One of the most used, and most useful, records for genealogical research is the Federal census. As required by the Constitution, a census has been taken every ten years, beginning in 1790, for the purpose of enumerating the population for apportioning representatives to the lower house of Congress. These records are currently available through 1920. The 1930 census will be available on April 1, 2002, as mandated by the statutory 72-year restriction on access for privacy reasons (92 Stat. 915; Public Law 95-416, October 5, 1978). The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) has responsibility for maintaining and making available census records.

Census should be used with care for genealogical information. Errors are frequent; it is impossible at this point to know who answered the questions the enumerator asked, so accuracy is always an issue. The Census Bureau did not exist until 1850, and the enumeration was under the authority of the Federal District Courts from 1790 to 1870, completed by the assistant Federal marshals within each court. Enumerators were paid by the number of persons they enumerated. For the first several censuses, enumerators had to supply their own paper and ink; preprinted census sheets were not provided. Court clerks were also employed for the 1830 and 1840 to copy census pages since a duplicate set was required. One copy was retained by the court and the other sent to Washington.¹

The census information was obtained by a house-to-house canvas. Each time the census was taken, additional questions were asked and more information was gathered. In the first census taken in 1790, the schedules show the name of the head of household, number of free white males ages 16 and older, number of free white males under age 16, number of free white females, number of other free persons and number of slaves. And even though there were only 13 states in 1790, the census was taken in an area constituting 17 present-day states. Schedules survive for two-thirds of these states.² The original censuses are available on NARA publication M637, 12 rolls of microfilm. These schedules were also published by the Bureau of the Census, with indexes, and are available on NARA publication T498, 3 rolls. The schedules for Delaware, Georgia, Kentucky, New Jersey, Tennessee, and Virginia were burned during the War of 1812. The Virginia schedules were reconstructed from state enumerations and tax lists.

Schedules for 14 states still exist for the 1800 census on NARA publication M32, 52 rolls. Information on the 1800 census is broken down into age categories of under 10, 10 to 16, 16 and under 26, 26 and under 45, and 45 and older for both free white males and free white females. Number of other free persons, except Indians not taxed, and number of slaves were also asked.

Sixteen state and territorial schedules survive for 1810. Information gathered was the same as in 1800. These are available on NARA publication M252, 71 rolls. This was the first year information was gathered on manufacturers as well. Few of the manufacturing schedules still exist; results were published and are reprinted in American State Papers, Finance.³ Fragments of these schedules can be found among the population schedules.

NARA publication M33 (142 rolls) contains the 1820 census schedules for 22 states and territories. Information was the same as in 1800 and 1810, with the addition of information on aliens and occupations. A census of manufacturers was also taken. These schedules are on M279, 27 rolls. Each roll is indexed.⁴

The 1830 schedules are available on NARA publication M19, 201 rolls. It was the first census to have printed schedules. The 2-page form holds family information on the left page with slave data on the right page. The information, as in previous years, is broken down by sex and age. It also asked about blind, deaf-mutes (both free white and slave), and white aliens.

The 1840 schedules, on M704, 580 rolls, include the 1830 information and added information about military pensioners, schooling and literacy as well as number of persons in each family engaged in mining, agriculture, commerce, manufactures and trade, navigation of the oceans, canals, lakes and rivers, and learned professions and engineering.

The 1850 census is the first to list the names of all persons in the household. Also, the free inhabitants were separated from the slave schedules. These schedules are available on NARA publication M432, 1009 rolls. Each entry includes name of free person, age, sex, color (white, black or mulatto), occupation for males over 15, value of real estate owned, place of birth (country, state or territory), whether the person attended school or was married within the year, whether the person could read and write if over 20, and whether the person was deaf-mute, blind, insane, an idiot, a pauper, or a convict. The separate slave schedules name the slave-owner with the number of slaves owned. A line for each slave gives age, color, sex, and whether deaf-mute, blind, insane or idiotic. Mortality schedules were also done in 1850 which give information on persons who died during the year ending June 1, 1850, including name, age, sex, color, whether married or widowed, place of birth, occupation, month of death, cause of death, and number of days ill. Agricultural and industrial schedules were also done in 1850. (Specifics on using non-population schedules are discussed later in this article.⁵)

The 1860 schedules are microfilmed on M653, 1438 rolls. Again, there are separate schedules for free and slave inhabitants. The information collected was basically the same as in 1850 except occupations were collected for all persons over age 15, not just males. Mortality, agricultural and industrial schedules were also done.

