Get Your Census Worth: Using the Census as a Research Tool

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1 Get Your Census Worth: Using the Census as a Research Tool INTRODUCTION Noted genealogist and author Val D. Greenwood said that, there is probably no other single group of records in existence which contain more information about persons and families who lived during the 1800s than do the population schedules of the U.S. federal censuses. INFORMATION IN CENSUS RECORDS Though not created for genealogical purposes, federal censuses are among the most sought records by family researchers. Census records contain a surprising amount of personal information, valuable to genealogy research. Federal census records contain the name, age, sex, color, occupation, and birthplace of each person residing in a household. Who attended school, whether deaf, dumb, or a convict. If over 21 years of age, whether able to read or write. Names of slave holders, and how many slaves belonged to slaveholders. Native American tribal affiliation. Year of immigration to the United States and, if naturalized, the year of immigration. The content of each census varies, but provide valuable snapshots at specific moments in time. SEARCH TIPS Here are a few tips to consider when researching census records: Always view the original record, whether a digital image online or on microfilm. Transcription and indexing errors occur for various reasons such as, handwriting may be difficult to read, faded ink, torn pages, etc. Perform the same search using different websites, such as; Ancestrry.com, HeritageQuest.com, and Familysearch.org. Each of these websites were created from different databases and their search engines yield different results. Search engines on commercial websites provide a variety of filters with which to narrow a search. Begin searches broadly, then add filters to narrow results. Use wildcards. Search by surname only or by given name only. Focus on unusual names. A search for John Anderson may yield thousands or hundreds of thousands of results. Perhaps John had a son named Theophilus. A search by the child s full name, Theophilus Anderson, will yield a much more manageable result. Reverse the order of surname and given name. Enter the given name as the surname and visa versa. Enumerators occasionally transposed names. Transposition errors also occur in electronic indexes. Increase the geographic search area. Cast a larger net. Ancestors are sometimes found living in unexpected places. You are certain that an ancestor lived in a specific area, but only get negative results from online searches. Browse page by page. Most commercial websites allow searches by specific counties, townships, or enumeration districts. Search by known family, friends, and neighbors. If able to find one such, it is likely that the original person of interest was living near-by. Search by nicknames. When you find a person of interest, also search the page before and after. Other family members are often found living near-by. Compare handwriting. Find common names with known spelling to see how letters were formed. RESOURCES Printed Resources: Greenwood, Val D., The Researcher s Guide to American Genealogy, 3rd ed., Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Co., Szucs, Loretto Dennis, and Sandra Hargreaves Luebking, The Source: A Guidebook to American Genealogy, 3rd ed. Salt Lake City: Ancestry, Everton, George B.. The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed., Draper, Utah: Everton Publishers, ISBN-13: Eichholz, Alice. Red Book American State, County, and Town Sources, 3rd ed. Salt Lake City: Ancestry, ISBN-13: William Thorndale and William Dollarhide, Map Guide to the U.S. Federal Censuses, , Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Co., Page by Keith Pyeatt

2 CENSUS DATA No. Year Census Day NARA Series No. Rolls U.S. Population Aug 1790 T ,929, Aug 1800 M ,308, Aug 1810 M ,239, Aug 1820 M ,638, Jun 1830 M ,866, Jun 1840 M ,069, Jun 1850 M432 1,009 23,191, Jun 1860 M653 1,438 31,433, Jun 1870 M593 1,748 39,818,449 1 Jun T9 1,454 50,189, Jun 1890 M ,947,714 Notes The census estimated the population of the United States at 17,100,000. The results were tabulated by 28 clerks in the Bureau of the Census. First census in which the census bureau attempted to record every member of every household, including women, children and slaves. The results were tabulated by 184 clerks in the Bureau of the Census. Native Americans were officially counted for the first time, but only those who had 'renounced tribal rules'. The figure for the nation was 40,000. This was the first census that permitted women to be enumerators. It required 8 years to tabulate the results. The first to be compiled on a tabulating machine. Results were tabulated in 2 ½ years Jun 1900 T623 1,854 76,212, Apr 1910 T624 1,784 92,228, Jan 1920 T625 2, ,021, Apr 1930 T626 2, ,775, Apr 1940 [---] [---] 132,164,569 Release date is 2 Apr 2012 By: Keith Pyeatt Revised 01 Jun 2011

3 REFERENCES FOR FURTHER READING The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 9th ed. (Logan, UT: Everton Publishers, 2002). This book provides a detailed list of all counties, state-by-state listing the county seat, date county was created, parent county, and records available. Eakle, Arlene H., Census Records, The Source: A Guidebook Of American Genealogy, 3rd ed., Loretto Dennis Szucs and Sandra Hargraves Luebking, (Provo, UT: Ancestry, 2006) ps This book provides a brief history and background information of the federal census and what information is available each census year. Thorndale, William and Dollarhide, William, Map Guide to the U.S. Federal Censuses, , This book provides maps of all states showing county boundaries as they existed each census year with outlines of current county boundaries for comparison. A handy research tool By: Keith Pyeatt Revised 01 Jun 2011

