The 1880 United States Census
This was the second census of the United States that aimed to include the names of everyone living in the country at the time. It did not fully achieve that aim. The census was begun on 1 June 1880 and supposed to include all who were alive at that date. However, 30 days were allowed to complete the task (two weeks in communities with 10,000 inhabitants or more), so there was time for mobile individuals to be recorded at two different places or not at all. Many of the people to be counted could not read or write, increasing the chances that their names would be spelled in an unusual way, that some household members would not appear and that details such as the correct surname for each individual could be confused.
The lists below aim to include everyone living in the USA in 1880 whose surname was usually spelled "Howcott" or "Howcutt", whether or not they have yet been located in the census.
Howcotts found in the 1880 census
| Christian name | Full name as recorded in census | Age | Race | Place | County & State | Householder |
| Adeline | Howcott Adaline | 45 | B | Plymouth | Washington NC | Miles Howcott |
| Aggie | Howcott Aggie | 25 | B | Plymouth | Washington NC | Jordan Norman |
| Albert | Howcott Albert | 8 | W | Plymouth | Washington NC | Martha Downing |
| Annie | Howcott Annie | 4 | B | Plymouth | Washington NC | William Howcott |
| Benjamin | Howcott Ben | 30 | B | Plymouth | Washington NC | Benjamin Howcott |
| Betsy | Howcott Betsy | 25 | B | Plymouth | Washington NC | Airy Picot |
| Carrie V | Howcott Carrie V | 28 | W | Canton | Madison MS | Jn C Howcott |
| Catherine | Howcott Catherine | 22 | B | Plymouth | Washington NC | William Howcott |
| Charles E | Howcott Charles E | 8 | B | Plymouth | Washington NC | John C Howcott |
| Daniel | Howcott Danl | 11 m | B | Plymouth | Washington NC | John C Howcott |
| Edward | Howcott Edward | 5 | B | Plymouth | Washington NC | John Howcott |
| Ellen | Howcott Ellen | 29 | B | Plymouth | Washington NC | John C Howcott |
| Ellen | Howcott Ellen | 23 | W | New Orleans | Orleans LA | Harriet Watt |
| Eugenia | Howcott Eugenia | 6 m | W | Canton | Madison MS | Jn C Howcott |
| Frank | Kirby Frank | 11 | W | New Orleans | Orleans LA | Joseph Kirby |
| Frank Lieth | Howcott Frank | 11 m | B | Plymouth | Washington NC | William Howcott |
| Harley Alexander Watt | Howcott Harley | 2 | W | New Orleans | Orleans LA | Harriet Watt |
| Harriet or Henrietta | Kirby Herritt | 33 | W | New Orleans | Orleans LA | Joseph Kirby |
| Harriet | Howcott Hariet | 24 | B | Plymouth | Washington NC | John Howcott |
| Harriet | Howcott Haritt | 1 | B | Plymouth | Washington NC | John Howcott |
| Henry | Houcott Henry | 18 | B | Hamilton township | Martin NC | Jacob Heath |
| Henry | Howcott Henry | 6 | B | Plymouth | Washington NC | John C Howcott |
| Herbert or Hubert | Howcott Hubert | 20 | B | Plymouth | Washington NC | Harry Cooper |
| Horatio | Kirby Harry | 11 | W | New Orleans | Orleans LA | Joseph Kirby |
| John Calhoun | Howcott Jn C | 36 | W | Canton | Madison MS | Jn C Howcott |
| John C | Howcott John C | 30 | B | Plymouth | Washington NC | John C Howcott |
| John Calhoun | Howcott John C | 3 | W | Canton | Madison MS | Jn C Howcott |
| John | Howcott John | 25 | B | Plymouth | Washington NC | John Howcott |
| John | Howcott Jno | 23 | B | Plymouth | Washington NC | Jno Howcott |
| John Henry | Howcott John | 5 m | B | Plymouth | Washington NC | Benjamin Howcott |
