FIND YOUR ANCESTORS in US CENSUS RECORDS GETTING MORE from the Census
FIND YOUR ANCESTORS IN US CENSUS RECORDS GETTING MORE From the Census
Learn how the US census can be your starting gate to discovering genealogy clues in other records.
BY DENISE MAY LEVENICK
48 Family Tree Magazine 3 DECEMBER 2014
1214FT CENSUS STUDY.indd 48 10/15/14 11:15 AM 3 WOULDN’T IT BE terrific if we could read between house? The answer was hidden in the census. The same those handwritten lines in census records in order to answer four strategies I used to read between the lines of the cen- our nagging family history questions? When the 1940 US sus and discover surprising facts about my grandparents’ census was fi rst released and I eagerly examined the records resourcefulness can help you unlock clues to solve family for my mom’s parents, I expected to fi nd them living in the mysteries, too. grand old Victorian house Mom often pointed out as her childhood home. But instead, they showed up in a more mod- Target the right census. est house a few miles away. Census information is the backbone of genealogy Many of our parents and grandparents—and even some research, and the 1940 US census is one of the richest of us—are represented in the most recent publicly available 1surveys of all for family history data. If you’re looking census, taken in 1940, giving us access to all kinds of infor- for answers about a particular aspect of your ancestor’s life, mation about everyday life at the time. And nearly 75 years it’s helpful to home in on a specifi c census during his life later, many of us also have inherited family keepsakes and that highlights pertinent questions. To discover which spe- household miscellany from those same parents and grand- cifi c census records will yield clues to solve your research parents who appear in that enumeration. Add the clues question, see the list of census subjects by category on page from these items to the ones in the 1940 census, and you can 52. I turned to the 1940 US census, with its wealth of Great read quite a lot between the lines of the census. Depression-prompted employment data, to get a handle on Today, the Victorian stands on a busy Santa Ana street, my grandparents’ living situation and whether they indeed with a wide lawn and stately turret that make it a local land- could have lived at some point in the big house my mother mark. I wondered: Did Mom really live in that house? How remembered. could my grandparents, who didn’t own a home and moved Census surveys have always reflected the signs of the frequently—Grandpa traded home repairs for rent—aff ord times, whether the government wanted stats on males eligi- to live for any length of time in such a large and elegant old ble for military service, massive immigration, literacy or the population shift from rural to urban life. Like many men, my grandfather had a tough time finding work between 1930 and 1940. The Census Bureau was especially inter- ested in discovering how well Americans were doing eco- nomically in the wake of the Great Depression, and more than a quarter of the questions on the 1940 census dealt with employment status and wages. Other questions asked about internal migration, including where Americans lived in 1935 and if they were at the same address April 1, 1940 (the offi cial census day). I started my investigation with the 1940 census employment data.
Transcribe, extract and analyze. Squeeze every drop of information from census records by transcribing—copying word for word—the 2information on the sheets. Because census data are
TIP: Looking for US census records? See the The grand old house my mother often pointed out as her childhood home July/August 2014 Family Tree Magazine for a (above) wasn’t at the address given as the family’s residence on the 1940 complete census guide
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1214FT CENSUS STUDY.indd 49 10/15/14 11:16 AM presented in table format, I like to transcribe the informa- discover when the Browns lived on North Broadway, so I tion the same way using a chart or spreadsheet with columns marked with an asterisk any clues that might be helpful with labeled the same way as on the census. You can download that research. You can see my chart below. extract forms and worksheets from
Understand the neighborhood. 1940 Census Notes and I used the web to find the exact location of the Information Questions Brown home on Cypress. Typing the street address and town name into Google brought up a map of the On April 9 (the day the census Where is 1021 E. Cypress? 3 location on Google Maps
He was married to Arline A., When did Frank and Arline age 49. He had two daughters, marry? Possibly 1930 or Frances L., age 9, and Suzanne 1931. W. (my mom), age 7.
Frank was born in California (in Birth information 1893, estimating from his stated confirmed by birth record. age).
In 1935, Frank and family lived in How long did the family Kansas City, Saline County, Kan. live in Kansas City? They didn’t live on a farm.
For the week of March 24-30, Was unemployment 1940, Frank didn’t work in any common in the capacity. He was seeking work neighborhood? and had been unemployed for What other sources of 78 weeks prior to March 30 (on income did Frank have? the census return, 18 mo. is lined out and 78 is penciled above). Frank was a cannery worker by trade. He hadn’t worked in 1939. His wages that year were $0, but he had other sources of income totaling over $50. A Google map showed me the distance between the home where my mom’s family resided during the 1940 census and the home she remembered living in.
50 Family Tree Magazine 3 DECEMBER 2014
1214FT CENSUS STUDY.indd 50 10/15/14 11:25 AM Squeeze every drop of information Answers in the Attic from census records by Information about the places your family lived might be transcribing—copying word for right under your nose, in memorabilia inherited from family members. Look for these items: word—the information. appointment calendars auto insurance or registration papers bank account passbooks driver’s licenses, library cards, club memberships and other identification cards home at 1021 Cypress was 1.6 miles from the house Mom household bills and receipts remembered at 1315 N. Broadway. letters Next, I looked closely at the families in their neighbor- magazines (look for an address label) hood. By comparing the Brown family with a dozen or more paycheck stubs households listed near them in the census, I was able to see ration books how my family fi t within the economic and social sphere of rent and mortgage receipts their neighbors. school or medical paperwork A quick tally showed that about half the families in this tax returns working-class neighborhood were homeowners, and half utility bills were renters. But only a few families paid more rent than my grandparents’ $25 monthly; most paid between $10 and $20 a month. It also seemed to be a fairly stable neighborhood, To conduct your own neighborhood survey, use a tally with most residents living at the same address fi ve years ear- sheet that includes the key data items you want to examine. lier (a data point noted in the 1940 census). Locate the residence on a map and draw a border around The Browns were typical for the time and place. Their the neighborhood. The typical neighborhood was usually neighbors were a mix of native Californians and newcomers an area of several blocks that included a grocery store, born in Texas, Iowa, Germany and many other places. Times school and church. By 1940, many rural and suburban fami- were tough in 1940s Southern California; my grandfather lies owned a car, and their community was even wider, but wasn’t alone in his long unemployment. Many of his neigh- people still often chose their residence near friends, family, bors didn’t have jobs, either. church and school. After extracting information from the census and evalu- Start with the next-door and across-the-street neighbors ating my relatives’ place in the neighborhood, I still had for your target family. Extend your sample to at least two or some questions: three city blocks or several miles in a rural area. You’ll want a Why was the Brown’s rent higher than their neighbors’ few dozen households in each direction to get a sense of your rent? family’s neighborhood. What was Frank’s other source of income? When did the family move to the Victorian house at 1315 Look beyond the census. N. Broadway? The fi rst stop for any type of family history research How could the Browns possibly aff ord the rent on the is your own home and the homes of your relatives. larger house? 4I’ve inherited a trove of letters, photos and assorted
