This census was taken in order to determine eligible voters for elections to be held as proclaimed by Governor Andrew Reeder on November 10, 1854. The categories for information in the census were name, occupation, age, male, female, emigrated from, native of United States, naturalized citizen, declarant (intention to become a citizen), Negro, slave, and voter. Only white males over 21 were eligible to vote. The districts used for the census were the same as the election districts. A statistical summary of the census follows the enumeration pages. The enumerator indexed the census entries for this district and these pages appear before the census data. For District Two the place of election was the house of Paris Ellison, in Douglas City. The boundaries of each district were described in Governor Reeder's proclamation and it is difficult to determine what counties were in each district. The description of the Second District follows: "Commencing at the mouth of Big Spring Branch, on the south bank of the Kansas River; thence up said branch to its farthest source; thence by a southerly line, crossing the Wakarusa River on the east side of the house of Charles Mattingly, to the middle of the Santa Fe road; thence along the middle of said road to the line of the First District; thence by the same along the west side of the house of __Rolf to the head of the first tributary of the Kansas, above the Town of Lawrence; and thence by the said tributary to the Kansas River, and up the south bank of said river to the mouth of Big Spring Branch, the place of beginning." On the last page is a "List of settlers on the Kansas Half Breed lands opposite Douglas City." This is probably in Jefferson county, Kansas Territory.

Creator: Browne, O. H.
Date: January-February, 1855