Occupations

The numbers below reflect only those persons for whom the census takers chose to record occupations. While some localities were more comprehensive in their record taking, Buckingham County’s administrators recorded occupations for male heads of households only. Although the list is not comprehensive in this respect, it provides a fair profile of society in Buckingham County at the time. We can be certain that a wide variety of essential jobs were performed by many for whom no occupation is given, especially women who would have been engaged primarily in domestic and agricultural work, with some even operating small businesses of their own. In the neighboring counties of Appomattox and Cumberland we know of at least two seamstresses who owned shops for example. It is also probable that many more persons would have been involved in agriculture that those listed as “farmers.” Besides the many children who would have helped on the family farm, many kept gardens or farms, and some even ran entire plantations, in addition to their listed trade or profession. Many are also likely to have had skills in addition to their listed occupation. For example, it would not have been unusual for a farmer to have some basic blacksmithing and carpentry skills. “Laborer” can also encompass a wide range of menial or even moderately skilled occupations ranging from agricultural jobs to boating, canal work, mining, lumber, foundry work, and etc.. Likewise, “merchant” may indicate trade in a wide range of commodities. It is likely many specialized in particular products, such as tobacco, lumber, cloth, etc. Lastly, there would undoubtedly have been many more skilled laborers, such as carpenters, blacksmiths, masons, weavers, etc., among the county’s even larger slave population.

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Farmer: 940

Labourer: 220

Carpenter: 61

Overseer: 51

Merchant: 50

Blacksmith: 35

Pauper: 35

Student: 33*

Physician: 24

Miller: 22

Teacher: 22

Wheelwright: 19

Miner: 14

Clergyman: 13

Lawyer: 13

Mechanic: 12

Shoemaker: 12

Stone Mason: 12

Coach/Carriage maker: 11

Tailor: 11

Boatman/Waterman: 10

Cooper: 9

Sadler: 7

Clerk: 5

Brick Layer: 3

Engineer: 5

Gold Miner: 3

Grocer: 3

Tanner: 3

Ditcher (canal worker): 2

Pedlar: 2

Store keeper: 2

Tavern Keeper: 2

Boat/boot maker(?): 1

Dentist: 1

Foundry Master: 1

Gardener: 1

Hatter: 1

Hotel Keeper: 3

House Joiner: 1

Lumber Master: 1

Post Master: 1

Surveyor: 1

 

*Plus approximately 50 students at Buckingham Female Collegiate Institute. Although some of these would have been girls from Buckingham families, many came from other parts of Virginia and across the South.

 

56 free persons of color, “black” and “mulatto” are included in the list above with the following occupations:

Stone mason: 5

Shoemaker: 5

Wheelwright: 1

Farmer: 6

Labourer: 27

Carpenter: 5

Ditcher: 1

Boatman: 5

Blacksmith: 1

 

The official census records distinguish between “black” and “mulatto.” Of the 56 persons listed above, 7 are listed as “mulatto.” For simplicity’s sake, they have been combined here. The Free Schedules of Buckingham County indicate a handful of households which appear to be mixed race.

 

The census gives an official tally of 71 free residents of Buckingham born out of state, with 42 of those born in the United States and 29 in foreign countries. Meanwhile the Free Schedules indicate 61 persons born out of state, including parents and children, with the following places of birth:

 

Alabama: 3

England: 13

Germany: 3

Illinois ?: 1

Ireland: 6

Kentucky: 1 (child)

Maine: 2

Maryland: 2

Mississippi: 3 

New York: 6

North Carolina: 13

Pennsylvania: 5

Vermont: 2

Wales: 1

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Persons from Alabama and Mississippi are young children of Virginia-born parents, indicating a family which has moved from Virginia to those states, had children there, and returned to Virginia.

 

Listed occupations of non-Virginia natives:

England: 2 engineers, 1 mechanic, 5 miners, 1 farmer, 1 gold miner

Germany: 1 pedlar, 1 miner, 1 merchant

Ireland: 1 gardener (Waterford, Ireland), 3 farmers, 1 blind

Maine: 1 mechanic, 1 physician 

Maryland: 1 mechanic, 1 labourer

North Carolina: 1 mechanic, 2 miners, 6 students

New York: 3 miners, 1 farmer

Pennsylvania: 1 shoemaker, 1 Methodist clergyman, 1 miner, 2 engineers

Vermont: 1 merchant, 1 mechanic

Wales: 1 miner