Search the Index to the 1880 US Federal Census on FamilySearch.org

How to search the free 1880 census index on www.familysearch.org.

Content  Name Birth year Birthplace Age Occupation Marital status Race </li>Head of household </li>Relation to head of household </li>Father's birthplace </li>Mother's birthplace </li>Census place </li>Family History Library film number </li>National Archives film number </li>Page number </li></ul> </li></ul>

Before using this record, know this

 * The name of an ancestor born before 1880
 * Knowing the birth year will help sort out people with the same name (David Williams born in 1879 or David Williams born in 1820)
 * Knowing the birthplace is helpful especially for persons with a common name like Evan Evans.
 * Knowing the birthplace is helpful especially for persons with a common name like Evan Evans.

Before using this record, search this
It may be helpful to find your ancestor in a later census record then work back in time to the 1880 census. Because this census is indexed and free to use you may want to search it before some other records.

Where to find the record

 * 1880 Census index is available online on FamilySearch.org

How to search the record
1. Go to www.familysearch.org

2. Click on the "Advanced Search" link in the top left quarter of the page (next to the large blue search button)

3. Select "Census" from the left side of the screen

4. On the Census Records Page in the census field select "1880 United States"

5. Type in the First Name &amp; Last Name of the person you are searching for

6. Click the "Search" button

7. Look at the list of possible matches for the name that looks like the best match

8. Click on the name that best matches what you know about your ancestor to view details about the person and the household members

Tips
1. Type in the least common name. Do not add age or any other details for the first try since additional possibilities may be listed in the search results.

2. You may need to click on more than one name to be sure that you have found the correct person or family.