All about Census Records: Becoming an Expert
Presented by
George G. Morgan
What Is A Census?
! A census is an official count of a population carried out at set intervals
! Used for:
o Legislative representation
o Taxation and funding
o Analysis of trends
o Planning
Understanding the Census
! The Federal censuses are the most-used documents used by genealogists
o Best finding aid of all
o Primary source to establish a person at a specific place at a point in time
o Assumed to be ‘definitive proof’
o Definitely are secondary sources
o Pointers to other evidence
Origin of the U.S. Census
! The U.S. Constitution (ratified 1789) established the taking of a national census on
a regular basis
! Article I, Section 2, specifically called for a census to be taken every ten years
! Direct taxation was based on census
! Each free person counted as a whole number, including those bound for service for
a term of years
! Free males would be taxed and could vote
! Indians living on treaty land were excluded from direct taxation and voting
! Other, non-free persons were to be counted as 3/5s of a free person for
representation
! An Indian who joined white population were to be considered a “free person” and
could vote
! Entire text available at Library of Congress site
http://memory.loc.gov/const/const.html
When Were Censuses Taken?
! Federal decennial censuses taken 1790 - 2000
! A “census day” was established
! Enumerators given a deadline which to conduct census and a set of questions to
ask
! Responses to questions were supposed to be based “as of” the census day
! Full enumerator instructions and questions are available at
http://www.ipums.umn.edu/~pipums/doc.html
Census Day
1790: 2 August
1800: 4 August
1810: 6 August
1820: 7 August
1830 through 1900: 1 June
1910: 15 April
1920: 1 January
1930: 1 April
Who Were the Enumerators?
! Assistant marshals of the Federal District Court system - 1790-1870
! Lowly paid and often bought own supplies
! Had little incentive to do a good job
! Sometimes ignored state and county boundaries, or may actually have been
responsible for multiple counties
! Congressional act enabling 1880 census funded the Census Office and the hiring of
real enumerators
Who Prepared the Documents? 1790-1820
! Assistant marshal collected information
! Head of household
! Age brackets for males and females
! 1820 included age brackets for males to determine number of males of military age
! (NOTE: A male in the 16-18 column is also included in the the 16-26 column)
! 1820 added age brackets for slaves and free-colored
! Enumerator prepared the only copy
! Summaries reports only were sent to Washington, DC
! 1790-1810 summaries were destroyed by British when they burned Washington on
24 August 1814
The Congressional Act of 1830
! Congress passed a law calling for the return of the original 1790 through 1820
censuses to Washington by the district court clerks
! Some were sent but many were not, resulting in ‘lost’ censuses for states and
territories
! Those sent to Washington ultimately reached the National Archives (NARA)
Who Prepared the Documents? 1830-1840
! Assistant marshal collected the information as in 1790-1820
o Head of household
o Age brackets for males and females in all categories
o 1830 added name and age of Revolutionary War/Military pensioners
! Two copies prepared
! One retained by clerk
! One sent to Washington, DC
Who Prepared the Documents? 1850-1870
! First Census Office began operations
! New procedures put in place
! Additional content added
o All names in household listed starting in 1850
o Slave schedules in 1850 and 1860
o Mortality schedules in 1850, 1860 and 1870
! Assistant marshals still took census
! Federal court clerks removed from process
! Secretary of state for each state or territory now became involved
! THREE copies were now created
! Assistant federal marshal was to create a “clean copy” and send it to the secretary of
state (the “state copy”)
! Original schedules were to be retained at the respective county courthouse
! Secretary of state received all copies and prepared a “federal copy” and sent it to the
Census Office in Washington
! High possibility of transcription errors
Who Prepared the Documents? 1880
! Census Office was given large budget
! No more federal courts and marshals involved
! Census Office hired its own enumerators
! Enumeration District (ED) maps prepared for entire country and territories
! Vast changes in content
o Relationships to head of household
o Marital status
o Birthplace of person and parents
o Occupation and other data
o District supervisor oversaw creation of one copy
! Original remained in county
! Copy sent to Washington
Who Prepared the Documents? 1885
! Congress allowed any state or territory to take a census in 1885 and have the
Federal government pay part of the expense
! Five states/territories accepted the offer:
o Colorado
o Dakota Territory (only a part survives)
o Florida (4 counties missing)
o Nebraska (2 counties missing)
o New Mexico Territory (4 counties missing)
Who Prepared the Documents? 1890
! One family enumerated per sheet of paper
! Congress financed only one copy
! All originals went to Washington
! Additional copies available to counties at their cost
! Unknown if any county ordered a copy
! Population schedules were destroyed by fire in January 1921 in the Commerce
Building in Washington, DC
! Only 6,160 of 62,979,766 persons’ information on population schedules survived
the fire
! Union Veterans and Widows Schedules did survive
Who Prepared the Documents? 1900-1940
! Congress funded one set of schedules
! Counties required to pay for copies if they wanted them
! Returned to multiple families per document
! Important information added
o Birthplace of person and parents (added 1880)
o Native tongue (1920)
o Naturalization information
o Occupation and home ownership information
! 1900 and later censuses were microfilmed and destroyed – only accessible on film
A Look at Population Schedules and What Can Be Found?
