Nebraska State Census, 1885 - FamilySearch Historical Records

United States Nebraska

What Is in This Collection?
The Nebraska State Census, 1885 collection consists of a name index for the population schedules listing the inhabitants of the state of Nebraska and images for the population, mortality, manufactures and agriculture schedules. The 1885 census was taken at the request of the United States Federal Government and with their assistance. Nebraska was one of five states (or territories) who participated. The records are handwritten on pre-printed pages with rows and columns. The schedule format is similar to the 1880 federal census. The census includes all of the counties that existed at the time, with the exceptions of Blaine and Chase County.

The collection was taken from National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) microfilm number M352, Schedules of the Nebraska State Census of 1885, which is part of Record Group 29 Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790-2007. The microfilm pamphlet is available for download from the National Archives Microfilm Resources for Research: A Comprehensive Catalog.

General Information about the 1885 Census
In March of 1879, Congress passed an act authorizing the tenth and following censuses. In addition to the regular censuses taken every ten years, this act also made authorized a census to be taken in the middle of the decade. On 1 June 1885, a special federal census of Nebraska was taken following the guidelines outlined in the March 1879 census act. The 1885 census included four general schedules: population, agriculture, manufactures, and mortality. These schedules are organized alphabetically by county and then by the number assigned to each type of schedule. Within each type of schedule, the records are arranged by enumeration district. The 1885 population schedule resembles a typical census schedule and can provide valuable information that can be used to fill the gap caused by the loss of the 1890 federal census in the 1921 Department of Commerce fire.

What Can these Records Tell Me?
The Population schedule includes the following information:


 * Name of every member of the household
 * Race
 * Gender
 * Age
 * If born within the last year age in months
 * Relationship to head of household
 * Single, married, widowed, or divorced
 * Profession or occupation
 * Number of months unemployed in the previous year
 * If disabled and nature of the disability
 * Attended school
 * Whether can read, write, or speak English
 * Birthplace
 * Father's birthplace
 * Mother's birthplace

The Manufacture schedule includes:
 * Name
 * Nature of the business
 * Capital invested
 * Employee and wage information
 * Value of materials and product

The Agriculture schedule includes:
 * Name
 * Tenure
 * Acreage
 * Value
 * Production

The Mortality schedule includes:
 * Name of the deceased
 * Gender, race, and marital status
 * Birthplace
 * Month and cause of death
 * Length of time as a Nebraska resident

Sample Images
Click on the image for a larger view.

How Do I Search the Collection?
To begin your search it is helpful to know at least some of the following:
 * The name of your ancestor.
 * The approximate age of your ancestor.
 * The birth place of your ancestor.
 * The names of other family members and their relationships.

View the Images
View images in this collection by visiting the 
 * 1) Select County
 * 2) Select Town or Enumeration District Number
 * 3) Select Schedule (Population, Agriculture, Manufacture or Mortality) to view the images.

For tips about searching on-line collections see the on-line article FamilySearch Search Tips and Tricks.

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images.

What Do I Do Next?
Whenever possible, view the original records to verify the information and to find additional information that might not be reported. These pieces of information can lead you to additional records and family members.

I Found Who I was Looking For, What Now?

 * Use the age to calculate a birth date and to find other records such as birth, christening, census, land and death records.
 * Use the information to find additional family members. Witnesses or bondsmen were usually relatives.
 * Repeat this process with additional family members found, to find more generations of the family.
 * Church Records often were kept years before government records were required and are a good source for finding ancestors before 1900.

I Can’t Find Who I’m Looking For, What Now?

 * Try viewing the original record to see if there were errors in the transcription of the name, age, residence, etc. Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name.
 * Collect entries for every person who has the same surname. This list can help you identify possible relations that can be verified by records.
 * If you cannot locate your ancestor in the locality in which you believe they lived, then try searching records of a nearby locality in an area search.
 * Standard spelling of names typically did not exist during the periods our ancestors lived in. Try variations of your ancestor’s name while searching the index or browsing through images.
 * Remember that sometimes individuals went by nicknames or alternated between using first and middle names. Try searching for these names as well.
 * Search the indexes and records of Nebraska, United States Genealogy.
 * Search in the Nebraska Archives and Libraries.

Citing this Collection
When you copy information from a record, you should list where you found the information; that is, cite your sources. This will help people find the record again and evaluate the reliability of the source. It is also good to keep track of records where you did not find information, including the names of the people you looked for in the records. Citations are available for the collection as a whole and each record or image individually.

Collection Citation:

Record Citation (or citation for the index entry):

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