Minnesota State Census, 1895 - FamilySearch Historical Records

Record Description
The record is a printed form that was filled in by hand by the enumerator. The forms are arranged by county and community.

State censuses were taken in Minnesota every ten years beginning in 1865 through 1905. The census includes most individuals within the counties enumerated. The census was compiled to obtain a description and a count of the population of the state of Minnesota.

The information is generally reliable. However use the information with some caution since it may have been given to a census taker by any member of the family or by a neighbor. Some information may have been incorrect or deliberately falsified.

For a list of records by localities and dates currently published in this collection, select the Browse.

Record Content
The Minnesota 1895 State Census may include any of the following:


 * City and county where census was taken on 1 June 1895
 * Name of each person who resided with family on 1 June 1895
 * Age of each individual as of last birthday
 * Gender of each person
 * Color of each person
 * Place of birth (U.S. state or territory or country, if foreign born)
 * Length of residence in state in years, months
 * Length of residence in enumeration district
 * Occupation
 * Whether a soldier or sailor during the Civil War
 * Was father of foreign birth
 * Was mother of foreign birth
 * Was household previously enumerated

How to Use the Records
To search the collection image by image select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page ⇒Select the appropriate County ⇒Select the appropriate Township/City/Town/Village/Ward Which takes you to the images

Begin your search by finding your ancestors in the census index. Use the locator information in the index (such as page number or family number) to locate your ancestors in the census. Compare the information in the census to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct family or person. You may need to compare the information of more than one family or person to make this determination. Be aware that as with any index, transcription errors may occur.

Search the Collection
Fill in the requested information in the initial search page. This search will return a list of possible matches. Compare the information about the ancestors in the list to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct family or person. You may need to look at several images and compare the information about the individuals listed in those images to your ancestors to make this determination.

As you are searching it is helpful to know such information as your ancestor’s given name and surname, some identifying information such as residence and age, and family relationships. Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name as your ancestor and that your ancestor may have used nicknames or different names at different times.

For tips about searching on-line collections see the on-line video at FamilySearch Search Tips.

To search the collection image by image: ⇒Select Browse through images on the initial collection page ⇒Select the appropriate County ⇒Select the appropriate Township/City/Town/Village/Ward Which takes you to the images

When you have located your ancestor in the census, carefully evaluate each piece of information about them. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details that can lead you to other records about your ancestors. For example:

• Use the age listed to determine an approximate birth date. This date along with the place of birth can help you find a birth record. Birth records often list biographical and marital details about the parents and close relatives other than the immediate family.

• Birth places can tell you former residences and can help to establish a migration pattern for the family.

• Use the race information to find records related to that ethnicity such as records of the Freedman’s Bureau or Indian censuses.

• Use the naturalization information to find their naturalization papers in the county court records. It can also help you locate immigration records such as a passenger list which would usually be kept records at the port of entry into the United States.

• If they are subject to military service they may have military files in the State or National Archives.

• Occupations listed can lead you to employment records or other types of records such as school records; children’s occupations are often listed as “at school.”

It is often helpful to extract the information on all families with the same surname in the same general area. If the surname is uncommon, it is likely that those living in the same area were related.

Be sure to extract all families before you look at other records. The relationships given will help you to organize family groups. The family groupings will help you identify related families when you discover additional information in other records.

Some other helpful tips to keep in mind are:

• Married family members may have lived nearby but in a separate household so you may want to search an entire town, neighboring towns, or even an county.

• You may be able to identify an earlier generation if elderly parents were living with or close by a married child.

• You may be able to identify a younger generation if a young married couple still lived with one of their sets of parents.

• Additional searches may be needed to locate all members of a particular family in the census.

You should also be aware that the census may identify persons for whom other records do not exist.

Known Issues with This Collection
For a full list of all known issues associated with this collection, see the attached Wiki article. If you encounter additional problems, please email them to [mailto:support@familysearch.org support@familysearch.org]. Please include the full path to the link and a description of the problem in your e-mail. Your assistance will help ensure that future reworks will be considered.

Related Web Sites
Minnesota Census Online

Related Wiki Articles

 * Minnesota Censuses Existing and Lost
 * Minnesota Census

Citation for This Collection
The following citation refers to the original source of the information published in FamilySearch.org Historical Records collections. Sources include the author, custodian, publisher, and archive for the original records.