The 1870 census is on NARA publication M593, 1748 rolls, with a separate publication for Minnesota on T132, 13 rolls. The form was expanded to 20 columns including dwelling house numbered in order of visitation; family numbered in order of visitation; name of person; age; sex; color (white, black, mulatto, Chinese and Indian); occupation; value of real estate; value of personal property; place of birth; father’s place of birth; mother’s place of birth; month if born within the year; month if married within the year; if attended school within the year; read or write; deaf or dumb, blind, insane or idiotic; if male citizen 21 or older; and if male citizen 21 or older whose right to vote is denied or abridged on other grounds than rebellion or crime. Mortality, agricultural and industrial schedules were also completed in 1870.

The 1880 census is on T9, 1454 rolls. It is the first census to give street addresses (for urban areas only) and relationship to head of household. Additionally, it gives information on the post office for that page. Most of the information collected on persons remains the same as 1870, with the addition of parents place of birth and whether sick or temporarily disabled on the day of the enumeration and the reason. The non-population censuses were also completed in 1880.

The original 1890 population schedules were destroyed by fire in 1921. Less than 1% still exist. They are available on M407, 3 rolls. A special enumeration of Union veterans and widows was also done in 1890. Alabama through part of Kentucky schedules were destroyed in the 1921 fire. The remaining schedules are on M123, on 118 rolls. These schedules show the name of the veteran, name of his widow if appropriate, rank, company, regiment, or vessel, dates of enlistment and discharge and length of service, post office address, nature of any disability, and remarks.⁶

The 1900 census is available on T623, 1854 rolls. For each household, the entry shows name of township, city and ward, street and house number (in urban areas). Each person’s entry includes name, relationship to head of household, color, sex, month and year of birth, age at last birthday, marital status, number of years married, number of children born and number still living (married women only), place of birth, father’s and mother’s place of birth; if alien or naturalized citizen, year of immigration, number of years in the United States, and naturalization status; occupation, number of months not employed; school attendance, literacy, if residence was a farm, if occupant was a homeowner. The 1900 census also has separate military schedules for army personnel overseas and all navy personnel, on T623, rolls 1838-1842, with a soundex index on T1081, 32 rolls. Army personnel stationed in the United States are enumerated in the geographical area where they were stationed.

The 1910 information, available on T624, 1784 rolls, varied slightly from 1900, keeping most questions but deleting month and year of birth as well as asking more information on occupation and home ownership; if a survivor of the Union or Confederate Army or Navy; and whether blind, deaf, or dumb.⁷

The 1920 schedules, on T625, 2076 rolls, asked basically the same questions as 1900 and 1910, but deleted number of years married and number of children born and still living added year of naturalization, if naturalized.

For tips on which census to use for specific purposes, NARA’s homepage has an article, “Clues in Census Records, 1850-1920,” which lists specific genealogical topics, such as date of birth or naturalization, and tells the researcher which census contains that information. The web address for this article is <www.nara.gov/genealogy/cenclues.html>.

But how do you gain access to all this information? Technology now allows greater access through CD indexes and digital copies of microfilmed census (see Carl Brown’s article elsewhere in this issue.) The Pittsfield office has an extensive collection of census index books, arranged by state and year, as well as many CD indexes (many purchased by the Friends), which will help to locate individuals in the census.

The census, no matter which year you are searching, is arranged first by state or territory, then by county and then by minor subdivision, usually city, town or village. Beginning in 1880, states were divided into supervisor’s districts and then into enumeration districts. Boundaries for enumeration districts for many states are described in T1224, Census Enumeration District Descriptions. For larger cities, researchers need to know the street layout in order to determine an enumeration district from a street address. Also available are microfiche street indexes for 1910 which give the enumeration district for specific street addresses for the cities of Atlanta; Baltimore; Brooklyn; Canton, OH; Charlotte, NC; Chicago; Cleveland; Dayton, OH; Denver; Detroit; Washington, DC; Elizabeth, NJ; Erie, PA; Fort Wayne, IN; Gary, IN; Grand Rapids, MI; Indianapolis, Kansas City, KA; Long Beach, CA; Los Angeles and LA County; Manhattan; Newark, NJ; Oklahoma City; Omaha; Patterson, NJ; Peoria, IL; Philadelphia; Phoenix; Reading, PA; and Richmond, VA.

