1855 Census Returns: Marion County

Statistics for Marion County

The following statistics are extrapolated from the data contained in the manuscript returns from the 1855 state census of Marion County. While indexing the records, Florida Memory staff discovered a considerable number of mathematical errors made by the census takers in tabulating their figures. The statistics below are based on our own calculations using the original manuscript census returns.

Note: These figures often differ from those printed in the Secretary of State's statewide report on the census.

Download complete spreadsheet containing census data for Marion County. (.csv)

Total Number of white inhabitants = 2718
Total Number of Slaves = 3593
Total Number of Free Persons of Color = 1
Total Population of Marion County in 1855 = 6312


Notable Observations:

  • According to the returns, only 177, or 22% of the county's 816 white children aged 5-18 attended school in 1855. This was lower than the state average of 27%.

  • Marion County's slave population of 3,593 was the 6th largest of all counties in Florida in 1855.

  • The census returns list only one free person of color in all of Marion County in 1855, a male associated with the household of Frederick Wiggins. Wiggins also owned 24 slaves.

  • The average value of an individual slave in Marion County in 1855 was $632. When adjusted for inflation, that amount translates to about $15,800 in 2014 dollars.

  • The average land holdings of an 1855 Marion County landowner totaled 438 acres. The average price per acre was $8.55, which would translate to about $214 per acre in today's dollars. Nearly 65% of Marion County householders recorded in the census returns owned their own land.

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