Free Web Content For Plus Members ShopFamilyTree.com Offi cial census dates Searching the 1940 census Guide to special censuses
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1214FT CENSUS STUDY.indd 51 10/15/14 11:26 AM and
Census Clues to Your Ancestors’ Lives
Want to know something about your ancestors’ lives? Ask IMMIGRATION AND CITIZENSHIP the census: Especially compared to today’s sparse censuses, number of aliens/persons not naturalized: 1820-1840 enumerators asked our ancestors a surprising number of year of immigration to United States: 1900-1930 questions. This listing shows you which census you can number of years in United States: 1890, 1900 consult for specific information about ancestors who lived naturalization status: 1870 (males over 21), 1890-1930 during that time. citizenship of foreign born: 1940
NAMES PHYSICAL OR MENTAL HEALTH head of household only: 1790-1840 persons in household who were blind, deaf or “dumb”: all household members (except slaves): 1850 on 1830-1890, 1910 household members temporarily absent: 1940 persons in household who were “idiotic” or insane: newborns not yet named: 1940 1850, 1860 mother of how many children and number still living: FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS 1890-1910 relationship to head of household: 1880 on whether suffering from chronic disease: 1890
BIRTH DATE AND PLACE REAL ESTATE AND PERSONAL PROPERTY age range of free white males: 1790-1840 value of real estate owned: 1850-1870 age range of free white females: 1800-1840 value of personal estate: 1860, 1870 age of everyone in household: 1850 on own or rent home: 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930, 1940 month of birth (for those born within the census year): value of home/monthly rent: 1940 1870, 1880, 1940 had a radio: 1930 month and year of birth: 1900 farm or farm schedule: 1900 on birthplace: 1850 on US birthplace state, territory or possession: 1940 EDUCATION AND LITERACY foreign birthplace as of Jan. 1, 1937: 1940 attended school in the past year: 1840 on specific Canadian and Irish birthplace: 1940 highest grade attended: 1940 can read or write: 1850-1890, 1910-1930 RACE AND ETHNICITY speaks English: 1900-1930 number of free colored: 1820, 1830, 1840 each person’s color/race: 1850 on OCCUPATION AND EMPLOYMENT number of persons (including slaves) engaged in PARENTS agriculture, commerce or manufacturing: 1820 foreign-born parents: 1870 occupation: 1840 on parents’ place of birth: 1880 on if person is a pauper, convict or homeless child: mother tongue: 1910 1850, 1860, 1890 self and parents’ mother tongue: 1920, 1930 employment status (seeking work, housework, school, unable to work): 1940 MARRIAGE weeks worked/income in previous year: 1940 married within census year: 1850-1890 if employed in emergency work (such as the WPA marriage month: 1870 or CCC): 1940 marital status: 1880 on number of years married: 1900, 1910 MILITARY age at first marriage: 1930 veteran status: 1890, 1910, 1930 pensioner for Revolutionary War or military service: 1840
52 Family Tree Magazine 3 DECEMBER 2014
1214FT CENSUS STUDY.indd 52 10/15/14 11:36 AM Census information is the backbone of genealogy research, and the 1940 US census is one of the richest surveys of all for family history data.
This receipt stub was in a book found among my grandparents’ things. It suggests my grandparents sublet rooms in the house they rented.
memorabilia from my mother, aunt and grandparents. It’s Next, I found a loose, torn receipt made out to my grand- easy to recognize the genealogical value in old letters and father and dated Sept. 1, 1942. It was for payment of $25 rent photos, but harder to know what information you can learn for a house on Broadway. from old bank passbooks, ration books, library cards and the The clues all fell into place with two more items: a carbon like. I was glad I saved those things when I began to tackle copy of a typed letter from the Offi ce of Price Administration, this research problem. I wanted evidence of residence— dated May 20, 1943, denying the landlord’s petition to evict where the Brown family lived in the decade following the my grandparents, as well as a handwritten Tenant’s Com- offi cial 1940 census. plaint signed by my grandmother one week later. I started with letters, looking at the address, return It looks like Arline had been subletting rooms in the address and postmark to discover where Frank, Arline, Fran- house, and the building’s landlord decided either to evict ces and Suzanne lived. I found several diff erent addresses for the tenants or raise the rent. At the time, this required members of the family. To organize the information, I cre- permission from the Office of Price Administration, the ated a timeline of dates, names and addresses. Next, I looked government agency established in 1941 by executive order at other items that might hold clues to a residence: address to control the prices of sugar, gasoline, coff ee, meats, rent books, ration cards, membership cards. See the box on page and other commodities. 51 for a list of helpful items you may have inherited. Arline’s complaint is a goldmine of information. She states The answer to my questions was in my family archive. I her address, when she moved in, the amount of rent paid and pulled out a box of old fi nancial records left in my grand- number of occupants. Evidently, the landlord was denied parents’ estate and started looking for any papers dated in permission to evict the Browns and instead tried to raise the the 1940s. rent to $35 per month, prompting Arline’s appeal to the local I was surprised to fi nd a small book with the title Money housing authority. Receipts, the kind used by landlords in collecting rent. In many family history investigations, solving one puzzle The book runs from January 1944 to November 1945, and leads you to another question. The 1940 census revealed includes stubs of receipts for weekly room rent, amounting clues prompting me to further research, which helped me to $5 and $7. Were my grandparents bootlegger-landlords unlock my family history mystery. I now know my mother did who were subletting the garage? indeed live with her family in the beautiful old Victorian at 1315 N. Broadway during the 1940s, just as she remembered, and I have a pretty good idea how my savvy grandparents aff orded the rent for the entire downstairs of the big house. Grandma and Grandpa, working-class renters, took a lesson TIP: On each sheet of the 1940 census, two people from their own lives and become landlords themselves, mak- answered supplementary questions. If you’re lucky ing getting by a little easier in wartime California. enough to find ancestors on those lines, you can learn about their parents’ birthplaces, military service Pasadena, Calif., genealogist Denise May Levenick and participation in the Social Security or Railroad is Family Tree Magazine’s Family Archivist and the author Retirement Board insurance plans. of How to Archive Family Keepsakes
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1214FT CENSUS STUDY.indd 53 10/15/14 11:36 AM WORKBOOK The US Census
BY SUNNY JANE MORTON
3 IMAGINE SOMEONE SHOWING up at your American is important when you’re calculating household members’ ancestors’ door every 10 years and taking a group photo of birth years based on the age in a census, or if someone was the household. You’d want all of those pictures, wouldn’t born or died around the time a census was taken. you? They’d show a time-lapse biography of your family. Over time, standardized questions, census forms and pro- You’d study each person’s age progression, how hairstyles cedures developed. Enumerators received instructions about and fashions changed, who appeared or disappeared (and the direction to proceed around neighborhoods, the intent when) and how the backdrop changed over time. behind questions and how to code a variety of answers. For The US census is that decade-by-decade picture—albeit in some censuses (see below), enumerators asked a set of sup- words. Every decade, census-takers compiled a list of nearly plemental questions of those in certain population segments, all American households. As time went on, they gathered such as veterans or those with disabilities, to capture social, slightly diff erent—but increasingly more—information. By economic and public health information. the late 1800s, censuses could tell us who lived with whom and how they were