United States Census, 1900 - FamilySearch Historical Records

United States

What is in This Collection?
Index and images of population schedules from National Archive microfilm publication T623, Twelfth Census of the United States,1900. The collection is part of Record Group 29 Records of the Bureau of the Census.The index includes all states and the Armed Forces (foreign country where census occurred) and the Indian Territory. Images can also be viewed using the browse option. The census will identify the place of residence on June 1,1900 for each person counted. The collection is arranged alphabetically by state, then by county, and by enumeration district (ED). Enumeration districts may not always be arranged in numerical order within each state.

Population schedules consist of large sheets with rows and columns. The schedules are arranged by state, county, place, and enumeration district. The districts are not always filed in sequential order. The arrangement of families on a schedule is usually in the order in which the enumerator visited the households.

Federal census takers were asked to record information about all those who were in a household on the census day, which was June 1 for the 1900 census. A census taker might have visited a house on a later date, but the information collected was supposed to have been about the people who were in the residence on the census day. The basic census enumeration unit was the county. Each county was divided into enumeration districts, one for each enumerator. The completed forms were then sent to the Census Office of the Commerce Department in Washington, D.C. The 1900 census covers 95 to 97 percent of the population.

The U.S. federal census has been taken at the beginning of every decade, beginning in 1790, to apportion the number of representatives a state could send to the House of Representatives. In the absence of a national system of vital registration, many vital statistics and personal questions were asked to provide a statistical profile of the nation and its states.

Federal censuses are usually reliable, depending on the knowledge of the informant and the care taken by the census enumerator. Realize that any family member or even a neighbor may have supplied information to the census taker. Some information may have been incorrect or deliberately falsified.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records: • 2

Territory of Alaska census • 2
 * Tribe and clan
 * Date of locating to Alaska
 * Occupation in Alaska
 * Post office address at home

Hawaiian Islands census
 * Year of immigration and number of years lived in the Hawaiian Islands

Military and Navy census
 * Name of military, naval station, or vessel
 * Company or troop, regiment, and arm of service
 * Rank grade or class
 * Residence in the United States

Sample Image

 * NARA 1900 Federal Census Sample Form
 * NARA Census Sample Form Native American

How Do I Search This Collection?
To begin your search it is helpful to know the following:
 * The name of your ancestor
 * The approximate age and birth place of your ancestor
 * The state and county where your ancestor lived
 * The names of other family members and associates

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. Keep track of your research in a research log.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Add any new information to your records
 * 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
 * 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
 * Birthplaces can tell you former residences and can help to establish a migration pattern for the family
 * 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
 * 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 a 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
 * The census may identify persons for whom other records do not exist

I Can't Find the Person I'm Looking For, What Now?

 * Remember that as with any index, transcription errors may occur.
 * Check for variant spellings of the names.
 * Look for another index. Local historical and genealogical societies often have indexes to local records.
 * Search neighboring localities or states.
 * Try the following alternative search methods:
 * Fill in the surname search box (or the given name search box) on the landing page leaving the other box empty and then click on search. This should return a list of everyone with that particular name. You could then browse the list for individuals that may be your ancestor.
 * Fill in the person's given name and the given name of a spouse or child.
 * Supply combinations of the known birthplace, known birth year, and approximate range for birth year.
 * Use only the initial plus an asterisk (*) for the surname or given name.
 * There is the possibility that a family was missed in the census.
 * There is the possibility that the census taker incorrectly wrote the name.
 * There is the possibility that the transcriber misread the name as entered.

Research Helps
The following articles will help you research your family in the United States.
 * United States Guided Research
 * United States Record Finder
 * United States Research Tips and Strategies

Other FamilySearch Collections
These collections may have additional materials to help you with your research.

FamilySearch Catalog

 * 1900 population census schedules
 * 1900 United States federal census soundex index
 * Card Index (Soundex) to the 1900 Population Schedules
 * Census enumeration district descriptions, 1900 : NA T1210
 * Indian Territory, 1900 federal census : soundex and population schedules
 * Military and Naval, 1900 federal census : soundex and population schedules
 * Institutions, 1900 federal census : soundex

FamilySearch Historical Records


 Related State Census Collections 

FamilySearch Digital Library

 * The history and growth of the United States census : prepared for the Senate Committee on the Census

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.

Estados Unidos, censo de 1900 (registros históricos de FamilySearch) Estados Unidos, Censo, 1900 (Registro Histórico do FamilySearch)