Hello all,
For those of you who are new to genealogy, this
article helps. Although a little lengthly, this data
from the National Archives & Records Administration
is very good. You can miss some important info. if
you don't know what to look for.
Earl
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Clues in Census Records, 1850-1920
Experienced genealogical researchers use clues found in one record to
find other records about the same individual. This article describes
some of the clues found in census records.
Date of birth
The 1900 census (column 7) indicates the person's month and year of
birth; the 1850-1880 and 1910-1920 censuses indicate the person's age.
The 1870 census (column 13) and 1880 census (column 7) indicate the
month in which the person was born, if born "within the year," that is
between June 1, 1869 and May 31, 1870 for the 1870 census, or June 1,
1879 and May 31, 1880, for the 1880 census. The official census day was
June 1 in both 1870 and 1880, although the enumerator may have visited
the household at a later date.
While the person's age is not an exact date of birth, it at least
provides a "ballpark" figure useful (1) for tracking the person from one
census to the next, especially if other people have the same name, and
(2) for locating the person in any existing vital records.
Place of birth
The 1850-1920 censuses indicate the person's state or country of birth,
which helps narrow the geographic scope of search for the specific town
of birth.
Date of marriage
The 1850 census (column 10), 1860 census (column 11), 1870 census
(column 14), and 1880 census (column 12) indicate whether the person had
married within the year.
"Within the year" means during the year before the official census day,
that is, between June 1, 1849 and May 31, 1850, for the 1850 census;
between June 1, 1859 and May 31, 1860, for the 1860 census; between June
1, 1869 and May 31, 1870, for the 1870 census; and between June 1, 1879
and May 31, 1880, for the 1880 census. The official census day was June
1 in each of these census years, although the enumerator may have
visited the household at a later date.
The 1900 census (column 10) and 1910 census (column 9) indicate the
number of years of marriage for each married person.
Number of children
The 1900 census (column 11) and 1910 census (column 10) indicate how
many children were born to each woman. The 1900 census (column 12) and
1910 census (column 11) indicate how many of those children were still
living. These clues can help determine whether the researcher has
identified all children in a given family, and whether any were deceased
when either census was taken.
Immigration
The 1900 census (column 16), 1910 census (column 15), and 1920 census
(column 13) each indicate the person's year of immigration to the United
States. This information should help in locating a ship passenger
arrival list.
Naturalization
The 1870 census (column 19) has a check mark for "Male Citizens of the
U.S. of 21 years of age and upwards." If the person was a foreign-born
citizen, this means that he had become naturalized by 1870.
The 1900 census (column 18), the 1910 census (column 16), and the 1920
census (column 14) indicate the person's naturalization status. The
answers are "Al" for alien, "Pa" for "first papers," and
"Na" for
naturalized.
The 1920 census (column 15) indicates the year in which the person was
naturalized.
These clues may lead to naturalization records; see Naturalization
Records for more information.
Foreign-born parents
The 1870 census (columns 11-12) have check marks if the person's parents
were "of foreign birth."
The 1880 census (columns 25-26), 1900 census (columns 14-15), 1910
census (columns 13-14), and 1920 census (columns 21 & 23), indicate the
person's parents' birthplaces.
Service in Union or Confederate Army or Navy
The 1910 census (column 30) indicates whether the person was a "survivor
of the Union or Confederate Army or Navy." The answers are "UA" for
Union Army, "UN" for Union Navy, "CA" for Confederate Army, and
"CN" for
Confederate Navy. These clues lead to military service and pension
records; see Civil War Records and Confederate Pension Records for more
information.
A word of caution: columns 30-32 are often "overwritten" with numbers
like 2-1-0-0 or 6-9-0-0. These numbers are not the answers for columns
30-32, but were data summaries used by Census Bureau tabulators in
Washington, DC, to compile statistical data.
Real property
The 1850 census (column 8), 1860 census (column 8), and 1870 census
(column 8) indicate the value of real property (land) owned by each
person.
The 1900 census (column 25), 1910 census (column 26), and 1920 census
(column 7) indicate whether the person owned ("O") or rented ("R")
the
home or farm.
The 1900 census (column 26), 1910 census (column 27), and 1920 census
(column 8) indicate whether home and farm owners owned their property
with a mortgage ("M") or free of mortgage ("F").
These clues should lead researchers to the county recorder's office or
equivalent agency for deeds, mortgages, and property tax records.
Economic data.
The 1850 census (column 7), 1860 census (column 7), 1870 census (column
7), and 1880 census (column 13) all indicate the person's occupation. If
the answer is "farmer," the researcher should look for information about
the farmer's land ownership, crops, and livestock in the agricultural
census schedules. If the person was a saw or grist miller, cheese maker,
or other "manufacturer," the researcher should check the manufacturing
census schedules.
Agricultural census schedules exist for 1850-1880; manufacturing census
schedules exist for 1820 and 1850-1880.
For more information and suggestions, see Claire Prechtel-Kluskens, "The
Nonpopulation Census Schedules," The Record, Vol. 2, No. 1 ( Sept.
1995): 9, 25.
For nonpopulation census schedules available as NARA microfilm
publications, see listings in Record Group 29, Records of the Bureau of
the Census, in Microfilm Resources for Research: A Comprehensive Catalog
of National Archives Microfilm Publications (Washington, DC: National
Archives and Records Administration, 1996).
Conclusion.
Researchers who use these and other clues in census records will be more
successful--and thorough--in their genealogical research.
This essay is adapted from "Clues in Census Records, 1850-1920," The
Record, Vol. 4, No. 3 (Jan. 1998): 26-27.
The Genealogy Page
National Archives and Records Administration