related, how well they lived, what work Questions, questions they did, and sometimes when or where they were born, Genealogists might cluster US censuses into three groups: married and died. the least informative (1790-1840), fairly informative (1850- Censuses are so data-rich that they’re among the first 1870) and genealogical jackpot (1880-1940). Those early cen- places you should look for your family history—and you suses name only heads of household and count others. The should keep coming back to them. It’s difficult to absorb 1830 census was the fi rst to use a standard preprinted form. everything on the fi rst pass. Revisit your ancestors in cen- Here’s a breakdown: suses to fi nd clues you missed, interpret new fi nds or confi rm 1790-1810: name the head of household with tallies of you’re on the right track. We’ll show you what’s in census other household members by age group, gender, race (white, records, how to find your ancestors’ records, and how to black or Indian), and free or slave status extract every possible clue. 1820: same as above, plus tallies of aliens and workers in agriculture, commerce and manufacture A national head count 1830: drops the industrial categories and added tallies of The US Constitution calls for a nationwide population tally the deaf, “dumb” and blind, segregated by race and age every 10 years for congressional representation purposes. 1840: reintroduces employment tallies for various indus- The fi rst was in 1790; the most recent was in 2010. Addition- tries; adds military veterans receiving pensions; and tallies ally, the federal government picked up part of the tab for an those in school, illiterate white adults, and “insane” and “idi- 1885 census of some states and territories, so these count as ots” cared for at public expense federal censuses, too. Beginning in 1850, every free household member was Census-takers were to visit each household. It might have named, and homes and families were numbered in order of taken weeks or months to visit everyone, but all information visitation. collected was supposed to refl ect the household as it was on 1850: name, age, sex and color of each free person; value a specifi c date. The census date (turn two pages for a list) of real estate owned; place of birth; whether married or
< familytreemagazine.com> attended school within the year; whether an illiterate adult or “deaf and dumb, blind, insane, idiotic, pauper or convict;” As you move across time and occupation of males over 16 1860: adds value of personal property through censuses, a household 1870: adds more-detailed age, race and literacy descrip- tors. This census adds indicators for parents of foreign birth; picture emerges. month of birth or marriage if occurring within the year; voter eligibility; and whether a victim of voter discrimination. Names the formerly enslaved for the fi rst time. Beginning in 1880, the level of family history detail in the census rises to a new high. Home addresses, family relation- ships and more put these among the richest existing sources 1920: removes childbearing data, adds year of naturaliza- for American genealogy. tion, mother tongue for self and both parents, whether living 1880: adds street address, relationship of each person on a farm to head of household, marital status, everyone’s profession, 1930: adds value of home/rental, radio ownership, age months unemployed, illness or disability on date of visit, at first marriage, mother tongue of foreign born, English parents’ birthplaces language ability, unemployment, military veterans mobilized 1890: adds more detailed capture of race, household (and for which war) structure, naturalization status and disability/illness; num- 1940: adds informant to the census taker; highest school ber of children borne/living and years in the United States; grade completed; place of residence on April 1, 1935; and months attending school; parents’ birthplaces; whether details on employment status, occupation, involvement in a homeless child, convict, prisoner or Civil War veteran/ public emergency work, income amount and source. A sam- widow; native tongue (if not English). Sadly, all but a hand- ple was also asked for parents’ birthplaces; mother tongue; ful of schedules for this census were ruined after a Census whether a veteran or veteran’s spouse, widow or child; Bureau fi re. whether in possession of a Social Security number; whether 1900: removes native tongue, adds month and year of paid into federal retirement programs; usual occupation; and birth, whether an English speaker, years in present marriage, marital and childbearing history. year of immigration/number of years in the United States, homeownership/renter status. Search all censuses 1910: removes birth month and year, adds occupational Original and microfi lmed population schedules are at the and unemployment details, Civil War veteran status, and National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), but language of non-English speakers. Less detail requested on most originals are closed to researchers. It’s easier to fi nd schooling and disability. relatives by searching digitized, indexed versions of decen- nial censuses at major genealogy websites (see Fast Facts). Online versions of the 1885 population censuses for most or FAST FACTS all of Colorado, Florida and Nebraska, and the territories of Dakota and New Mexico, are at Ancestry.com. FIRST U.S. FEDERAL CENSUS: 1790 Try to locate each relative in every census taken during FREQUENCY: every 10 years, plus 1885 for some areas that person’s life. Begin with the most recent census in which LATEST CENSUS AVAILABLE: 1940 someone should appear and work back through time (then NEXT CENSUS AVAILABLE: 1950, scheduled for release April forward, to help verify your death date for the person). You’ll 1, 2022 be able to track migrations and note slightly (or widely) dif- SIGNIFICANT MISSING DATA IN: 1790-1810, 1890 ferent answers to similar questions over the years—even for LOCATION OF ORIGINAL RECORDS: National Archives and categories you’d expect to be consistent, such as age. You records Administration
Family Tree Magazine AT A GLANCE: 1820 CENSUS
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1 The earliest 2 Without a 3 Only head- Remember, not all others of the same censuses didn’t use preprinted form, of-household may be relatives. surname. If you’re preprinted forms. missing columns names appear looking for the This page doesn’t are possible. When in this census. 4 This list is in neighbors, check TIP: See what have column you extract data Use the tally alphabetical (not maps, land records special census headers. Using a onto a blank census marks to identify household) order, and other sources schedules may blank census form, form, note any likely household a rearrangement that would show still exist for as shown here, missing columns members based occasionally done who lived where. your ancestor makes the census and take this into on what you know by early census in each census easier to read. account when from later censuses takers. This makes year. interpreting data. and other sources. it easier to spot
CITATION FOR THIS RECORD: Connecticut, New London, Bozrah. 1820 US census, population schedule. Digital image. MyHeritage.com. http://www.myheritage.com: accessed 15 January 2014. AT A GLANCE: 1900 US CENSUS
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1 Note the month, year and and neighborhood OFFICIAL CENSUS DATES actual date the place for household makeup, such as a census was members, and dominant ethnicity Census Date taken—June 11. birthplaces of their and common 1790-1820 August 2 The information parents. Extract occupations. 1800 August 4 recorded should all the information reflect the official (including what 4 The 1810 August 6 census date, June you already knew) occupation column 1820 August 7 1, but sometimes onto a blank census may include 1830-1900 June 1 (In 1890, June 1 was a births or deaths form. nonworking terms Sunday, so census taking began occurring in the such as at school June 2.) interim weren’t 3 Households (for students), 1910 April 15 accurately logged. are numbered pauper, pensioner in the order the and at home (for 1920 January 1 2 Later census taker homemakers). 1930-2010 April 1 (In 1930, the census date censuses like this visited them. These clues may for Alaska was Oct. 1, 1929.) one collected a Browse through point you to school, variety of data. This a few pages for poor relief, pension one requests birth familiar names and other records.
