Alabama State Census, 1855 - FamilySearch Historical Records

Record Description
This is an index to the census taken in Alabama in 1855. The counties included in this collection are:


 * Autauga
 * Baldwin
 * Blount
 * Coffee
 * Franklin
 * Henry
 * Lowndes
 * Macon
 * Mobile
 * Montgomery
 * Pickens
 * Perry
 * Sumter
 * Tallapoosa
 * Tuscaloosa
 * Wilcox

Additional Information About Alabama Census Records
The State of Alabama conducted state censuses in the following years: 1818 (partial), 1820 (partial), 1821 (partial), 1823, 1850, 1855, 1866, and 1907.

These records cover individuals living in Alabama in 1855.

The information is generally reliable. However, use the information with some caution, since the information may have been given to a census taker by any member of the family or by a neighbor. Some information may have been incorrect or deliberately falsified.

The census was compiled to obtain a count of the population of the state to determine how many representatives the state would send to Congress.

Record Content
The index contains the following information:


 * Names of individuals or heads of families
 * Residence
 * Film number
 * Digital folder number
 * Page number
 * Image number

The census contains the following information:


 * Names of individuals or heads of families
 * Number of white males under 21 in the family
 * Number of white males over 21 in the family
 * Number of white females under 21 in the family
 * Number of white females over 21 in the family
 * Total whites in the family
 * Insane within each county
 * Insane sent abroad
 * Slaves
 * Free persons of color
 * Total inhabitants

How to Use the Record
To begin your search it is helpful to know


 * Full name
 * Identifying information such as the residence

Search the Collection
To search the collection fill in the requested information in the boxes on the initial search page. This search will return a list of possible matches. Compare the information about the individuals in the list to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct family or person. You may need to look at the information on several individuals comparing the information about them to your ancestors to make this determination. Keep in mind:


 * There may be more than one person in the records with the same name.
 * You may not be sure of your own ancestor’s name.
 * Your ancestor may have used different names, or variations of their name, throughout their life.
 * If your ancestor used an alias or a nickname, be sure to check for those alternate names.
 * Even though these indexes are very accurate they may still contain inaccuracies, such as altered spellings, misinterpretations, and optical character recognition errors if the information was scanned.

For tips about searching on-line collections see the on-line video at FamilySearch Search Tips.

Using the Information
When you have located your ancestor’s record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. Download a copy of the record, or extract the genealogical information needed. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details. Add this new information to your records of each family. The information in this index can help you with the following:


 * Use the names, county, and page number to locate your ancestor in the actual census.
 * Use the names and location to locate your ancestor in the 1850 and 1860 federal censuses of Alabama.
 * Use the residence to locate additional records such as church and land records.

Tips to Keep in Mind

 * If you do not have the full name, use the surname. If you know the county where your ancestor lived put the name in the residence box.
 * Remember, this is only an index.
 * If the surname is unusual, you may want to compile the entries for every person of the same surname.
 * There is also some variation in the information given from record to record.
 * If you are unable to find the ancestors you are looking for, check for variant spellings of the names.

Known Issues with This Collection
For a full list of all known issues associated with this collection see the attached Wiki article. If you encounter additional problems, please email them to [mailto:support@familysearch.org support@familysearch.org]. Please include the full path to the link and a description of the problem in your e-mail. Your assistance will help ensure that future reworks will be considered.

Related Websites

 * Chattahoochee Valley Libraries
 * Columbus Public Library
 * Alabama Genealogy
 * New Horizons Genealogy

Related Wiki Articles

 * Alabama
 * Alabama Census
 * Alabama Censuses, Existing and Lost

Citation for This Collection
The following citation refers to the original source of the information published in FamilySearch.org Historical Records collections. Sources include the author, custodian, publisher, and archive for the original records.