1820 US Census: Did Massachusetts not enumerate free people of color?

Question

Here is the 1820 census page enumerating African American Primus Slocum of Seekonk, Massachusetts.

https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GYBQ-9VGN?cc=1803955&wc=3L7F-N72%3A1586986602%2C1586988047%2C1586987920

There were no national standardized census forms in 1820. Here is the prescribed template:

https://www.archives.gov/files/research/genealogy/charts-forms/1820-census.pdf

Free people of color would have appeared ~ column 28. There are only 15 on the schedule lined above.

It is possible that Primus's three children moved out by 1820 and his wife had died. But what catches my eye is that Primus isn't even enumerated as a head of household, therefore it seems impossible to draw a conclusion about the size of Primus's household.

Anyone have any insights or tips?

Answer 1

I checked the begining of the county to see what the first page looked like: 

• 1820 Massachusetts  Bristol  Attleboro 

It shows the "grid" that they were using for this county, which differs from the columns on the "standardized form" probably because there would be no enslaved people in Massachusetts in 1820.

It appears to me that Primus' household count was missed or maybe misalligned. Notice that the preceeding family of Joseph Sisson has an unusually large number of people listed. I think Primus' family is "counted" in the Sisson household.

Comments

I'm happy to find that someone else has a misalignment hypothesis.

Although, from what I can tell, if Black laborers lived on a farm in New England pre-1850, Black people would be enumerated, but only the farmer's name would be recorded.

So, like you, I do consider the idea that the enumeration may be misaligned, however, who the heck knows?