CITATION FOR THIS RECORD: Missouri, Camden, Osage. 1900 US census, population schedule. Digital image. Ancestry.com. http://www.ancestry.com; accessed 27 March 2014.
Family Tree Magazine TOOLKIT able indexes. To overcome these problems, try spelling varia- tions, nicknames, diff erent combinations of fi rst and middle names and initials, and both maiden and married names for Websites women. If the site allows it, you can leave out the name and Agricultural Censuses, Statistics by Decade search on other variables. Keep track of your searches in the
1. For what years are US censuses available to genealogical (usually a man) is designated on the census. Keep in mind researchers? that person’s child may not also be the spouse’s child. You also can use the Census Record Extraction form to ______create an at-a-glance summary of several types of census data (most useful beginning in 1850). Remember: The same infor- 2. What was the first census to name more than just the head of mation may be requested in diff erent ways in each census, household? and even presumably “unchanging” information like birth year may be reported diff erently over time. The two reports ______of the same data are valuable, so log each year’s statement for each category. 3. What special schedule would you consult to learn more about It’s not uncommon to fi nd someone who’s 22 in one census, a farm-owning ancestor in 1870? Which website might have then 30 ten years later, then 39 ten years after that. Before this schedule online? birth certificates and qualifying for Social Security, many people didn’t know or care exactly when they were born. ______Others misrepresented ages to enroll in the military or marry, and may have kept up the lie. Offi cials didn’t have a way to ______double-check for accuracy. Discrepancies may show up for other reasons. The cen- EXERCISE A: Go to FamilySearch.org’s main Search page sus taker’s source of information may have been a child or
39 < familytreemagazine.com> US CENSUS WORKSHEET
FAMILY GROUP SUMMARY Use census records to create a snapshot of a family group by using the Family Group Summary to record names and vital event dates from censuses in which each person appears.
Household member Relationship to Birth clues Marriage clues Death clues name head of household (place, date range) (date range, how (place, date range, cause) many marriages) (Head)
Surname spelling variations:______Residence(s):______Notes:______
CENSUS RECORD EXTRACTION FORM Enter column headers for each census in which this person appears and fill in details or clues from each census. Not all categories apply for every census.
Census year Name (include variants) Gender Birthdate Birthplace Race/Ethnicity Slave/free or owner (pre-1870) Parents’ birthplaces Native tongue Residence (town, address) Marriage(s) Childbearing Disability/illness Education Military (self/spouse) Criminal/indigence Industry/occupation Employment Immigration/naturalization Homeowner or renter Property value Death Family Tree Magazine 22 Family Tree Magazine May 2007 Master the Census
Are your ancestors eluding you in US enumerations? Don’t rely on hunches and guesses—try these six tactics to conquer the challenges of census research.
By David A. Fryxell
enealogists have a love-hate relationship with the US Such vagaries aren’t uncommon, given immigrants’ speaking census. Yes, we love the reams of data those every- accents, census takers’ recording errors and less-than-fully G10-years population tabulations created, but we informed neighbors’ reports when our ancestors weren’t home. loathe the inscrutably handwritten enumeration sheets. Between Not to mention modern indexers’ challenging task of interpreting census appearances, ancestors often seem to switch not just loopy handwriting on fuzzy microfilm. But with a few insider tips residences but birth dates, too. Names can be indecipherable or and tricks, you can not only find your ancestors in Uncle Sam’s all too common (is that your James Smith or somebody else’s?). enumerations, but also tease out hidden information about their Offspring mysteriously appear and disappear. Worst, in some lives. Try these six strategies for reading between the lines of head counts, your ancestors simply refuse to be found at all. the census.
www.familytreemagazine.com 23 1. Follow the family. would’ve skipped right over him. But link- 1810 North Carolina census. But was this The pitfalls of census research became ing the family from one head count to the my fourth-great-grandmother, widow of obvious to me recently when I tried to next made me sure I had the former cap- Noel Pitts? I compared that census entry trace little Jimmy McKinn. At age 11, or tive of Geronimo. to what I knew about Martha and her maybe 12 or 13, none other than Geron- offspring, using their approximate ages imo abducted Jimmy from his family’s 2. Notice the neighbors. in 1810. Here was my guess at matching New Mexico ranch. Remarkably, months Keep in mind the folks enumerated above names to the tick marks: later he was rescued—against his will, as and below your ancestors might not be n Two males under age 10 = sons Jack, he’d become “thoroughly Indianized.” merely their neighbors—they could be rel- 6, and Nestor, 10 Perhaps his traumatic experience somehow atives. If I needed further proof my 1920 n Two males “of 10 & under 16” = sons explains why in his later life (as I discov- and 1930 Jims were the same, I just had to Nicholas, 13, and Solomon, about 13 ered in the census) Jimmy kept changing look one entry earlier: In 1930, there was n One female under age 10 = daughter the facts of his birth. Nonetheless, I knew his son Prospero living next door with a Elizabeth, about 5 I had my man because the family members family of his own. n One female age 10 to 15 = daughter matched in the censuses I consulted. Or the neighbors may not be related Nancy, 12 Normally you search the most-recent yet. Before today’s mobile society, the n One female “of 16 & under 26” = census during your relative’s life and work most available candidates for marriage daughter Frances, 17 back. But the only residence I knew for were people who lived nearby. For exam- n One female “of 26 & under 45” = Jimmy was his childhood home in Grant ple, I found my great-great-grandfather Martha herself, 32 County, NM, so I started there and traced John Stowe and his family in Lee County, That’s about as exact a match as you’ll him forward. He was rescued in 1886; Ala., using the free 1880 census search on find, given the vagaries of early census- because fire destroyed most of the 1890 cen- FamilySearch < www.familysearch.org >. taking. (Again, knowing the census day is sus, I found him in 1900: James McKinn, That sent me to the library for the micro- important, because a one-year birth year born July 17, 1873 (making him 