The United States Census

The United States Census

There are a lot of people in the United States, and it's not easy keeping track of them all. But one agency tries to do just that: the U.S. Census Bureau. Every 10 years, as required by the U.S. Constitution, the Census Bureau conducts a head count of all the people in the U.S. and asks them questions to help learn more about the country as a whole: who we are, where we live, what we earn, how many of us are married or single, and how many of us have children, among other topics. The data collected isn't trivial, either. It is used to apportion seats in Congress, distribute federal aid, define legislative districts and help federal, state and local governments plan for growth.

The United States Census is an extremely valuable tool in genealogy research. Several censuses give not only names, ages and birthplaces, but also state the relationship of people within a household. Depending on the questions asked in that particular census, you may also learn when your ancestors came to the U.S., if and when they were naturalized, how many children a woman gave birth to and other vital pieces of information.

Background Information

In the U.S., a census has been taken every 10 years from 1790 through 2000. All censuses taken after 1930 are still confidential and the information they contain is not open to the public. The census from 1790 through 1840 only named the head of the household and the numbers of people in categories — 3 males over 16, 2 males under 16, etc. The census from 1850 through 1930 lists each member of the household and usually gives the relationship to the head of the house. It also gives age (later years give birth month and year) and place of birth (usually just the state or foreign country). The 1890 census was almost totally destroyed by fire so there is a 20 year gap between 1880 and 1900.

Utilizing the Information

Before searching an index or searching for a particular census image, it may be a good idea to print blank census forms for each of the census years. These forms will allow you to review and see what information is actually available for each of the census years. There are also free spreadsheet type charts that allow you to track several census years for a particular person or family.

The census gives a lot of information and you should try to find your ancestors in as many censuses as possible. Take note of the names near your ancestor's. Sometimes people would adopt a nickname or middle name at an early age and use that exclusively throughout life. If you were not able to find a birth record for Hank Smith, you may find that as a 2 or 3 year old child he was listed as Charles Henry Smith. This indicates that the birth was probably registered as Charles and you won't ever find a record for Hank. Looking at as many returns as possible may also give you a pattern of migration. The oldest children might be born in Pennsylvania, the second 2 in Ohio and the younger ones in Indiana.

Dealing With Errors

Keep in mind how the census was taken and how the indexes were created. It was a very inexact science! The census enumerator took the information orally. He was probably in a hurry, many of the foreign immigrants had heavy accents and most families were large. He didn't always ask how to spell a name — and many people were illiterate.

The census taker usually interviewed at least one person in the household, but if no one was home and the farm was a long way from his home, the enumerator may have obtained the information from a neighbor. In any case, the person supplying the data may not have known the facts. The neighbor may not have known the children's ages or birthplaces or a husband may not have known his mother-in-law's place of birth. Many, many people are recorded as being born in the wrong state. Anyone may assume a person was born in the U.S. because he or she has no accent when actually the individual may have been born in a foreign country and come to the U.S. as an infant or young child. When an individual was asked when he came to the U.S., he probably searched his memory and said "oh, about 1883". He didn't consult records and the actual year may have been 1887. They probably recited their children's names rather quickly and son Georgie may have turned into daughter Georgia. Many people could be recorded as the wrong sex if they didn't have traditional names. A child who had gone to stay with a relative for a month, perhaps to help out with a new baby might be counted twice — or not at all. Because of all these potential human errors, it is important to check as many censuses as possible.

Unable to Find?

If you cannot find your person in an index and you feel reasonably confident that he should be there, or if you have no other leads, do not hesitate to check the whole county if it is a rural area. If you are looking in a large city, it is very difficult to check the entire city. You should use city directories and street indexes to try to narrow the area. If the people belonged to one ethnic group, a history of the city will tell you what areas which nationalities settled in.

Once you have checked all census returns back through 1850, the census becomes less valuable but still can provide evidence. Slaves were recorded by numbers, usually without names, and Native American (Indian) censuses are a separate set of records.

Other Censuses

Many states also had their own census, sometimes at more frequent intervals. There are census returns in other countries also. Canada and Great Britain have census for every 10 years since 1841. Because of their 100 year confidentiality rule, only 1841–1891 are open to the public. No matter what area you are researching, one of the first resources you should look for is a census.

Links

United States Census Bureau

National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)

Census Record Abstracts (free for printing)

Census Tools - Free Genealogy Spreadsheets

Genealogy Guide to the US Census

Which Census Year Should I Check First?

What Do All of the Census Abbreviations Mean?

Clues in Census Records, 1850-1930

Clues in Census Records, 1790-1840

Nonpopulation Census Records

Native Americans in the Census