The first published census of the inhabitants of the United States. Blank spaces were left for pasting down the printed slips of additional matter received during the printing. In this copy these are so filled with the pasted-down matter [returns for Kentucky and South Carolina]. The first page of text is attested by Jefferson: Truly stated from the original Returns deposited in the Office of the Secretary of State. Th: Jefferson. October 24, 1791.

The copy from the library of Oliver Wolcott, now in the Library of Congress, has the autograph signature of Jefferson at the end. Sabin erroneously states that “Each copy of the Philadelphia edition is signed with the autograph of Thomas Jefferson, at that time Secretary of State.” This copy has no autograph signature.

Jefferson several times mentioned the census in his correspondence, both before and after publication.

In a letter to De Moustier, written from Philadelphia on December 3, 1790, Jefferson wrote: “ . . . we are now going on with a census of our inhabitants. it will not be completed till the next summer: but such progress is already made as to shew our numbers will very considerably exceed the former estimates . . . ”

On January 23, 1791, he wrote to William Short: “ . . . The census has made considerable progress, but will not be completed till midsummer. it is judged at present that our numbers will be between 4. and 5. millions. Virginia it is supposed will be between 7. & 800,000 . . . ”

On July 29, 1791, to Lewis Littlepage, Jefferson wrote: “ . . . our Census, according to the progress made in it promises our numbers to be about three millions & a half, of which Virginia will be about 700,000 exclusive of Kentucké which is about 74,000 . . . ”

A month later, on August 24, Jefferson sent a copy, presumably in manuscript, to William Carmichael: “ . . . I inclose you a copy of our census, which so far as it is written in black ink is founded on actual returns, what is in red ink being conjectural, but very near the truth. making very small allowance for omissions which we know to have been very great, we may safely say we are above four millions . . . ”

Similarly to William Short, a few days later, on August 29: “ . . . I inclose you also a copy of our census written in black ink so far as we have actual returns, & supplied by conjecture in red ink where we have no returns. but the conjectures are known to be very near the truth. making very small allowance for omissions which we know to have been very great, we are certainly above 4. millions, probably about 4,100,000 . . . ”