12 when film page, where I discovered my great- difference could throw someone into a dif- abducted), his father born in Ireland— great-grandmother Jerusha Oglesby—at ferent age bracket.) Don’t forget to match matching details I knew. He had a wife, the time, the widow of Henry Lowe listed the head of the household and, if it’s a man, Victoria, born in 1878, and two daughters, as “J. Lowe … Keeping house.” Her fam- his wife, to their own marks. And don’t Josefa (1895) and Victoria (1899). ily included my great-grandfather Henry be jarred by a mark or two you can’t put They were key to figuring out the James “Harry” Lowe, age 14—who eight years a name to: It could be a child you didn’t McKinn I found 20 years later in Phoenix, later would marry Nisba Stowe, daughter know about, a boarder or live-in relative, or where family lore said he’d moved, had to of John, listed 19 lines below him. the enumerator simply might’ve goofed. be the same man. The 1920 “Jim McKinn” That’s a good reminder to search for now gave his father’s birthplace in New widows by their married and maiden 4. Intuit other information. Mexico and his own age as 45. names: I wouldn’t normally have thought Finding Martha Pitts as the head of her For censuses listing only ages, not birth to search online for J. Lowe, and my search household in 1810 was a clue her husband, dates, use the official census date (see box, for the unusual first name Jerusha—usu- Noel Pitts, had either died or fled his family page 27) to calculate his birth year—it was ally a good bet—drew a blank. since his last census appearance in 1800. I Jan. 1 for this head count, making Jim could’ve penciled in “died 1800-1810” for born in 1874. But he still was married to 3. Tally the tick marks. Noel and started narrowing that 10-year Victoria, five years his junior, and they still Censuses from 1790 through 1840 list range—but merely failing to find someone had a daughter, now spelled Josepha, born only heads of household. Everybody else in in a census doesn’t mean he died. At times, in New Mexico in 1895. Little Victoria the family got reduced to a little tick mark whole households were skipped or listed so might now be married or may have died in a column for age, gender and race. Note erroneously you may not find them. Try to in infancy. He’d added four children: Pros- these columns change from one census to locate the rest of the family recorded with- pero, Pete, Josephina and John. the next; you can download blank cen- out your target person. And check mortality Those kids helped me match a Jim sus recording forms showing the column schedules, which, from 1850 through 1880, McKinn in the 1930 census, even though headings at < www.familytreemagazine. listed people who died in the previous year. this guy was age 54 (so, born in 1875 or com / forms / download.html >. Reading between the lines of the cen- 1876) and gave his own and his kids’ birth- Lacking a spouse’s or children’s names, sus can help you reconstruct whole house- place as Arizona. Yet he was still married how can you tell if a family really repre- holds and their migrations. In pre-1850 to Victoria and three of the 1920 offspring sents your ancestors? While you can’t head counts, this requires educated guesses still lived with them, all with the right ages be absolutely certain, you can test for a about the identities behind the tick marks. and names. Couldn’t be a coincidence. If match—or eliminate a red herring—by For example, I’d found an 1825 North I’d simply searched for a James McKinn comparing the tick marks to what you Carolina marriage record for an Abraham born in 1873 in New Mexico, rejecting know about the family. For instance, I’d Stow Jr., showing bondsman Joel Stow— any listing that didn’t match exactly, I found a Martha Pitts in an index to the quite possibly my ancestor Joel Stow, born
24 Family Tree Magazine May 2007 Hitting the Head Counts Tired of squinting at census microfilm? When on a residence and place of birth, as I demonstrate on microfilmed indexes and Soundexes aren’t yielding the next page, then specify an immigration year, spouse’s answers, try a Web site offering searchable census name or other parameter. indexes linked to digital images of the original records— 4. Switch sites. Each census service has slightly which opens up new ways to look for your forebears. The different options and indexes. So if you’re lucky enough two best, most comprehensive online collections: to have access to more than one census site, try your n Ancestry.com < ancestry.com > offers images and stumped search on another one. At Ancestry.com, I had every-name indexes for all available censuses, 1790 trouble finding my ancestor Oscar Lundeen because through 1930 (remember, however, that the 1790 to 1840 his name was misspelled. But HeritageQuest had him censuses name only heads of household, so others don’t transcribed correctly, so I found him there on the first try. show up in the indexes). Search on any combination 5. Find family and friends. When you strike out of first name, last name, state, county, township and searching for your ancestor in Ancestry.com’s every- father’s, mother’s or spouse’s given name. You can name indexes, try looking instead for siblings or children specify an exact search or use the Soundex system to find in the same household. If I’d searched instead for my variant spellings. For later censuses, add (depending on grandmother Olga Lundeen in 1900, I would’ve found the census) a birthplace, birth year (plus or minus up the whole family right away. to 20 years), marital status, gender, race, immigration As a last resort, if you’ve found an ancestor in one year (plus or minus up to 20 years), father and mother’s census but come up empty 10 years earlier, try looking birthplace, relation to head of household, and keywords. for the neighbors’ names. They may still live near your n HeritageQuest Online
www.familytreemagazine.com 25 Oh, the Possibilities … Online indexes to census records open a wealth of new ways to find elusive ancestors and get around transcription errors. When name searches came up empty, here’s how I used Ancestry.com’s search options to track my great-grandfather Oscar Lundeen in the 1900 census:
I entered two facts about Oscar in Ancestry.com’s My search resulted in 119 hits. To narrow the field, 11900 census search form: He lived in Rock Island 2I added another criterion, looking for those who County, Ill., and was born in Sweden in 1852. immigrated in 1875.
That move shrank the list to two possibilities— Clicking View Image brought up Oscar Lundeen’s 3one of them was indeed my great-grandfather, 4 digitized census entry—at the blurred bottom of a misspelled Oscar Lundell. page. A click on the Next button, however, yielded a clear view of his family at the top of the following page.
