Census Records: How to Read Them

Census records are what I call "the doorway to genealogy" and are the single most common document / record I and many others use in genealogical studies.  For this purpose, learning how to use them is critical to your success.

Here's a presentation by Ancestry.com that gives a bit more insight into the 1930 census and how to read and glean information from a census that might otherwise not be immediately apparent.

Censuses in the US

Mandated by the federal government and taken every 10 years beginning in 1790 for enumerating congressional seats and government program funding. Censuses were taken before 1776 in the British Colonies but not as regularly.

Currently there is a “72 year rule” in which censuses are released to the public 72 years after their making to protect private information.  The 1940 census was released in 2012.

Documents like censuses were taken at various times of year.

They usually have a column that asks the age of the people in the home but not always month/year of birth.

The people answering the door to the census takers often made mistakes on family members' ages among other things.

Usually this gives you a range of  +/- 1year, sometimes +/-2 years in estimating birth-dates. Anything beyond the +/- 3-5 years and I start questioning if I have the right person. I start identifying them by their family members' ages, birth places, names and relationships.

This leads you to often put for birth-dates “About” the year born or the likes.
(Next time you're at the temple, look at your card and if you see their birth as being “about” - you know what happened!)

For example

In the 1880 Census, taken on January 8th, 1880, Elizabeth Franks is listed as being 25 years old.

Given that it is only the 8th of January, the likelihood of her birthday being between Jan 1st and 8th is pretty slim – could be – but unlikely.

Also given that we don't know who answered the door, or if they knew what they were talking about, or if the census-taker even wrote it down properly, or if it got copied properly, you'd mark her date of birth as “About 1855" in your records UNTIL you find another record that conclusively demonstrates that her birthday was one year or another (Headstones, anyone? Marriage records?  Obituary? Social Security Death Index?  State Death Index? Family story? High school records? )
  
                      GREAT! You've found “Elizabeth Franks”!

However - now – when searching for further info on Elizabeth Franks you've got a couple of issues:
1) You need to give a spread of years for her birthday when searching for her (which is fine because there are many errors between documents on birthdates anyways and you'll see this if you haven't already).
2) If she was married on the document, and if you don't know who her father was or her maiden name, now you have a hard time finding records specifically related to her birth – though you have a rough estimate of her birth year.
3) If she wasn't married on the document, until you find a marriage certificate or a document of her marriage, you don't know her married name you're going to be looking for. 

BUT, you've got a bunch of other info that can give clues to finding other information in the future. 

In addition to federal censuses there were also state and Indian censuses and schedules.  I obtain most of these from Ancestry.com but they can also be obtained from the National Archives and State Archives of the individual States. 

To see the tables of Federal, State and Indian Censuses click to continue:  

Censuses By Decade (From Genealogy University)

Census Year	Contents & Categories	Miscellaneous Info.
1790	Head of household only one listed 2 groups of males listed: free white males 16 and older and free white males under 16 Free white females Slaves Census exists for:Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Vermont	The destroyed censuses: Delaware, Georgia, Kentucky, New Jersey, Tennessee. The Virginia census was destroyed, but was reconstructed from taxation lists.
1800-1810	Head of household was only listed Free white males listed: under 10; 10-16; 16-26; 26-45; 45 or older Free white females were grouped into the same age categories Number of other free persons (does not include Indians because they were not taxed) Number of Slaves Place of residence	The names are listed in order in which the enumerator took the information. This keeps the proximity of families living near each other intact and allows us to assume that families with the same surname living in close proximity are likey part of the same extended family.
1820	This census was the same as 1800-1810 except it now offers an age category for males 16-18. Note:This overlaps the category for males 16-26.	New information includes: Number of individuals not naturalized Number in agriculture, commerce or manufacturing Number of "colored" persons Number of other persons (does not include Indians because they were not taxed)
1830-1840	These two censuses expanded the age groups into smaller divisions. The categories for the males and females were the same: under 5; 5-10; 10-15; 15-20; then in 10 year increments to 100; and over 100. The number of those who were "deaf, dumb, and blind" and the number of aliens were listed. In addition, the number of slaves and free colored persons were included by age categories.	This census added a column for the names and ages of military war pensioners (mainly Revolutionary war), those who could not read and write, the number of insane, and several other categories.
1850	This is the census that started listing the names and ages of each person living in the household. In addition, the following was also listed: Gender and color Occupation Value of real estate Birthplace Whether married within the year or attended school within the year Whether they could read and write (if over 20) Anyone deaf-mute, blind, insane, idiotic, or convicted A separate schedule for slaves was included in this census	Be sure to closely look at the names and ages of the people in the household. Many times, an older parent lived with their children. Alternatively, other residents could be boarders or laborers. Remember to look at 5 families on either side of your ancestors, as often families lived in close proximity to each other.
1860-1870	These censuses were nearly the same as the 1850 census, but it added columns for the value of personal property and paupers. The 1870 census added columns for foreign-born parents. When a child was born within the year of the census, the month was included.
1880	Similar to the 1850-1870 censuses, but added the relationship of the individuals in the household to the head of the household. Also added were columns for the birhplace of the father and the mother (sometimes these were not correct, so be careful).	Only families with children under the age of 10 are listed on the 1880 soundex because the government needed a way to determine who was eligible for Social Security benefits. All people are listed in the actual census. .
1890	This census was nearly all destroyed by a fire on 21 January 1921. All that survived was a part of a special census taken for Union soldiers and their widows.	It is available on the National Archives micropublication M407.
1900	The month and year of birth were added to this census. Also added were columns for following valuable information: Number of years married How many children born to mother How many of above children still living	Immigrants were tracked closely. The year of their entry, the length of time in the US, and whether they were naturalized or not was also recorded.
1910	This census added a column for Civil war veterans.	Unfortunately, this census does not have a complete soundex, but the actual census is complete.
1920	The year of immigration, whether naturalized, and the year of naturalization were added to this census.

