1860 Census and Summaries
Wheat and Corn Production in Dollars, 1860
Slaveholders outperformed nonslaveholders in the value of corn and wheat production in Augusta, even though they did not necessarily monopolize the best soil. On the best soil Franklin wheat farmers outproduced their counterparts in Augusta, but on lesser soils Augusta’s wheat farmers were just as productive. In corn production Augusta farmers were more productive across the range of soil types.
In Augusta the farms in the highest quintile of farm value produced a crop value twice that of the next lowest quintile in both wheat and corn production. This leap was not evident at any other farm value in Augusta or Franklin.
Augusta | Franklin | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Wheat, total crop | Number of cases | Mean Value ($) | Median Value ($) | Number of cases | Mean Value ($) | Median Value ($) |
County Average | 406 | 323 | 215 | 1028 | 434 | 361 |
nonslaveholders | 236 | 211 | 130 | |||
Slaveholders | 170 | 478 | 390 | |||
Best Soil | 334 | 332 | 228 | 485 | 558 | 520 |
Medium Soil | 42 | 366 | 260 | 510 | 335 | 260 |
Worst Soil | 30 | 164 | 66 | 33 | 158 | 65 |
Lowest Farm Value Quintile | 70 | 79 | 26 | 171 | 134 | 72 |
Low-Medium Farm Value Quintile | 89 | 119 | 91 | 225 | 194 | 156 |
Medium Farm Value Quintile | 86 | 253 | 235 | 206 | 392 | 361 |
Medium-High Farm Value Quintile | 79 | 388 | 390 | 202 | 544 | 520 |
High Farm Value Quintile | 82 | 764 | 656 | 224 | 845 | 780 |
Smallest Farm Size Quintile | 70 | 70 | 39 | 278 | 206 | 130 |
Small-Medium Farm Size Quintile | 203 | 253 | 208 | 637 | 505 | 455 |
Medium Farm Size Quintile | 73 | 471 | 390 | 91 | 584 | 416 |
Medium-Large Farm Size Quintile | 46 | 676 | 643 | 20 | 628 | 520 |
Largest Farm Size Quintile | 14 | 673 | 650 | 2 | 780 | 780 |
Augusta | Franklin | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Corn, total crop | Number of cases | Mean Value ($) | Median Value ($) | Number of cases | Mean Value ($) | Median Value ($) |
County Average | 406 | 494 | 360 | 1027 | 257 | 180 |
nonslaveholders | 236 | 334 | 270 | |||
Slaveholders | 170 | 716 | 540 | |||
Best Soil | 334 | 501 | 360 | 484 | 312 | 270 |
Medium Soil | 42 | 506 | 360 | 510 | 209 | 180 |
Worst Soil | 30 | 397 | 203 | 33 | 200 | 135 |
Lowest Farm Value Quintile | 70 | 153 | 113 | 175 | 100 | 63 |
Low-Medium Farm Value Quintile | 89 | 262 | 180 | 224 | 153 | 135 |
Medium Farm Value Quintile | 86 | 388 | 360 | 207 | 226 | 180 |
Medium-High Farm Value Quintile | 79 | 582 | 540 | 197 | 320 | 270 |
High Farm Value Quintile | 82 | 1063 | 900 | 224 | 459 | 405 |
Smallest Farm Size Quintile | 70 | 142 | 113 | 278 | 126 | 90 |
Small-Medium Farm Size Quintile | 203 | 378 | 360 | 636 | 300 | 270 |
Medium Farm Size Quintile | 73 | 678 | 720 | 91 | 322 | 270 |
Medium-Large Farm Size Quintile | 46 | 1005 | 900 | 20 | 401 | 270 |
Largest Farm Size Quintile | 14 | 1292 | 990 | 2 | 459 | 459 |
The data are based on the GIS of Augusta and Franklin households—maps are derived from a D.H. Davison map of Franklin County, published in 1858, and Jedediah Hotchkiss map of Augusta County, published in 1870 and based on surveys completed “during the war.” The maps have been georeferenced at the Virginia Center for Digital History, using ESRI Arc Info to produce a Geographic Information Systems map and database of households based on U.S. census data from the population, agricultural, and slaveowners schedules.