Iowa State Census, 1885 - FamilySearch Historical Records

United States Iowa 

What is in the Collection?
The collection consists of an index to the Iowa state census taken in 1885. The population schedule names every person in the household.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information is found in these records: The 1885 census contains the following biographical information: Iowa became a territory in 1838 and a state in 1846. The state of Iowa conducted statewide censuses in the following years; 1847, 1849, 1854, 1856, 1859, 1862, 1865, 1867, 1869, 1873, 1875, 1885, 1895, 1905, 1915, and 1925 .
 * Name
 * Place and date of event
 * Approximate Age
 * Gender                                                                                                                                                             *Martial status                                                                                                                                                    *Occupation of individual
 * Parentage (if native or foreign) of father and mother
 * Whether subject to military duty
 * Whether entitled to vote
 * If an alien whether or not have taken out naturalization papers
 * Whether literate or not
 * Any disabilities

Sample Image
Image:Iowa, State Census, 1885 (10-0062), Census Record DGS 004539627 00008.jpg|State Census Record 
 * 1) Select  County
 * 2) Select  Locality

How Do I Analyze the Results?
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I Found Who I was Looking for, What Now?

 * Copy the citation below, in case you need to find this record again later.
 * Use the ages listed to determine approximate birth dates and find the family in additional censuses.
 * Use the information found in the record to find church and vital records such as birth, baptism, marriage, and death records.
 * Use the information found in the record to find land, probate and immigration records.
 * Repeat this process with additional family members found, to find more generations of the family.
 * Church Records were kept years before counties began keeping records. They are a good source for finding ancestors before 1900.

I Can't Find Who I'm Looking for, What Now?

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 * If you cannot locate your ancestor in the locality in which you believe they lived, then try searching records of a nearby town or county.
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Citing this Collection
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