Your corrections are welcomed!

The following information is based on the surname index prepared by S-K Publications (©1995), as well as an independent examination of the online census images.  Given names, ages and places of birth — all of which are subject to error — have been added to provide additional means of identification. Remember, this is NOT an every-name index.  The individuals below represent only heads of households (and/or heads of families) and apparent orphans, stepchildren and borders.

Like far too many U.S. censuses, the 1850 enumeration of Fayette County is plagued by poor spelling and even worse penmanship.  Then again, legibility is often in the eye of the beholder.  For example, what may look like Maclsworlh to a transcriber may clearly be seen as Wadsworth by a descendant.  But how many Wadsworth researchers will overlook this mangled interpretation of the surname?

The goal of this index, besides offering a map to the online census images, is to repair the most egregious mistakes of the transcriber and perhaps even the enumerator.  Correcting your ancestor's name here — even if your interpretation is not universally accepted — should make it easier for other researchers to find him or her on the 1850 Fayette County census.