Massachusetts Census

Population Schedules
Starting in 1790, federal population schedules were taken every 10 years in the United States. Click here for more information about federal census records. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts entered the Union on February 6, 1788, as the sixth state. It will appear on the 1790 Census.

United States Federal Censuses with Online Links
Additional Census Indexes and Records
 * 1630-1788, 1840, 1890 Massachusetts: Miscellaneous Census Substitutes, 1630-1788, 1840, 1890 at American Ancestors - index, ($)

Non-Population Schedules for Massachusetts
Federal non-population schedules included such things mortality schedules, agriculture schedules, slave schedules, and manufacturing schedules.

Existing and Lost Censuses

 * List of existing and lost federal censuses for Massachusetts

Online State and Territorial Censuses
State censuses are census records that were taken at the state-level rather than at the federal. Often, but not always, a state took their census in ten year increments 5 years from when the Federal Census was taken, such as 1885. State censuses can even serve as substitutes for missing federal censuses. For more information on state censuses, visit United States Census Bureau. Territorial censuses were taken by the federal government to count the population in federal territories. The government needed to count the population in the territory to see if it could qualify for statehood. For more information on territorial censuses, visit the US Territorial Census page.

Although Massachusetts conducted a census up to 1975, the 1855 and 1865 censuses are the only two surviving schedules.

Why Use the Census?
State census records can be one of the easiest ways to locate where an ancestor's family lived and when they lived there. Information varies based on year and location, but information that may be included in a census can include: Wiki articles describing online collections are found at:
 * Name of each person in the family at the time the census was taken
 * Street or Avenue, or number Rural Free Delivery
 * Sex
 * Age
 * Color
 * Nativity
 * Place of birth of this person
 * Place of birth of Father of this person
 * Place of birth of Mother of this person
 * Period of Residence
 * How long a resident of this State (years and months)
 * How long a resident of this enumeration district (years and months)
 * Regular occupation
 * Military service


 * Massachusetts 1855 State Census - FamilySearch Historical Records
 * Massachusetts 1865 State Census - FamilySearch Historical Records