United States Census 1890

The Eleventh Census of the United States (1890) was destroyed/damaged by fire, at the Commerce Dept. in 1921. Less than 1% survived, covering 6,160 individuals. The remaining population schedules "Eleventh Census of the United States, 1890" (M407) have been microfilmed.

1890 Census was taken beginning 1 June 1890, for two weeks to thirty days.

Content
The following information was recorded by the census taker:
 * 1) Name
 * 2) Age
 * 3) Sex
 * 4) Address
 * 5) Number of families in the house
 * 6) Number of persons in the house
 * 7) Number of persons in the family
 * 8) Relationship to head of family
 * 9) Race: white, black, mulatto, quadroon, octoroon, Chinese, Japanese, or Indian
 * 10) Marital status
 * 11) Whether married during the year
 * 12) Total children born to mother
 * 13) Number of children living
 * 14) Birthplace
 * 15) Birthplace of parents
 * 16) If foreign born, how many years in the United States
 * 17) Naturalized or in the process of naturalization
 * 18) Profession, trade, or occupation
 * 19) Months unemployed during census year
 * 20) Able to read and write
 * 21) Speak English; if not, language or dialect spoken
 * 22) Suffering from acute or chronic disease (if so, name of disease and length of time afflicted)
 * 23) Defective in mind, sight, hearing, or speech
 * 24) Crippled, maimed, or deformed (with name of defect)
 * 25) Prisoner, convict, homeless child, or pauper
 * 26) Home is rented or owned by the head or a member of the family
 * 27) (if so, whether mortgaged)
 * 28) Head of family a farmer, if he or a family member rented or owned the farm
 * 29) If mortgaged, the post office address of the owner

Clues in Census Records, 1850-1940

Value
The 1890 census can be used to determine how many children total in a family and determine immigration details

Clues in Census Records, 1850-1940

Unique Features and Problems
1. Listed the address of the individual 2. Listed if a person was a soldier, sailor, or a marine during the Civil War 3. Listed whether they were Union or Confederate 4. Listed whether they were a widow of a veteran 5. Listed, if a mother, the number of children she had and how many were living 6. If foreign born, the individual was asked how many years they had been in the United States and if they were naturalized or in the process of being naturalized 7. Lists what language the individual speaks 8. Lists number of months employed 9. Asks if the home is rented or owned (and mortgaged) 10. Listed individuals in Army forts, US vessels, Navy Yards, &amp; prisons. 11. Most schedules destroyed by fire in 1921 12. Special 1890 schedules enumerating Union veterans &amp; their widows from the Civil War are sometimes used as census substitute.

Missing Records
Population schedules for all states and territories were destroyed except for those listed below. Some 1890 Census Veterans Schedules also survived.

1890 Surviving Population Schedules
The following population schedules have survived for the 1890 federal census :


 * Alabama
 * Perryville Beat No.11 (Perry County) and Severe Beat No.8 (Perry County)
 * District of Columbia
 * Q Street, 13th St., 14th St., R Street, Q Street, Corcoran St., 15th St., S Street, R Street, and Riggs Street, Johnson Avenue, and S Street
 * Georgia
 * Columbus (Muscogee County)
 * Illinois
 * Mound Township (McDonough County)
 * Minnesota
 * Rockford (Wright County)
 * New Jersey
 * Jersey City (Hudson County)
 * New York
 * Brookhaven Township (Suffolk County) and Eastchester (Westchester County)
 * North Carolina
 * South Point and River Bend Townships (Gaston County), Township No. 2 (Cleveland County)
 * Ohio
 * Cincinnati (Hamilton County) and Wayne Township (Clinton County)
 * South Dakota
 * Jefferson Township (Union County)
 * Texas
 * J.P. No. 6, Mountain Peak, Ovilla Precinct (Ellis County) Precinct No. 5 (Hood County) No. 6 and J.P. No. 7 (Rusk County) Trinity Town and Precinct No. 2 (Trinity County) Kaufman (Kaufman County)

 Related Content 
 * Logbook of Frank Lowell, Special Agent, Alaska District No. 2, 1890 Census. NAID 202288465

To see a map showing the location of the surviving schedules click here.

Where to Find the Records
The remainder of the 1890 Federal Census covering 6160 individuals is available online.

Online


 * 1890 United States Federal Census Fragment (Ancestry) ($)
 * (FamilySearch) - index only

A wiki article describing an online collection is found at:

United States Census Population Schedules, 1890 (FamilySearch Historical Records)

Websites

 * Clues in Census Records, 1850-1940
 * See ancestry.com for their 1890 Census Substitute.
 * HeritageQuest