For 1790 to 1870 there are indexes from private sources, in both book and CD formats. Many of these are available at the Pittsfield office. They give name of head of household, county and town of residence, and page number of the census schedule for that year. Indexes for 1880, 1900 and 1920, are in soundex format, on microfilm. The 1910 census has indexes for only 21 states, in soundex (and miracode) formats on microfilm. The Pittsfield office has brochures available free of charge describing how to use the soundex system. Classes on using census records are also given several times annually by the Friends.

To search for a particular name, a “soundex” code is worked out for the surname being researched. A soundex code consists of one letter and three numbers. No number is assigned to the first letter, it becomes the first item in the soundex code. For example, Nudd, would begin with N, and then have 3 numbers after it. Vowels, A, E, I, O, and U, as well as Y, are discarded. Silent letters such as H and W are also discarded. Remaining letters have code numbers assigned, for example, a D is coded to a 3. Nudd becomes N300.

The soundex indexes are arranged first by the census year, then by state, then by soundex number and finally alphabetically by given name. Each household has a card that lists, at the top, the soundex code and state, then the name of the head of household, age, sex, marital status and place of birth. It also gives street, city, and county. In the top right corner of each card is the volume, enumeration district (or ED), sheet and line for that head of household. In the bottom half of the card appear the names, ages, relationship to head of household, and place of birth, of the other members of the family. Another type of card gives information on boarders, lodgers, and other members of the household with different surnames from the head of household.

The National Archives and Records Administration is not the only facility which holds census records. The duplicates made of the early census (1800-1840) are sometimes available in state offices such as archives and libraries. Many state libraries, as well as Mormon Family History Centers have copies of the microfilmed records. The National Archives will also provide copies of census pages (from microfilm) for a fee (visit our website at <www.nara.gov> for further information on obtaining records by mail].

Non-populations censuses are the schedules for mortality, agriculture and industry, social statistics and defective, dependent and delinquent classes (deaf, dumb, blind, insane, idiotic). These were done in 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880, primarily. Industrial schedules began in 1810 and defective, dependent and delinquent classes were only done in 1880. These schedules are scattered; the Bureau of the Census returned many of the originals to the states around 1918, long before the National Archives was created in 1934.⁸ They can often be found in state libraries, state historical societies, or state archives. In The Census Book, Mr. Dollarhide gives a detailed list for each state of each non-population census type and date and NARA or Heritage Quest microfilm publication numbers, location of other microfilm and location of original manuscript.⁹

Mortality schedules were done from 1850 to 1880. They list the names of all persons who died during the previous twelve months before the census was taken. Information varied slightly but always included name of deceased, age, sex, color, marital status, birthplace, month of death, occupation, and cause of death. The 1870 schedule added whether parents were foreign born and 1880 added page number on population schedule, family number on population schedule, birthplaces of parents, months in the county of death, place disease contracted and name of attending physician.

Agricultural schedules were completed from 1850 to 1880. The farms counted had to produce more than $100 worth of products during the previous 12 months. They show the name of the farm owner, agent or manager; number of improved and unimproved acres; value of farm implements and machinery; number and value of livestock; bushels produced of wheat, rye, corn, oats, rice, tobacco, clover seed, other grass seed, hops, flax seed and hemp (during the previous 12 months); pounds produced of butter, cheese, flax, cane sugar, maple sugar, beeswax, and honey; value of orchard products; gallons of wine produced; tons of hay produced; gallons of molasses; value of homemade manufactures; and value of slaughtered animals.¹⁰

The industrial Schedules began with the 1810 census. Information includes market value of articles annually manufactured; kind, quantity and cost of raw materials; number of men, women, boys and girls employed; quantity and kind of machinery used; amount of capital invested; amount paid annually in wages; amount of contingent expenses; and general observations. The questions stayed the same with a few variations over the years. For example, 1850 asked the kind of motor power used. The 1880 schedules listed businesses in special categories: boot and shoe factories; tanneries; grist and flour mills; cheese and butter processing plants; salt works; lumber and sawmills; brickyards and tile works; coal mines; agricultural implement works; and quarries.¹¹

