Montana Census

Online Resources

 * United States Online Census, 1790-1940
 * — index and images

Indexes: fiche, film, or book
For a list of microform and book indexes for the population schedules of Montana, click here

Indexes: fiche, film, or book
For a list of microform and book indexes for the non-population schedules of Montana, click here.

State, territorial, and colonial censuses
Montana took a few censuses in the years between the federal censuses. The dates are listed below. State census records may have columns that were different or more unusual than those found on federal censuses. The responses and years of coverage may give additional information on the family.


 * List of Early Settlers: A List of All Persons (Except Indians) Who Were in What Is Now Montana During the Winter of 1862-1863, compiled by the Montana Historical Society. It is found in:


 * Contributions to the Historical Society of Montana . . ., 1: 293-308, Second Edition. (Helena: Rocky Mountain Publishing Company, 1902; Family History Library film ).

Existing and lost censuses
For a list of available and missing Montana censuses, click here.

Why use a census?
A well-indexed census is one of the easiest ways to locate where an ancestor's family lived and when they lived there. You can also use censuses to follow the changes in a family over time, and identify neighbors. These and other clues provided by censuses are important because they help find additional kinds of records about the family.

More about censuses
Click here for additional details about how to use censuses, such as:


 * index searching tips
 * analyzing and using what you find
 * census accuracy
 * historical background
 * contents of various census years and types