1790 Tax List for Benjamin Arnold

Source: Fauquier County, Virginia, 1790 Personal A Tax List, p. 01

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Since the 1790 and 1800 Virginia censuses were destroyed by fire, tax records from that time period are extremely important.

These tax lists accounted for either land holdings or personal property, and listed the number of tithable - or taxable - individuals. Also included is the name of the person charged with the tax (i.e. the head of household) and any other young men, usually sons. As a result, tax lists can reveal many family relationship clues not found in the early censuses.

Here are the column heading for the 1790 personal property tax lists:

• Date of receiving lists from indiviuals
• Person's names chargeable with the tax
• Names of free males above the age of 16
• Number of free males above 16
• Negroes above 16
• Negroes over 12 and under 16

So from the 1790 personal property tax list, we can learn that Benjamin Arnold (misspelled Arnald) was the only free male above the age of 16 and that he owned one slave over the age of 16 and none between 12 and 16.