This is a page from the 1850 Census in Edgartown Massachusetts. The census recorded everyone living in the town. It noted not only their names and ages, gender, and place of birth, but also the occupation or trade of the males over 15, if a person attended school within the past year, were over 20 years old, yet could not read or write, and whether the person was "deaf and dumb, blind, insane, idiotic, pauper, or convict". On this page, 9 of the 17 men whose occupations are listed were mariners.