in North Carolina in 1787. Although the In 1840, I found an Abraham Stow, age matched what I knew about his children) “junior” designation didn’t always imply 80 to 90, plus a John Stow, age 50 to 60, on the same page with an Abraham Stow, a familial relationship (sometimes it distin- in Surry County, NC. By that year, accord- age 20 to 30—the recently married brother. guished two same-named men in a town), ing to the census, my ancestor Joel had John showed up 10 pages later. But where I hypothesized that if Abraham and Joel moved to Tallapoosa County, Ala. So far, was Abraham Sr.? I looked again at the were brothers, their father could’ve been so good—the elderly Abraham could be junior Abraham’s listing: Besides a young Abraham Sr. A census hunt for Abraham his father, and John, a brother. wife, marks indicated a male, 70 to 80, and Stow tests this theory: I had to re-create Next, in 1830, I found Joel Stow in Surry a female, 60 to 70—likely Abraham’s par- the Stows’ households, decade by decade. County (the household’s tick marks neatly ents (of course, it’s possible they represent
26 Family Tree Magazine May 2007 his wife’s parents). In 1820, I found sepa- of an e to the name (family legend says rate entries for the elder “Abram,” Joel and John’s wife added it to make the name look That’ll Be John under the spelling Stoe; Junior would “more finished”) didn’t throw me off. be among the four young males in Abra- the Day ham’s household. I’ve only been able to find 6. Combine with other sources. The date a census taker wrote John in the 1810 census, but the elder Abra- Adding up information from censuses and on his form isn’t as important ham shows up again in 1800. other sources can yield results. If Noel Pitts as the official census date: There, with a little more educated guess- was dead before the 1810 census, when Enumerators were supposed to work, the pieces fit: Joel, age 13, is the did he die? I found the answer—Nov. 7, list individuals’ ages as of a date young male between 10 and 15; the pos- 1807—in the supporting material someone specified by the Census Bureau. sible older brother John could be the male submitted with a Daughters of the Ameri- Jan. 1 was “Census Day” for the aged 16 to 25; younger brother Abraham can Revolution < dar.org > application. 1920 enumeration, so someone Jr. isn’t yet born; and Abraham Sr. is the You also can use census finds to leapfrog born Feb. 12, 1909, should be 26-to-45-year-old male, presumably on the to fresh facts. Once my Jimmy McKinn recorded as 10 on the census older end of the scale. In his early 40s, he’d chain led me to his son Prospero, I was form—even if the census taker be a perfect match for the 80-to-90-year-old able to find a 1985 death record for Pros- visited in April. This magic date Abraham of 1840. (There’s an Abraham in pero McKinn—which listed his mother’s varied, so use this chart to sort the 1790 census, too, but its age categories maiden name, Villanueva. out ancestors’ reported ages: are so broad as to be unhelpful.) Sometimes you’ll make breakthroughs Not all the Stow family questions are so by bouncing between the census and other Census Census Day neatly answered, of course. Where’s Abra- resources, particularly land and tax records. 1790 Aug. 2 ham Jr. in 1840? Not in Alabama with I finally solved the quandary of my Ekstrom 1800 Aug. 4 brother Joel. Where’s Abraham Sr.’s wife in family, for instance, by combining census 1810 Aug. 6 1800, when the only older female listed is records and city directories. After arriving too old at 45-plus? Is the younger wife of in America from Sweden, the widowed 1820 Aug. 7 later years a second marriage? Where’s Anna Maja Pehrsdotter Ekstrom showed 1830 June 1 everybody else in 1810? New questions, up in the 1880 census as—believe it or 1840 June 1 new answers to look for. not—Mary Van Kirkhoon, married to a 1850 June 1 Belgian gentleman. Unlikely as this seemed, 1860 June 1 5. Go for the geography. that Mary was the only person in my census Lacking a birth certificate, how did I know search who fit: Born in Sweden, about 43 1870 June 1 Joel Stow was born in North Carolina? years old, living in Moline, Ill., first name 1880 June 1 Fortunately, beginning with the 1850 cen- Anna or Mary (Maja in Swedish)—and her 1890 June 1 sus, enumerators asked each person’s birth- children had the surname Ekstrom. Could I 1900 June 1 place; the 1880 census was the first to add prove Mary was Anna Maja? 1910 April 15 birthplaces of everyone’s parents. So even I turned to Moline city directories for the 1920 Jan. 1 if Joel hadn’t lived long enough to have his period and soon found her widowed again birthplace recorded with his own entry, I and back to her first husband’s Ekstrom sur- 1930 April 1 (Oct. 1, could’ve done some “time traveling” to name. I compared her children in the 1880 1929 in Alaska) figure out where he was born. Indeed, I census with other city directory listings and confirmed Joel’s North Carolina origins with her offspring back in Sweden. After in the 1880 and 1900 census listings of his finding her in the 1900 census as “Anna M. son John. So don’t despair if you’ve been Ekstrom,” I matched the Ekstrom children fresh look: I hadn’t been able to find my unable to find an ancestor’s native state. from that census to those in the 1880 Van ancestor Joel Stow in the 1820 census until Jimmy McKinn’s loose grasp of geog- Kirkhoon house. I then found their obitu- I was researching this article—there he raphy notwithstanding, you often can use aries, confirming their relationship to Anna was, waiting for me, as Joel Stoe. the birthplace columns to confirm (or elim- and their sister Mary, my great-grand- On the other hand, I still haven’t been inate) ancestral “suspects.” Already know- mother. This puzzle, which began with that able to find ex-Geronimo captive Jimmy ing Joel Stow was born in North Carolina, mysterious 1880 census entry, needed other McKinn in the 1910 census. Maybe he got I could be pretty sure the 1860 Joel Stowe resources for the pieces to mesh. fed up with city life and ran off to the wil- living in Tallapoosa, Ala., with his daugh- Will these approaches always help you derness for a while. In census research, you ter Rachel was the same man—the age and find a missing ancestor or use the census to learn to expect the unexpected. 3 the birthplace matched. And, thinking in fill blanks in your family tree? Some census reverse, I knew my 1900 John Stowe was mysteries may remain forever unsolved, Contributing editor David A. Fryxell lives in Joel’s son because the census listed his father but that doesn’t mean you should stop New Mexico, which may or may not be where Jimmy as born in North Carolina. The addition plugging away. Sometimes all it takes is a McKinn was born.
www.familytreemagazine.com 27 ILLUSTRATION STUART BRADFORD
20 Family Tree Magazine July 2009
JJUL09FTUL09FT CENSUSES_02.inddCENSUSES_02.indd Sec1:1Sec1:1 33/25/09/25/09 10:07:3410:07:34 AMAM SpecialHelp There’s more to the census than those every-10-years counts. These “extra” censuses of select populations may have just the ancestor answers you need.
BY SHARON DEBARTOLO CARMACK
ometimes you need a little extra or on microfilm. These enumerations, things you might not find in any other help—a pep talk, a confidence taken every 10 years starting in 1790, record. Here’s the special help you need Sbooster, a loan, an aspirin—to deal were intended to cover the entire country. to use these special resources. with life’s challenges. That’s true, too, On the other hand, the government took of genealogy research. When leads dry special censuses (also called nonpopula- Schedule of defective, dependent up and ancestors refuse to be found, a tion censuses) to count unique segments and delinquent classes new resource can restore the glimmer of of the population or create snapshots of In 1880, a special census gathered infor- hope that keeps you scrolling microfi lm communities. Taken variously during and mation about the physically disabled, the and searching the Internet. Nine lesser- between regular census years, these enu- mentally ill, homeless children and prison known, under-used special censuses may merations counted farms, veterans, facto- inmates. To see if your ancestor might be be just the extra help you need to fi ll in ries, American Indians and other groups. listed, fi rst fi nd him in the regular 1880 blanks on your family tree. Not all special census records survived, population census. There’s a free index You’re probably accustomed to using and many aren’t yet available online. But on FamilySearch
ILLUSTRATION: STUART BRADFORD ILLUSTRATION: schedule of people in public institutions. person is sick or temporarily disabled;
www.familytreemagazine.com 21
JJUL09FTUL09FT CENSUSES_02.inddCENSUSES_02.indd Sec1:2Sec1:2 33/25/09/25/09 10:07:4610:07:46 AMAM Heavily Scheduled Consult this at-a-glance list to see which special censuses might cover your ancestors.
