Prior to 1846 there was no general law for taking a census of the Indians within the United States, Thomas Jefferson in 1782 gave a careful analysis of the location of tribes and their numbers the United States, which then comprised only the country east of the Mississippi and north of the Floridas.
It will be noticed that Mr. Jefferson made two lists: one of Indians beyond the United States of that date, part of whom were in territory which is still outside the United States, based upon the estimates of Croghan, Bouquet, and Hutchins, and a second of Indians within the limits of the, United States as bounded in 1782 based upon the estimates of the authorities above named and Dodge. In his “Notes on Virginia”, he writes of the Indian
Tribes as follows:
Indians Northward and Westward of the United States in 1782
(Thomas Jefferson)
| Name of Tribe | Croghan 1750 | Bonquet 1764 | Hutchins 1768 | Where they Reside |
| Total | 10,400 | 31,630 | 10,750 | |
| Oswegatchies | 100 | At Swagatchy, on the river St. Lawrence | ||
| Connasedagoes | 200 | 300 | Near Montreal | |
| Cohunnewagoes | ||||
| Orondoes | 100 | North Trois Rivlores | ||
| Ahenukies | 350 | 160 | ||
| Little Algonquins | 100 | |||
| Michmacs | 700 | River St. Lawrence | ||
| Amelisties | 550 | |||
| Chalas | 130 | |||
| Nipissins | 400 | Towards the heads of the Ottawa River | ||
| Algonquins | 300 | |||
| Round Heads | 2,500 | Riviere aux Totes Boules on the east side of Lake Superior. | ||
| Messasagues | 2,000 | Lakes Huron and Superior | ||
| Christiaux Kris | 3,000 | Lake Christian aux | ||
| Assinaboes | 1,500 | Lake Assinaboes | ||
| Blanes or Barbus | 1,500 | On the heads of the Mississippi and westward of that river. | ||
| Sioux of the Meadows | 10,000 | 2,500 | 10,000 | |
| Sioux of the Woods | 1,800 | |||
| Sioux | ||||
| Ajones | 1,100 | North of the Padoneas | ||
| Panis, white | 2,000 | South of the Missouri | ||
| Panis, freckled | 1,700 | |||
| Padoncas | 500 | |||
| Grundes eaux | 1,600 | |||
| Canses | 1,000 | South of the Missouri | ||
| Osages | 600 | |||
| Missouris | 400 | 3,000 | On the river Missouri | |
| Arkanzas | 2,000 | On the river Arkinzas | ||
| Caouitas | 700 | East of the Alibamous |
Indians within the limits of the United States in 1782
(Thomas Jefferson)
| Names of Tribes | Croghan 1750 | Bonquet 1764 | Hutchins 1768 | Dodge 1779 | Where they Reside |
| Total | 9,100 | 23,330 | 25,080 | 11,050 | |
| Mohocks | 1,500 | 160 | 100 | Mohocks River | |
| Oneidas | 300200 | 400 | East side of Oneida Lake and head branches of Susquehanna | ||
| Tuscororas | Between the Oneidas and Onondagoes | ||||
| Onondagoes | 260 | 230 | Near Onondago Lake | ||
| Cayugas | 200 | 220 | On the Cayuga Lake, near the north branch of Susquehanna | ||
| Senecas | 1,000 | 650 | On the waters of Susquehanna, of Ontario and the heads of the Ohio | ||
| Aughquaghas | 150 | East branch of Susquehanna and on Aughquagah | |||
| Nanticoes | 100 | Utsanaugo, Chaghtnet, and Owegy, on the east branch of Susquehanna. | |||
| Mohiccons | 100 | In the same parts | |||
| Conoies | 30 | ||||
| Sapoonies | 30 | At Diabago and other villages up the north branch of Susquehanna. | |||
| Munsies | 150 | *150 | |||
| Delaware or Linnelinopies | 600 | 600 | 150 | Between Ohio and Lake Erie and the branches of Beaver Creek, Cayahoga and Muskingum. | |
| Delaware or Linnelinopies | 500 | 400 | 600 | *500 | |
| Shawnees | 300 | 300 | Sloto and branches of Muskingum | ||
| Mingoes | 60 | On a branch of Sloto | |||
| Ouisenusings | 550 | Oniscousing River | |||
| Kickapous | 600 | 300 | 4,000 | 250 | On Lake Michigan and between that and the Mississippi |
| Otogumies, Foxes | |||||
| Mascoutes | 500 | ||||
| Miscothies | |||||
| Ontimacs | |||||
| Muskoakies | 200 | 250 | 250 | ||
| Siox, Eastern | On the eastern heads of the Mississippi and the islands of Lake Superior | ||||
| Galphin 1768 | |||||
| Cherokees | 1,500 | 2,500 | 3,000 | Western parts of North Carolina | |
| Chickasaws | 750 | 500 | Western parts of Georgia | ||
| Catawbas | 150 | On the Catawba River in South Carolina | |||
| Chacktaws | 2,000 | 4,500 | 6,0003,000 | ||
| Upper Creeks | 1,800 | Western parts of Georgia | |||
| Lower Creeks | |||||
| Natchez | 150 | ||||
| Alibamous | 600 | Alibama River, in the western parts of Georgia | |||
| Mohiccons | *60 | ||||
| Cohunnewagos | 300250 | Near Sandusky | |||
| Wyandots | 300 | 300 | 180 | Near Fort St. Joseph’s and Detroit | |
| Wyandots | Miami River near Fort Miami | ||||
| Twightwees | 300 | 250 | |||
| Miamis | 350 | 300 | Miami River near Fort St. Joseph | ||
| Ouiatonons | 200 | 400 | 300 | *300 | On the banks of the Wabash, near Fort Ouiatenon |
| Piankishas | 300 | 250 | 300 | *400 | |
| Shakirs | 200 | ||||
| Kaskaskias | 400 | 600 | 300 | Near Kaskaskia | |
| Illinois | 300 | Near Cahokia Query: if not the same with the Mitchigamnis? | |||
| Piorias | 800 | On the Illinois River, called Pinnrias, but supposed to mean Piorias. | |||
| Pouteotamies | 350 | 300 | 450*300 | Near Fort St. Joseph’s and Fort Detroit | |
| Ottawas | 2,000 | 5,000 | 550 | ||
| Chippawas | 200 | 5,450 | |||
| Ottawas | On Saguinam Bay of Lake Huron | ||||
| Chippawas | Near Michillimackinae | ||||
| Ottawas | 400250400 | ||||
| Chippawas | Near Fort St. Mary on Lake Superior | ||||
| Chippawas | Several other villages along the banks of Lake Superior, number unknown. | ||||
| Chippawas | 550 | ||||
| Shakies | 200 | 400 | Near Puans Bay on Lake Michigan | ||
| Mynouamies |