Because Thomas Jefferson Said So

And now for a brief history lesson. George Walton was the governor of Georgia for two months in 1779 and then from 1789 to 1790. We found this letter (click image to enlarge) from then-Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson among the small collection of Walton's papers housed at the RBMSCL. Jefferson writes that he is sending Walton "two copies duly authenticated of the Act providing for the enumeration of the inhabitants of the United States." Jefferson is referring, of course, to the Census Act of 1790, which authorized the first census of the inhabitants of the new United States.

The census, you see, is very dear to the archivist's heart. We often use census records, whether it's to learn about families from long ago whose papers we're processing or to help researchers discover information about their great-great-great grandparents. So we hope you won't mind our appeal to you to carefully fill out and mail your census forms. After all, we have Thomas Jefferson's authority behind us.