Washington Census Tips

United States Census Washington Census  Tips

Value of Censuses
Census records are extremely valuable in genealogical research. They:
 * 1) Reveal specifics about the family, such as names, ages, birthplaces. See Contents of Federal Censuses
 * 2) Locate the family in the very places where other records about them were likely created. (See Using the Census to find other records
 * 3) Provide clues that help you learn even more about them.

Helping you make the most of all these values is the purpose of this article.

Effective Census Tips
Why:
 * Relatives, such as grandchildren or married children, may live with them
 * They may live with a child, such as a married daughter, in their later years
 * Neighbors may be relatives or old friends from their home state.

Why:
 * You may find sisters living in the area.
 * Your ancestor's widowed mother may have remarried. In those censuses, were the women the right age(s) to be sisters? Aunts? The mother?
 * One of the husbands and your ancestor may have witnessed one anothers' deeds or other documents, perhaps suggesting they have become relatives.

Immigration and Naturalization
Some federal censuses give the year of immigration.