4 RESEARCH CLUES FROM U. S. FEDERAL CENSUS RECORDS ITEM RESEARCH CLUE CENSUS YEAR RECORDS GROUPS TO SEARCH Age Range of Free While Males (Differs by Census Year) Age Range of Free While Females (Differs by Census Year) Age of Every Person In Household Birth certificates were not required in most states until after For births which Birthplace Born Within Census Year, Includes Month 1870, 1880 occurred prior to these dates, search for county or church birth registers. Determine an ancestor s religious affiliation in order to determine which church records to search. Most commonly the religious affiliation of the wife. BIRTH DATE & PLACE Birth Month and Year 1900 Parents of Foreign Birth 1870 Search for parents on 1880 census, which provides country of origin. Parents Place of Birth Beginning with the 1900 census, the year of immigration is provided. Search immigration records of not only that year, but for two years before and after the year given in the census. Mother Tongue 1910 PARENTS Mother Tongue for Self and Parents 1920, 1930 Few sources match census records for specific information on a family and for useful clues which link those facts to other sources The primary use of census data is to link other documents together. Eakle, Arlene H., Census Records, The Source: A Guidebook Of American Genealogy, 3rd ed., Loretto Dennis Szucs and Sandra Hargraves Luebking (Provo, UT: Ancestry, 2006) p. 92 By: Keith Pyeatt Page 1 Revised 1 Jun 2011

5 RESEARCH CLUES FROM U. S. FEDERAL CENSUS RECORDS ITEM RESEARCH CLUE CENSUS YEAR RECORD GROUPS TO SEARCH Relationship to Head of Household Don t overlook. Boarders may be extended family. Servants may be extended family. Further research of lateral family lines. RELATION Married Within Census Year (1870 Includes Month) 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1890 Within the year means married before the official census day which is different than the date of enumeration. Search the marriage records for the county where the first known child is suspected to have been born. If not successful, search neighboring counties. Marital Status Search the marriage records of the county where the first known child was born. Begin searching two years before the birth of the child. Number of Years Married 1900, 1910 This information provided applies to the present marriage. If a child s age precedes the approximate year of marriage, search marriage records for a prior marriage. Age at First Marriage 1930 Verify that the number of years married is the same for husband and wife. To do this, calculate the total number of years the husband has been married by subtracting his age at first marriage from his current age. Do the same for the wife. If they are different, search for a prior marriage. Occasionally both have prior marriages. MARRIAGE By: Keith Pyeatt Page 2 Revised 1 Jun 2011

6 RESEARCH CLUES FROM U. S. FEDERAL CENSUS RECORDS ITEM RESEARCH CLUE CENSUS YEAR RECORD GROUPS TO SEARCH Number of Aliens / Persons Not Naturalized 1820, 1830, 1840 U.S. immigration records and ship passenger lists. Date range for search not yet known. Year of Immigration to United States 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930 Number of Years in United States 1890, 1900 Naturalization Status Place of birth (country of origin) is also provided these census years. Search U.S. immigration records and ship passenger lists beginning one year before that listed and including one year after the date listed. Compare year of marriage with approximate year of marriage for spouses to determine if married prior to immigration. Common Abbreviations: AL = Alien. PA = First papers filed. NA = Naturalized. NR = Not recorded. IMMIGRATION & CITIZENSHIP Mother of How Many Children How Many Children Living Real Property , , 1900, 1910 Compare total number of children with the number enumerated in the household. If different, older children may have moved out, children may have died. Children may have been born and died between census years. Compare other census years. Search for children that may have moved out. Search county death /cemetery records. Search county land (deed & mortgage) and probate records for ancestors who owned real property. OTHER Number of Free Colored Persons 1820, 1830, 1840 By: Keith Pyeatt Page 3 Revised 1 Jun 2011

7 RESEARCH CLUES FROM U. S. FEDERAL CENSUS RECORDS ITEM ITEM ITEM ITEM Military Service 1890, 1910 (Civil War Only), 1930 For veterans, search military records. Military records can provide information that may not be available from other record groups. Military records sometimes provide names of spouses, names and birth information for children, marriage information, place of birth, names of parents, etc (column 30) Abbreviations: UA = Union Army UN = Union Navy CA = Confederate Army CN = Conf. Navy MILITARY 1930 (column 31) Abbreviations: Box = Boxer Rebellion CW = Civil War Phil = Philippine Insurrection Mex = Mexican Expedition Sp = Spanish American WW = World War I By: Keith Pyeatt Page 4 Revised 1 Jun 2011

CENSUS DATA. No. Rolls Jun 1840 M ,069, Jun 1850 M432 1,009 23,191, Jun 1860 M653 1,438 31,433,321

CENSUS DATA. No. Rolls Jun 1840 M ,069, Jun 1850 M432 1,009 23,191, Jun 1860 M653 1,438 31,433,321 CENSUS DATA No. Year Census Day NARA Series No. Rolls U.S. Population 1 1790 2 Aug 1790 T498 3 3,929,326 2 1800 4 Aug 1800 M32 52 5,308,483 3 1810 6 Aug 1810 M252 71 7,239,881 4 1820 7 Aug 1820 M33 142