Ohio Census

Federal Censuses
Population Schedules. Federal census records are found at the Family History Library, the National Archives, and other federal and state archives. The United States Research Outline, provides more detailed information regarding these records.

The Family History Library has the U.S. Federal censuses of Ohio for 1820, 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, and 1920. Returns for the 1810 and 1890 censuses were almost entirely destroyed. All that remains of the 1810 census are the returns for Washington County. Lists of territorial residents in 1800 also exist for Washington County. All that remains of the 1890 census are military schedules listing widows and pensioners from the Civil War.

Some early tax records have been compiled and indexed to substitute for the early censuses. One example is:

Jackson, Ronald Vern, ed. Early Ohio Census Records. Second Edition. Bountiful, Utah: Accelerated Indexing Systems, 1974. (FHL book 977.1 X2p.)

Statewide indexes for the 1820, 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, and 1880 censuses are available in book format. Soundex (phonetic) indexes are on microfilm for the 1880, 1900, 1910, and 1920 censuses. Be aware that the 1880 soundex index is incomplete and includes only those families with children born between 1870 and 1880. Either check the 1880 index in book format or search the actual census for the place where your ancestors lived.

County indexes to federal censuses sometimes help locate names overlooked or misspelled in statewide indexes. To locate county census indexes check the Place Search of the Family History Library Catalog under OHIO, [COUNTY] - CENSUS.

When indexes are not available or a name is omitted from an index you can still look for the name in the census. To find a person who lived in a large city, it helps to first find his or her address in the city directory for the same year as the census (see Ohio Directories). Then look for that address on the original census schedules.

The following reference tools help determine which census schedule microfilm and enumeration district to search for specific addresses:

Kirkham, E. Kay. A Handy Guide to Record- Searching in the Larger Cities of the United States. Logan, Utah: Everton, 1974. (FHL book 973 D27kc; fiche 6010059-60.) Includes ward maps and street indexes for Cincinnati, 1850 to 1855.

Census Descriptions of Geographic Subdivisions and Enumerations Districts.

•1830 FHL film 1402857 item 1

•1840 FHL film 1402857 item 2

•1850 FHL film 1402858 item 1

•1860 FHL film 1402858 item 2

•1870 FHL film 1402859

•1880 FHL film 1402862

•1900 FHL film 1303025

•1910 FHL film 1374009

•1920 FHL film 1842715

United States. Bureau of the Census. Cross Index to Selected City Streets and Enumeration Districts, 1910 Census. (51 FHL fiche 6331481.) Often referred to as the 39 Cities Index, it lists street addresses with corresponding census enumeration districts for Canton, Cleveland, Dayton, and Youngstown.

Mortality Schedules. Mortality schedules (lists of deaths in the year preceding the census) exist for the years 1850, 1860, 1870, and 1880. The 1850 schedule includes only counties beginning alphabetically with Hamilton through Wyandot. The 1860 schedule includes all counties, the 1870 includes only Seneca County, and the 1880 includes the counties Adams through Geauga. These records are available at the State Library of Ohio and at the Family History Library. Some have been indexed.

Master Indexes. Some of the indexes mentioned above are combined into one master index of several census years, states, and census types:

FamilyFinder™ Index and Viewer: Version 3.0. [Novato, California]: Brøderbund Software, 1995. (FHL compact disc number 9 1995 index. Not available at Family History Centers. FamilyFinder is a trademark of Brøderbund Software, Inc.) It is a master index to Ohio tax lists for 1787 to 1819; Washington County for 1800, 1803, and 1810; federal censuses for 1820 to 1860 and 1880; and mortality schedules for 1850.

The FamilyFinder Index includes the following Jackson indexes:

Jackson, Ronald Vern. AIS Microfiche Indexes of U.S. Census and Other Records. Bountiful, Utah: Accelerated Indexing Systems International, 1984. (No FHL fiche number but available at many Family History Centers.) Early Ohio tax lists are combined together on Search 1. A composite mortality schedule index is on Search 8. Separate Ohio 1820, 1830, 1840, and 1850 indexes are on other searches.

Territorial and State Censuses
Microfilm numbers of Ohio territorial or state censuses are listed in the Place Search of the Family History Library Catalog under OHIO - CENSUS - [YEAR]. They are also found in:

Buckway, G. Eileen. U.S. State and Special Census Register. Salt Lake City, Utah: Family History Library, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1992. (FHL book 973 X2be 1992; fiche 6104851-52.) A complete list of the available records can be obtained from the Ohio Historical Society.

In some counties, town or county censuses taken by the state between 1798 and 1911 may supplement the federal census records. Among these are quadrennial enumerations which exist for a few counties and list males 21 years and older. The Family History Library has copies of most of these. These lists are also in local courthouses and in the Ohio Network of American History Research Centers, mentioned in Ohio Archives and Libraries.

Web Sites
All Federal censuses are digitized, indexed and online at www.ancestry.com. This is a subscription website.

HeritageQuest Online at www.heritagequestonline.com/ has indexes and images for most of the census years. It is a subscription site aimed at libraries and institutions. They do not offer personal subscriptions. The way the census was indexed is different from the way Ancestry was indexed. Check with a public or academic library in your area to ask if they have a subscription.

FamilySearch at www.familysearch.org/ has indexes and transcriptions from the 1880 U.S. census. Each entry includes the Family History Library film number, the U.S. National Archives film number, and a page number.

Census Online at www.census-online.com/links/ contains multiple census links for U.S. states and Canadian provinces.

The Ohio GenWeb project has many census links for Ohio Counties. http://www.rootsweb.com/~ohgenweb/

http://www.censusfinder.com/ohio.htm