! What’s in the population schedules?
! Contents changed over time
! Earliest ones (1790-1840) contained:
o Head of household
o Number of free white males (by age range)
o Number of free white females (by age range)
o Number of slave males (by age range)
o Number of slave white females (by age range)
o Number of free colored males (by age range) Number of free colored
females (by age range)
o Aliens
o Disabilities (deaf, dumb, blind, insane)
1850-1870 Census Contents
! Additional details were added
o Head of household
o All names, ages and gender
o Occupation
o Place of birth
o Married in last year
o Literacy
o Deaf, dumb, blind, insane
1880 Census Contents
! More details were added
o Head of household
o All names, ages and gender
o Relationship
o Marital status
o Occupation
o Deaf, dumb, blind, insane
o Illness or disability
o Literacy
o Birthplaces (person & parents)
More than Just Population Schedules: Documents Created for Each Census
! Other schedules were created over time
o Slave schedules
o Mortality schedules
o Union Veterans and Widows schedules
o Agricultural schedules
o Industry and Manufacturing schedules
o Defective, Dependent and Delinquent Classes
o Social Statistics
! Don’t overlook Enumeration District descriptions and maps
Slave Schedules
! 1850 and 1860 censuses
o Name of slave owner(s)
o Number if slaves
o Age, sex and color
o Fugitive from the state
o Number manumitted (freed)
o Deaf, dumb, blind, insane or idiotic
o Number of slave houses
Mortality Schedules
! 1850 to 1885 censuses
! Information on those who died during 12 months prior to census day
o Deceased’s name
o Sex, age, and color (white, black, mulatto)
o Birthplace
o Month of death
o Occupation
o Cause of death
o Number of days ill
Union Veterans and Widows Schedule - 1890
! Taken 1890 and survived 1921 fire
! Partial returns; some counties missing
! Intended to enumerate Union soldiers or surviving spouses
! An occasional Confederate name is included
! Excellent resource for locating family between 1880 and 1900
! Pointer to military records
Agricultural Schedules - 1840-1910
! Submitted to Secretary of the Interior to catalog and evaluate the utilization of
farmland
! Activities of previous year and include name of owner, agent, or manager; numbers
of acres of improved and unimproved land
! Detailed information about crops, timber, livestock, honey, and other commodities
! Provides insight into family life
Manufacturing Schedules - 1810-1910
! Intended to document industrial and manufacturing commerce
! 1810 schedules lost
! 1880 and later destroyed by government dictate
! An investigation of the remaining schedules may be of interest if your ancestor
owned a manufacturing concern
Defective, Dependent and Delinquent Classes - 1880
! Seven-page schedule completed when an entry was listed on the population
schedule
! Enumerators also listed by observation
o Schedule 1 – Insane Inhabitants
o Schedule 2 – Idiots
o Schedule 3 – Deaf-Mutes
o Schedule 4 – Blind Inhabitants
o Schedule 5 – Homeless children (institutions)
o Schedule 6 – Inhabitants in Prison
o Schedule 7 – Pauper and Indigent Inhabitants
Social Statistics - 1850-1880
! Important genealogical information
! Cemeteries within town borders (names, addresses, descriptions, maps, and other
data)
! Churches, a brief history, affiliation, and membership statistics
! Trade societies, clubs, lodges, and other social institutions
! Can be used as a resource to locate specific types of institutions in these years, and
trace any surviving records
Enumeration District Descriptions and Maps
! Enumeration Districts (EDs) were defined for census purposes beginning in 1880
! Written descriptions and ED maps, used in conjunction with other maps, city
directories, land and property records, tax lists, and other materials can assist you in
locating your ancestors’ residence
