Petersburg Town, Virginia 1810 Census by John Vogt

John Vogt's transcription of the Petersburg Town, Virginia 1810 Census, from the original images.

Illustrations, maps, index.

This is the first surviving census for Petersburg, since both the 1790 and 1800 censuses have been lost. A complete index is included for easy access. Though politically still part of Dinwiddie County, Petersburg had grown to the point that in 1810 it was designated with its own census enumerator.

With a population slightly over five thousand, Petersburg was one of the premier urban areas of Virginia. One unique feature was the large concentration of free men in the town. About one in five of all citizens was a freed African American, and the slave population plus the free men far outnumbered the white population.

Petersburg also was the locus of a number of commercial enterprises, sprinkled throughout the town, including lumberyards and smithies. It tapped the rich resources of the lands below the James and to the west where population was rapidly expanding.

This and other 1810 censuses are transcribed by the author from the original images, and while many of Virginia's censuses are available online, they oftentimes are replete with misreadings. Caveat emptor!