The U.S. Government has taken a census every 10 years since 1790. Most survived apart from 1890 which was lost in a fire, with the most recent being 1940. Census details can vary from year to year but the most recent are the most detailed. It was legally mandated that everyone had to participate in the census which is why it is such a valuable source of information. 1920 was the first census that recorded a population exceeding 100 million.
U.S. Federal Census records can give you an insight into your family history, help you find previously unknown family, like additional children or grandparents and contain valuable information such as names, locations, relationships, ages, marital status, birth places, parental birth places, occupation, home ownership and naturalization.
The first nine censuses (1790–1870) were conducted by U.S. marshals before the Census Bureau was created. After this census takers or enumerators were hired to travel around gathering information from individuals and families.
Tips:
- Be sure to check for each family member on the census records as occasionally individuals could be living elsewhere with extended family, in lodgings or as servants in another household.
- Always investigate the original census record, rather than the transcribed summary or index. Usually there will be more information and occasionally the census can be transcribed wrongly or language barriers meant information was written down incorrectly by the census takers.
- Take a look at their neighbours, sometimes this can lead to associations or extended family.
- Check the date the census was taken for children born in the same year to whether they would be recorded on the census.
1790 to 1840 US Federal Censuses
From 1790 to 1840, censuses included only a small amount of information about each household. Only the head of household is named and others are shown only by category, such as the number of free white males and females or enslaved people. The most valuable information here is confirming the head of household, location and the number of people in the household. From 1790 to 1820 the census was taken on the first Monday of August. The 1830 & 1840 were taken on 1st June.
1850, 1860, 1870 U.S. Federal Censuses
You will find each family member listed but not their relationship to the head of household. Here you can normally work out the family structure as the father is often listed first, then mother, children and other relatives, followed by boarders or servants. Consulting other records will help confirm the family dynamics. From 1850 to 1870 the census was taken on 1st June.
1880 U.S. Federal Census
This is the first census to state the individual’s relationship to the head of household. It also contains information such as birthplaces, occupations, health conditions, and education.This census was taken on 1st June.
1890 U.S Federal Census
Most of the original 1890 population schedules were destroyed in a fire at the Commerce Department in 1921. Less than one percent of the records survived, which is 6,160 individuals.The surviving records include enumerations for Alabama, the District of Columbia, Georgia, Illinois, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, South Dakota, and Texas. Each family was enumerated on a separate sheet of paper and it was the only year this was done. This is why the 1880 & 1900 censuses, including State censuses are so valuable in researching any missing information.
State Censuses
An alternative to U.S. Federal censuses are state censuses. While not every state had a state census, plenty did. Beginning in 1825 to 1925, many states in the union started taking their own individual censuses in between the federal ones. They were almost always done in years that ended in a 5, with a few exceptions such as the 1892 New York state census. The amount of information you find will vary by state. Some have basic information regarding the head of the household, with everyone else represented as numbers. Others have detailed information on everyone in a household, including ages, birthdays, marriage dates, immigration information, and more.
So if a state did an 1885 and an 1895 census this would provide you twice the information the 1890 census would have, thus allowing you to fill in more gaps in your family tree.
1900 to 1940 U.S. Federal Censuses
These censuses hold a wealth of information including;
name, address, relationship to the head of household, color or race, sex, month and year of birth, age at last birthday, marital status, number of years married, the total number of children born of the mother, the number of those children living, places of birth of each individual and the parents of each individual, if the individual was foreign born, the year of immigration and the number of years in the United States, the citizenship status of foreign-born individuals over age twenty-one, occupation, whether the person could read, write, and speak English, whether the home was owned or rented, whether the home was on a farm and whether the home was mortgaged.
Coast Place 