! Locating the residence then assists you in locating the actual census page more
easily
Colonial and State Census Records
! Federal censuses taken every 10 years
! Some colonial censuses exist
! States sometimes took censuses in between the Federal enumerations
! Ann Lainhart’s book, “State Census Records,” is the best resource on state census
records availability
Indices and Finding Aids
! Many census indices
! Printed indices for many censuses
! Automated Indexing Systems (AIS) – 1790 through 1870
! Ancestry.com’s indexing for many censuses (continuing effort)
! Soundex and Miracode microfilm
! Soundex and Miracode CDs (Ancestry)
! Heritage Quest’s indexing
! Ancestry and Proquest at some libraries
! Volunteer transcriptions at USGenWeb sites
Soundex Indexing System
! Sound-alike system
! Limited number of states
! Utilizes a four-character code
! First letter of surname and three numbers
! Vowels after first letter are discarded
! Remaining consonants are assigned numeric codes
! Special rules regarding some letters and double- or multiple-character combinations
! Used for 1880-1930 censuses
Miracode Indexing System
! Sound-alike system
! Used for 1910-1920 censuses
! Limited number of states
! Differs from Soundex only in the census page reference information
o Soundex: Vol., ED, Page and Line
o Miracode: Vol., ED, Visitation #
! 1930 Soundex is like Miracode
Importance of Soundex and Miracode to Your Research
! Rapid means of locating family when:
o You know the state and not the exact location
o You are not sure of the state
o You suspect spelling discrepancies
o There are multiple persons with the same surname and given name
Plans to Help Find Those Aliens Who Defy Our Attempts to Locate Them
! Seven Essential Strategies
1. Transcribe effectively
2. Trace neighboring families
3. Trace other family members
4. Re-research ALL census records
5. Plot a family timeline and connect dots from one census to another
6. Use Enumeration District maps
7. Investigate alternative records
Learn to Transcribe Effectively
! Learn to read old handwriting
! Study samples of period materials
! Transcription is copying everything the way it was originally written
! Abstracting and extracting have little lasting value to census research
! Make copies whenever possible for future reference
RERESEARCH Census Records
! Look again!
! Study every scrap of evidence you have gathered since you first saw each census
! Look for gaps and patterns
! Re-research the census records again as if you have never seen them
! Look for new information and pointers
Plot a Family Timeline
! Place the entire family into context
! Time
! Location
! Historical or societal situations
! Plot all members having any connection whatsoever
! Attempt to locate those missing and ‘lost’ persons
Connect the Dots
! Use pointers found in one census to locate other census records
! Slave schedule may include ancestor whose record was missed in the population
schedule
! Trace family members from one census to another in same location
! Trace family migrating with neighbors
! Don’t overlook state censuses
Use Census Enumeration District Maps
! Study ED descriptions and maps
! Beginning in 1880
! Watch for township changes
! Watch street renaming/renumbering
! Prior to 1880, other maps may help you home in on locations
! Historical maps and gazetteers
! Post office site maps (NARA microfilm publication M1126)
Investigate Alternative Records
! When you cannot locate an ancestor in a census, look for other document types to
verify or refute his or her presence there
o City directories
o Land and property records
o Tax rolls and jury lists
o Death certificates, transit permits, and other sexton/cemetery
administrator records
o Wills and probate records
o Church membership rolls
o Schools, clubs, newspapers, employers, etc.
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