| Joseph | Kirby Joseph | 48 | W | New Orleans | Orleans LA | Joseph Kirby |
| Joseph | Kirby Joseph | 13 | W | New Orleans | Orleans LA | Joseph Kirby |
| Josephine | Howcut Mrs John | 38 | W | 195 Franklin, Buffalo | Erie NY | Hyrom Barton |
| Leah H | Howcott Leah H | 39 | W | Plymouth | Washington NC | Martha Downing |
| Lizzie | Houcott Lizzie | 12 | B | Hamilton township | Martin NC | Jacob Heath |
| Louise | Howcott Louise | 6 m | W | New Orleans | Orleans LA | Harriet Watt |
| Martha | Howcott Martha | 26 | B | Plymouth | Washington NC | Benjamin Howcott |
| Mary | Howcott Mary | 49 | B | Plymouth | Washington NC | James Smith |
| Mary J | Howcott Mary J | 18 | MU? | Plymouth | Washington NC | Jno Howcott |
| Maud | Howcutt Maud | 10 | W | 195 Franklin, Buffalo | Erie NY | Hyrom Barton |
| Miles | Howcott Miles | 50 | B | Plymouth | Washington NC | Miles Howcott |
| Miles F | Howcott Miles F | 3 | B | Plymouth | Washington NC | John C Howcott |
| Patti L | Howcott Patti | 18 | W | Plymouth | Washington NC | Martha Downing |
| Percy | Howcott Percy | 11 | W | Plymouth | Washington NC | Martha Downing |
| Polly | Howcott Polly | 15 | B | Plymouth | Washington NC | Jordan Norman |
| Sarah | Hocut Sarah | 80 | B | Plymouth | Washington NC | Alex Fagan |
| William | Howcott William | 2 | B | Plymouth | Washington NC | William Howcott |
| William Henry | Howcott William | 25 | B | Plymouth | Washington NC | William Howcott |
| William Hill | Howcott Willi | 30 | W | New Orleans | Orleans LA | Harriet Watt |
Abbreviations
B = Black MU = Mulatto W = White
LA = Louisiana MS = Mississippi NC = North Carolina NY = New York
m = months
Notes on households not headed by a Howcott
Hyrom Barton - was the father of Josephine, wife of John Howcutt.
Harry Cooper - Hubert Howcott was one of four boarders at Harry Cooper's home.
Martha Downing - Leah H Howcott was the widow of Charles H Howcott and was living with her sister Martha.
Alex Fagan - was married to Sarah (aged 41), who was Sarah Howcott's daughter.
Jacob Heath - husband of Esther (aged 35) and step father of Henry & Lizzie Houcott.
Joseph Kirby - Joseph Howcott and Hattie Kerby married at St Patrick, New Orleans on 2 March 1865. It is clear from later census and other records that they and their children generally used the Howcott surname, although they were recorded as "Kirby" in the 1880 census.
Jordan Norman - married Axie, widow of William Howcott, in on 17 December 1878. Aggie and Polly were Jordan's stepdaughters.
Airy Picot - Betsy Howcott (aged 25) was recorded as the daughter of Airy Picot (aged 80). This seems unlikely to be the case if their recorded ages are both accurate.
Harriet Watt - was the mother-in-law of William Hill Howcott.
Howcotts who should appear but not found in the 1880 census
Alice Howcott - aged 20 when she married Thomas Haughton at Plymouth on 27 July 1882
Elizabeth Howcott - aged 25 when she married Edward W Jones at residence of Mary Howcott at Plymouth on 26 May 1881. The marriage licence was granted on the same day and described her as daughter of William Howcott and Elizabeth Howcott (both then deceased, resident of Washington county NC).
John Howcutt - husband of Josephine, was probably living at Colorado at the time of the census.
Mary Edith - Mary Edith Watt (1854-1893) married William Hill Howcott at New Orleans on 14 December 1875 but was not included with him and their children at her mother's house in the 1880 census.