■ Defective, dependent and delinquent schedules: 1880
■ Agricultural censuses: 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880
■ Manufacturing and industry schedules: 1820, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880
■ Slave schedules: 1850, 1860 blind; deaf and dumb; idiotic; insane; Agricultural censuses ■ Mortality schedules: 1850, or maimed, crippled, bedridden or oth- Many of our ancestors raised crops and 1860, 1870, 1880, 1885 (some erwise disabled. A mark in these col- livestock for a living. These schedules areas), 1900 (Minnesota only) umns means you should look for more offer a glimpse of farms, even the num- information about your ancestor in the bers and kinds of produce and livestock. ■ US state/territorial census: schedules of “defective, dependent and When you’re writing your family history, 1885 (some areas) delinquent classes” (abbreviated as the this information can round out your
■ Social statistics schedules: 1880 DDDs). Separate schedules list ancestor’s life story. If your ancestor was 1850, 1860, 1870, 1885 the indigent, blind, deaf and dumb, and one of two men with the same name liv- other designations. ing in the same community, these sched- American Indians You might be surprised to fi nd a rela- ules can be especially helpful—after all, tive. What we know today as postpartum no two people would own exactly the ■ Indian schedules: 1880, depression and menopause could get same acreage of land with identical num- 1900, 1910 women of the past temporarily or perma- bers of livestock. nently committed. I fi rst found Mary Ann Just look at the rich details about ■ Indian reservation censuses: 1885 to 1940 Vance in the 1880 population schedule of John Hillman’s farm in Wise County, Ohio, with a tick mark under the “insane” Va.: In 1860, he owned 60 acres of ■ Indian school censuses: column. She was on the 1880 DDD sched- improved land and 1,200 acres of unim- 1910 to 1939 ule, which revealed that her fi rst “mania” proved land, for a cash value of $2,000. attack struck at age 43, and she was in the His farming implements and machin- Military Athens, Ohio, Insane Asylum. ery totaled $10. He owned $247 worth These records aren’t in online census of livestock, including one horse, three ■ Revolutionary War pensioners: 1840 databases and may be challenging to fi nd milch cows, 10 sheep and 29 swine. The on microfi lm. A few are available through previous year, he grew 20 bushels of ■ Civil War veterans schedule: the FHL; run a place search of the online rye, 150 of Indian corn, 2 of peas and 1890 (half of Kentucky and catalog for the state, then look under cen- beans, and 4 of fl axseed. He produced 15 states following alphabetically) suses. NARA has some DDD microfi lm, pounds of wool, 75 of butter, 75 of fl ax too. But most DDD records are housed in and 40 of maple syrup. His homemade ■ Schedules of military repositories in each state. You can down- manufacture was valued at $25; animals personnel on bases and load a state-by-state locations cheat sheet slaughtered, $75. vessels (including overseas): from FamilyTreeMagazine.com using the Though agricultural censuses were 1900, 1910, 1920 link below. taken during every census year from ■ Schedules of merchant 1850 to 1910, only the 1850 through seamen on vessels: 1930 1880 schedules are available. The 1890 web extra Download a state-by- count was destroyed in the same fi re that state list of available DDD schedules from
22 Family Tree Magazine July 2009
JJUL09FTUL09FT CENSUSES_02.inddCENSUSES_02.indd Sec1:3Sec1:3 33/25/09/25/09 10:08:0010:08:00 AMAM The 1870 agricultural enumerator in Prickly Pear Valley, Lewis and Clark County, Mont., noted that James Smith’s Jay Ranch was in its fi rst year (left). The schedules were two pages to record all the detail about each farm’s livestock, crop and other products—right down to the type of potatoes grown (below).
were destroyed, unmicrofi lmed, by Con- gressional order. The 1850 and 1860 agricultural cen- sus enumerated farms with an annual produce worth $100 or more. In 1870 and 1880, farms of three or more acres, or with an annual produce worth $500 or more, were counted. Schedules list the name of the owner, agent or tenant along with the kind and value of acreage, machinery, livestock and produce. Agricultural censuses for 1850 through 1880 are grouped on microfilm with manufacturing and industry schedules (see the next section) as “nonpopulation Clearly Stated census schedules.” The fi lm is organized Just as the federal government counted the US population every 10 years, by state at NARA facilities (see
www.familytreemagazine.com 23
JJUL09FTUL09FT CENSUSES_02.inddCENSUSES_02.indd Sec1:4Sec1:4 33/25/09/25/09 10:08:0910:08:09 AMAM collected varies by year, but generally This 1910 Indian schedule shows typical includes the name of the company or owner, census information at the top, and details the kind of business, capital invested, and such as tribe and degree of Indian blood at the bottom. The enumerator noted those the quantity and value of materials, labor, who’d gone hunting. machinery and products. The first manufacturing census was taken in 1810, but unfortunately, it’s lost and whether each was deaf-mute, blind, except for a few microfilmed schedules insane or idiotic. among the population census schedules. Mary Fitzhugh of Orange County, The second was taken in 1820. None was Va., owned 10 slaves in 1850; they compiled in 1830, and only statistical infor- appear to be grouped on the slave sched- mation was recorded in 1840. Manufactur- ule by mother and children: ing censuses taken in 1850, 1860 and 1870 are called industry schedules, and include female age 49 mulatto data on businesses with an annual gross female age 40 mulatto product of $500 or more. male age 8 mulatto If your ancestor owned a business, male age 6 mulatto you’ll learn a lot about his work. John male age 4 mulatto Welch of Coxsockie, Green County, NY, female age 24 mulatto appears in the 1870 industry schedule. female age 7 mulatto He was a tailor who had $1,000 invested female age 4 mulatto in his business. In his store were two male age 1 mulatto Singer sewing machines, as well as 200 male age 35 black yards of cloth worth $300. The kind of power he used? His hands. Although slave schedules don’t give (National Archives micropublication Though the schedules don’t list other slaves’ names, you still can use them to M1791). For the 1900 and 1910 cen- employees’ names, they offer a picture learn about enslaved ancestors. You’ll suses, American Indians might be listed of where the workers spent their days. need a good idea of where your ances- on special schedules called Inquiries Also look at schedules for the area tors lived or their slaveholder’s name, Relating to Indians, found along with the where your ancestor lived—no doubt then examine schedules for slave fami- regular population schedules. In 1920 he patronized some of those industries. lies that fit your ancestors’ sexes and and 1930, Indians were enumerated on Armed with business names, you might ages. For more help with this process, general population schedules. be able to fi nd old account books listing see page 48 and A Genealogist’s Guide Special inquiry schedules may give your ancestor’s purchases. to Discovering Your African-American the name of the tribe, the federal reserva- The 1820 schedules are on 27 rolls of Ancestors by Emily Anne Croom and tion and the governing Bureau of Indian microfilm in NARA’s record group 29, Franklin Smith (Genealogical Publish- Affairs (BIA) agency. For each household, arranged alphabetically by county within ing Co., $34.95). you may learn the type of dwelling and each state. Each roll contains an index. Slave schedules are online at Ances- number of residents, and each person’s An online index at
24 Family Tree Magazine July 2009
JJUL09FTUL09FT CENSUSES_02.inddCENSUSES_02.indd Sec1:5Sec1:5 33/25/09/25/09 10:08:2210:08:22 AMAM Toolkit
Web Sites
■ Agricultural and Manufacturing Census Records of 15 Southern States
■ Ancestry.com: Censuses and Voter Lists
■ FamilySearch Record Search Pilot Site
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JJUL09FTUL09FT CENSUSES_02.inddCENSUSES_02.indd Sec1:6Sec1:6 33/25/09/25/09 10:08:3410:08:34 AMAM time your ancestor died. If your ances- tor was considerate enough to die during one of the 12-month periods mentioned above, a mortality schedule should list his name, sex, age, color, free or slave status, marital status, birthplace (state, territory or country), occupation, month and cause of death, and number of days ill. Keep in mind that the cause of death might not be completely accurate—diag- noses weren’t supported by X-rays, blood tests or microscopic tissue examinations, as they are today. They were based on signs and symptoms, which are similar for many diseases. You can find mortality schedules online at Ancestry.com, or on microfi lm at the FHL, FHCs and NARA facilities. Some states’ 1850 mortality schedules are searchable free on FamilySearch. And look for published abstracts at genealogi- cal libraries.