Social statistics were gathered for the 1850-1870 censuses. These contain information on value of real estate and personal property; names and numbers of colleges, academies and schools including numbers of pupils and teachers; names and numbers of libraries, newspapers, poor houses, criminals; and averages such as monthly wages for farmhands, day laborers and carpenters. They were done for areas, sometimes a town, or part of a rural county.¹²

An interesting set of non-population schedules are those for defective, dependent, and delinquent classes, done in 1880 only. There were seven separate classes counted: insane, idiots, deaf-mutes, blind, homeless children, prisoners, and paupers and indigent inhabitants boarded at public expense, whether in a poor-house or private home. All the forms give page and line number from the population schedule, name, and residence. The insane lists also ask if an inmate or day patient, form of disease, duration of current attack, age at first attack, if person is kept in a cell, if person must be restrained, if person is an inmate in an asylum, length of time in an institution, date of discharge, if epileptic, if suicidal, and if homicidal. The idiot schedule asked if person supported himself (or herself); age at which idiocy occurred; cause of idiocy; size of person’s head; if ever in training school; time spent in training school; year of discharge; if also insane; if also blind; if also deaf; if epileptic; and if paralyzed and which side. Deaf-mute and blind forms asked the same types of questions.¹³

The homeless children schedule had questions about the parents; if the child was abandoned or surrendered; where child was born; year admitted to an institution; if child was illegitimate; had the child ever been arrested, convicted or sentenced; if the origin of the child was respectable; if the child was removed from criminal surroundings; and if the child was blind, deaf or an idiot. Prisoners schedules asked questions on place, crime, awaiting trial, date incarcerated, offense, fines imposed, etc. The pauper questions asked were where support for the person came from, spouse’s location, parents’ locations, children’s locations, if able-bodied, epileptic, blind, etc.¹⁴

Non-population schedules are arranged by year, type of schedule, state, and then by county and town. Most don’t have indexes. The Pittsfield office has some published book indexes (in the training room) for mortality schedules, although not all the mortality schedules are available in Pittsfield. We also have most of the Massachusetts schedules, along with some for Pennsylvania, Vermont, and Texas. NARA microfilm publication, T655, reproduces the mortality schedules held by the DAR; the Pittsfield office has 30 rolls including Arizona (1870-80); Colorado, (1870-80); District of Columbia (1850-80); Georgia (1850-1880); Kentucky (1850-1880); Louisiana (1850-1880); and Tennessee (1850-80). Some are indexed.

Another very overlooked publication is T825, Publications of the Bureau of the Census. Here the researcher can find statistical data on the area in which ancestors lived as well as maps, manufacturing, mining, commercial, and agricultural information. Roll 5 has names, ages and residences for the 1840 Census of Pensioners. Roll 16 has reports on Alaska in 1884. Roll 20 has a report on the water power of Lake George. Roll 27 reports on the social issues from the 1890 census such as the insane, blind, paupers and crime.

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1. William Dollarhide, The Census Book: A Genealogist’s Guide to Federal Census Facts, Schedules and Indexes (Bountiful, UT: Heritage Quest, 1999), pages 9-10.

2. National Archives and Records Administration, Guide to Genealogical Research in the National Archives (Washington, DC: National Archives and Records Administration, 1985) page 14.

3. The publication, American State Papers, is available on microfilm in the NARA Pittsfield office. The Finance reports are on rolls 4-6.

4. NARA, Guide to Genealogical Research in the National Archives, 14, 19.

5. Ibid., 19-20.

6. Ibid., 21-22. Prologue: Quarterly of the National Archives and Records Administration, published an article, “First in the Path of the Firemen; the Fate of the 1890 Population Census,” in Spring, 1996, volume 28, no. 1. It is available on-line at <www.nara.gov/publications/prologue/1890cen1.html>.

7. Ibid., 22

8. Ibid., 12

9. Dollarhide, The Census Book, 95

10. NARA, Guide to Genealogical Research in the National Archives, 12, 14-21.

11. Ibid., 100

12. Dollarhide, The Census Book, 101.

13. bid., 97-98.

14. Ibid., 99.¨