The First Washington Territorial Census
The Columbian, July 9, 1853, page 2. This article lists the questions U.S. Marshal J. Patton Anderson asked in his census.
The first newspaper published in what was to become the Territory of Washington, The Columbian, printed its first issue on September 11, 1852. The paper advocated for creating a territory north of the Columbia River, an area that was, at the time, part of the Oregon Territory. The Territory of Washington was officially created when Congress passed the Organic Act, which was signed into law by Millard Fillmore on March 2, 1853. It took some time before the people of the territory knew they had succeeded in creating Washington Territory, which they had initially wanted to call Columbia Territory. The news did not reach them until April. The Columbian printed a paragraph reporting a rumor that Washington Territory had been formed on April 9, 1853. An article published the following week, on April 16, 1853, went into great detail confirming the rumor.
Prior to the first election of the territorial legislature, the Organic Act mandated that a census be taken to ensure that representation in the legislature would be properly apportioned. This census was conducted by the newly appointed United States Marshal, J. Patton Anderson. He asked a number of questions of the citizens of the newly formed Washington Territory. To make it a quick and easy process, the newspaper printed the questions U.S. Marshal Anderson would be asking as he traveled around the state. The questions were printed in the July 9, 1853, issue of The Columbian. Some of the questions are what you would expect to find on a census, like name, age, sex, occupation, and place of birth. Others were less typical, such as the number of acres of land, the amount of specific crops raised the previous year, the number of specific animals owned over the last year, and the name, age, sex, and cause of death of every person who died within the last year. The articles says that he would also be asking other questions about schools and churches but does not list those questions.
Washington Pioneer, December 17, 1853, page 2. Census Returns.
Just like it took time for the news to reach Washington Territory that the Organic Act had been signed and they were now a Territory, it took time for Marshal J. Patton Anderson to take the census. A letter from Governor Isaac Ingalls Stevens to the First Comptroller of the Treasury, Elisha Whittlesey, dated August 31, 1854, says, "Col. Anderson gave his whole time from the 1st July to the 31st October to taking the census." Marshal Anderson kept a detailed diary-like record of the expenses during that time. It included ferry rides, boat rentals, canoe rides, native guides, food, horse hires, and the like. The expenses of taking the census totaled $2,099.59, a large amount for the time. In 2024, according to a relative value calculator, that would be $88,069.25.
The census returns were printed in the Washington Pioneer, the successor of The Columbian, on December 17, 1853. After the returns were published, it is unclear what became of the census. It cannot be researched, not because of damage or fire, but because it has disappeared. Articles and blogs report the census returns, but do not mention the rest of the census is gone. Some think a count was all that was taken, but the newspaper tells a different story. A detailed census was taken in 1853, by U. S. Marshal J. Patton Anderson. Marshal Anderson spent months traveling the state gathering the information. The newspaper does not tell the story of what happened next to the census. Have you heard anything about the fate of the Washington Territory 1853 census? If so, please email Ask a Librarian.
For Further Research
The Columbian newspaper:
Washington Digital Newspapers: September 11, 1852-November 26, 1853
Chronicling America: September 11, 1852-November 26, 1853
Microfilm available at the Washington State Library: September 11, 1852-November 26, 1853
HistoryLink.org Essays:
Washington Territory and Washington State, Founding of
Other Online Resources for further research:
Other Resources Available in the Library:
Records of the United States General Accounting Office. Miscellaneous Treasury Accounts. [microform]
NW MICRO 027.5797 UNITED 1960
This reel of microfilm includes selected accounts for taking the Washington Territory census, 1853, 1854-1855. This microfilm includes a letter from Governor Stevens to Comptroller Whittlesey, dated August 31, 1854. It also includes the diary-like record of the expenses of Marshal Anderson during the time he was taking the 1853 census.