Census schedules were compiled by assistant marshals of the federal government and submitted to the Secretary of the Interior to determine and evaluate the utilization of farmland in Missouri. Each return includes names of county and, frequently, other legal subdivisions (e.g., cities, wards, towns, townships, precincts and districts). Entries for each farm concerning the activities of the previous year include name of owner, agent or manager; number of acres of improved and unimproved land; valuation of farm, farm implements and machinery, livestock, orchard products, forest products, market garden produce, homemade manufactures and slaughtered animals; total valuation of farm; numbers of livestock (i.e., horses, asses and mules, milk cows, working oxen, other cattle, sheep, swine); quantity of produce (i.e., bushels of wheat, rye, Indian corn, oats, peas, sweet potatoes, beans, Irish potatoes, barley, budkwheat, clover seed, other grass seeds, flax seeds, pounds of rice, tobacco, wool, butter, cheese, hops, flax, silk cocoons, maple sugar, cane sugar, beeswax and honey; tons of hay and dew and water rotted hemp; bales of 400 pound ginned cotton; gallons of wine and molasses). Returns for counties also include name and certification of assistant marshal; date of census, location of post office. Entries for data are recapitulated by legal subdivisions (e.g., town, township, legal description of district), county and state.