Social statistics schedules Though you won’t find your ancestors listed on social statistics schedules—taken from 1850 to 1870 and in 1885—they’ll give you a detailed picture of the com- munity where your relatives lived. For each county, you get data on estate val- ues, annual taxes, wages, schools, seasons and crops, libraries, newspapers and peri- odicals, churches, pauperism and crime. Enumerators also recorded cemeteries with general descriptions and addresses (some even included a map with cemeter- ies marked), procedures for interment, whether the cemetery was active and, if not, the reason for closing. You might fi nd lists of trade societies, lodges, clubs and other groups, with addresses, major branches and the executive officers’ names. Churches may be accompanied by historical details, statements of doctrine and policy, and membership numbers. If you know your ancestor’s occupa- tion, for example, you can fi nd out what he probably earned. The 1870 social sta- tistics for El Paso County, Colo., show the average wage for a farmhand was $25
Three-year-old Mary Scotte’s cause of death was “In the brain,” according to this 1850 mortality schedule for Cabarrus County, NC.
26 Family Tree Magazine July 2009
JJUL09FTUL09FT CENSUSES_02.inddCENSUSES_02.indd Sec1:7Sec1:7 33/25/09/25/09 10:08:4910:08:49 AMAM per month. The typical laborer earned web extra Learn how the online $2.50 per day ($1.50 with board); a car- Historical Census Browser can deliver penter, $4.50. A female domestic worker social stats data
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JJUL09FTUL09FT CENSUSES_02.inddCENSUSES_02.indd Sec1:8Sec1:8 33/25/09/25/09 10:08:5610:08:56 AMAM State-By-State Census Chart
First Extant colonial, First Extant colonial, Extant territorial & Extant territorial & federal state censuses federal state censuses census census Alabama 1830 1706-1819 (various years), 1820 Iowa 1850 1836 (in Wisconsin Territory), 1838- (eight counties), 1850, 1855, 1866, 1897 (various years and communi- 1907 (Confederate veterans), 1921 ties), 1856, 1885, 1895, 1905, 1915 (Confederate pensioners) Kansas 1860 1857 (Shawnee tribe), 1865-1925 Alaska 1900 1878 (Aleutian Islands); 1879, (every 10 years), 1873-on (various 1881 (Sitka); 1885 (Cape Smith, years and areas) Point Barrow); 1890-1895 (Pribiloff Kentucky 1810 none known Islands); 1904-1907, 1914, 1917 (St. Paul and St. George islands) Louisiana 1810 1699, 1700, 1706, 1711, 1721, 1722, 1724, 1725, 1726, 1727, 1731, 1732, Arizona 1870 1801, 1852 (Pimeria Alta); 1831 1766, 1771, 1772, 1774, 1782, 1784- (Santa Cruz County); 1864; 1866; 1786, 1788- 1790, 1795, 1798, 1799, 1882 (several counties) 1803, 1805 (various communities); Arkansas 1830 1686-1804, 1823, 1829 (fragments) 1792-1806, 1809 (Nacogdoches) California 1850 1796, 1797, 1798 (various areas); Maine 1790 1837 (Bangor, Portland, unincorpo- 1852 rated towns) Colorado 1860 (as 1861, 1866 (fragments), 1885 Maryland 1790 1776, 1778 four ter- Massachusetts 1790 1855, 1865 ritories), 1870 (as Michigan 1820 1710, various through 1792 (Detroit Colorado area), 1780 (Fort St. Joseph), 1796 Territory), (Wayne County), 1845, 1854-1894 1880 (as a (every 10 years) state) Minnesota 1820 (in 1836 (in Wisconsin Territory), 1849, Connecticut 1790 1917 (males of military service age, Michigan 1853 (various areas), 1855 (frag- some women) Territory) ments), 1857 Delaware 1800 1671, 1782 Mississippi 1820 1792 (Natchez), 1784, 1787, 1788, 1794, 1798-1817 (various years), District of 1800 none known (see listings for Mary- 1831 (Choctaw tribe), 1822-1825, Columbia land and Virginia) 1837, 1841, 1845, 1853, 1866 (vari- Florida 1830 1783, 1784-1786, 1790, 1793, 1813, ous areas) 1814, 1815, 1824 (fragments), 1825, Missouri 1830 1770-1804 (various areas); 1797, 1837, 1845, 1855 (Marion County), 1803 (New Madrid); 1817, 1819 (St. 1867 (several counties), 1875 (Ala- Charles); 1840, 1844, 1852, 1856, 1868, 1876 (fragments) chua County), 1885, 1895 (Nassau County), 1945 Montana 1870 none known Georgia 1820 1787-1866 (various years; frag- Nebraska 1860 1854, 1855, 1856, 1860, 1865, 1869 ments survive) Nevada 1850 1862, 1863, 1875 Hawaii 1900 1847 (foreigners), 1866, 1878 (Hawaii, Maui, Oahu), 1890, 1896 New 1790 1732, 1744, 1767, 1776 (Honolulu) Hampshire Idaho 1850 (as none known New Jersey 1830 (Cum- 1824-1832 (Paterson), 1855, 1865, Oregon berland 1875, 1885, 1895, 1905, 1915 Territory) County Illinois 1820 1810 (Randolph County, as Indiana only in Territory), 1818, 1820-1845 (every 1800) five years, various counties), 1855, New Mexico 1850 1750-1845 (various years and 1865 areas), 1885 Indiana 1820 1807, 1820-on (various years, males New York 1790 1825-1875 (every 10 years), 1892, older than 21) 1905, 1915, 1925