guidelines before submitting. Requests are for an index search for one ancestor.
Research source
National Archives guide to the 1870 census
Learn More
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