1930	Literacy, whether owned a radio, veteran status
1940	Whether employed, type of pay,      where you lived five years previous, where you attended school, industry you worked in, number of weeks you worked last year, income year previous	Released in 2012

STATE CENSUSES (Obtained from www.clanboyd.info) 

State censuses were created by state governments. Federal censuses were taken every 10 years from 1790 to the present. State censuses were taken in between the federal censuses. Usually the state censuses and federal censuses had similar information.

• Alabama became a state in 1819. State censuses were taken in Alabama in 1820, 1831, 1844,1850, 1855, and 1866.

• Alaska became a state in 1959 - no state censuses.

• Arizona became a state in 1912 - no state censuses.

• Arkansas became a state in 1836 - no state censuses.

• California became a state in 1850 - There is an 1852 state census.

• Colorado became a state in 1876 - No state censuses for Colorado; however, there is a special 1885 federal census.

• Connecticut became a state in 1788. No state censuses, except for a 1917 military census at the Connecticut State Library.

• Delaware became a state in 1787 - No state censuses.

• The District of Columbia has district censuses for 1803, 1807, 1818, 1867, and 1878,which are at the Maryland State Archives. There are also police censuses for 1885 to 1919, which list heads of households.

• Florida became a state in 1845. State censuses of Florida exist for 1845, 1855, 1865,1868, 1875, 1885, 1895, 1935, and 1945.

• Georgia became a state in 1788. State censuses of Georgia were taken in various years.The original records are at the Georgia Department of Archives and History. There are state censuses at the Family History Library for some counties for 1827, 1834, 1837,1838, 1845, 1852, 1859, and 1879.

• Hawaii was annexed by the United States in 1898 and became a state in 1959. No state censuses.

• Idaho became a state in 1890 - no state censuses.

• Illinois became a state in 1818. State censuses are available for 1825, 1835, 1845, 1855,and 1865.

• Indiana became a state in 1816. Indiana has some state enumerations for 1853 to 1877.

• Iowa became a state in 1846. State censuses were taken from 1846 to 1925.

• Kansas became a state in 1861. Kansas has state censuses for 1865, 1875, 1885, 1895,1905, 1915, and 1925.

• Kentucky became a state in 1792 - no state censuses.

• Louisiana became a state in 1812 and has state censuses for a few parishes: 1813 (St.Landry), 1833 (St. Tammany), 1837 (Ascension), 1856-57 (Carrollton).

• Maine became a state in 1820. There was a Maine state census in 1837, which is available for several cities and towns.

• Maryland became a state in 1788 - no state censuses.

• Massachusetts became a state in 1788. There are state censuses for Massachusetts for 1855 and 1865.

• Michigan became a state in 1837. State censuses were taken in the years 1845, 1854,1864, 1874, 1884, 1894, and 1904.

• Minnesota became a state in 1858. State censuses were taken in 1865, 1875, 1885, 1895,and 1905.

