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, gender, emigrated from, native of United States, naturalized citizen, declarant (intention to become a citizen), Negro, slave, and voter. Only white males over twenty-one were eligible to vote. The districts used for the census were the same as the election districts. There was an index and summary at the end of the census enumeration. For District 5, the place of election was the house of Hy. Sherman, on the old John Jones improvement, on Pottawatomie Creek. 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 Fifth District follows: "Commencing at the Missouri State line, at the southern boundary of the Fourth District; thence east along the same to the northwest corner of the Sac and Fox Reservation; thence due south along the western line thereof and due south to the south branch of the Neosho River, about seventy miles above the Catholic Osage Mission; thence down the said river to the north line of the reserve for New York Indians, and east along said line to the head waters of Little Osage River, or the nearest point thereto; and thence down said river to the Missouri State line, and up said line to the place of beginning."