You wrote, "In Marion County Alabama at the time I suppose there were not a lot of families." According to the 1860 Federal Census of Alabama, 778 free families lived in the Eastern District of Marion County, while 892 free families lived in the county's Western District. That's a total of 1,670 families recorded on 138 pages for schedule 1.

11,182 people are recorded on free and slave schedules for Marion County. The total includes 4,921 free white males, 4,972 free white females, 5 free persons of color and 1,283 slaves. Adding one person listed as an Indian, that makes 11,182 people in 1,670 households. For what it's worth, six free persons listed their place of birth in a foreign country. 204 of 1,670 households in Marion County included at least one slave, the largest slaveholder owning between 40 and 50 slaves.

Most county residents were engaged in agriculture. 1,127 farms of three acres are more are reported for 1860. Virtually all of these were owned or managed by a county resident. Some county residents who did not own property worked on these farms in different capacities. Sizes of these farms --

65 farms of 3 - 9 acres
156 farms of 10 - 29 acres
461 farms of 30 - 59 acres
313 farms of 60 - 99 acres
127 farms of 100 - 499 acres
5 farms of 500 - 1000 acres

Total cash value of 1,127 farms = $729,765.
Total improved acres = 38,912
Total unimproved acres = 323,869

Quite a number of details are available about Marion County farms in 1860. For example, farmers reported home-made manufactures valued at $45, 862. They produced 647 pounds of cheese, 24,275 pounds of honey, 4,285 bales of cotton and 12,960 pounds of tobacco. It's interesting to notes that sheep in Marion County outnumbered horses, 5,803 to 2,408.

If anyone is interested, there are a number of other statistics available about schools and churches.