• Mississippi became a state in 1817. State censuses were taken in some counties in 1818,1820, 1822, 1823, 1824, 1825, 1830, 1833, 1837, 1840, 1841, 1845, 1850, 1853,1860, and 1866.

• Missouri became a state 1821. There are Missouri state censuses for a few counties for 1844, 1857 through 1858, 1868, and 1876.

• Montana became a state in 1889 - no state censuses. 

• Nebraska became a state in 1867. There are state censuses for 1869, 1885, and 1913 through 1914 (taken for German immigrants from Russia).

• Nevada became a state in 1864, and a state census was taken in 1875.

• New Hampshire became a state in 1788 - No state censuses

• New Jersey became a state in 1787. There are state censuses for 1855, 1865, 1875,1885, 1895, 1905, and 1915.

• New Mexico became a state in 1912 - no state censuses.

• New York became a state in 1788. State censuses were taken in 1825, 1835, 1845,1855, 1865, 1875, 1892, 1905, 1915, and 1925.

• North Carolina became a state in 1789 - no state censuses.

• North Dakota became a state in 1889. State censuses were taken in North Dakota in 1905, 1915, and 1925.

• Ohio became a state in 1803. All that remains of the 1810 census are the returns for Washington County. Some town or county enumerations were taken from 1803–1911.

• Oklahoma became a state in 1907 - no state censuses.

• Oregon became a state in 1859. Oregon state censuses were taken in 1892 (Marion County) and 1905 (a few counties).

• Pennsylvania became a state in 1787. No state censuses. However, the Pennsylvania State Archives has "septennial censuses" (tax lists with the names of the taxable inhabitants), which were taken every seven years, and exist for these counties:

• 1779: Bedford, Berks, Chester, Lancaster.
• 1786: Bedford, Berks, Bucks, Chester, Dauphin, Fayette, Franklin, Lancaster, Montgomery, Northampton, Washington, Westmoreland, York.
• 1793: Berks, Cumberland, Delaware, Lancaster, Montgomery, Philadelphia City, Philadelphia County, York.
• 1800: Adams, Allegheny, Armstrong, Bedford, Berks, Bucks, Centre, Chester, Cumberland, Dauphin, Delaware, Fayette, Franklin, Greene, Huntingdon, Lancaster, Luzerne, Lycoming, Mifflin, Montgomery, Northampton, Northumberland, Philadelphia City, Somerset, Washington, Wayne, Westmoreland, York.
• 1807: Dauphin (Derry Township), Franklin, Montgomery, York.
• 1814: Franklin.
• 1821: Columbia, Franklin, Huntingdon, Mifflin.
• 1828: Franklin.
• 1835: Franklin.
• 1842: Franklin, Montgomery (Pottsgrove Township only).
• 1849: Wyoming County.
• 1863: Philadelphia City.

• Rhode Island became a state in 1790. Rhode Island has state censuses for 1865, 1875,1885, 1915, 1925, and 1936.

• South Carolina became a state in 1788. South Carolina has state census records for some counties for 1829, 1839, 1848, 1869, and 1875. The original records are at the South Carolina Department of Archives and History. Some of them have been published in South Carolina periodicals. The 1848 census of Charleston city has been published and is at the Family History Library.

• South Dakota became a state in 1889. State censuses were taken in South Dakota in 1895, 1905, 1915, 1925, 1935, and 1945.

• Tennessee became a state in 1796 - no state censuses.

• Texas became a state in 1845 - no state censuses.

• Utah became a state in 1896 - no state censuses.

• Vermont became a state in 1791 - no state censuses.

• Virginia became a state in 1788 - no state censuses for Virginia. However, tax lists, available for most counties from about 1782 to 1850, are valuable census substitutes.

• Washington became a state in 1889. A state census of Washington was taken in 1892.

• West Virginia became a state in 1863 - no state censuses.

• Wisconsin became a state in 1848, and Wisconsin state censuses were taken in 1855,1865, 1875, 1885, 1895, and 1905.

• Wyoming became a state in 1890. A 1905 Wyoming state census is at the Wyoming State Archives.

 Indian Censuses and Schedules

In 1884, Congress passed a law requiring censuses of the American Indian reservations with the first censuses being taken in 1885, however these weren't required of all tribes or individuals on them.  

An Indian Schedule is different from a census in that while a census was being taken, if an Indian family or individual was found, they were recorded on a separate sheet of the census called an Indian Schedule very often with a few different and additional questions. 

More can be learned about these at: 

https://www.familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/United_States_Census_Indian_Schedules

https://www.familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/American_Indian_Census_Rolls