United States Census

North America United States  Census

Beginners' Corner
For a more complete beginning introduction, see U. S. Census Records Class Handout.
 * What are the U.S. census records?
 * What time periods do they cover?
 * What can I find in them?
 * How do I access them?
 * Search strategies

Key U.S. Census Indexes and Images Internet Links



 * United States Census Online Genealogy Records Internet links by year for FamilySearch, Ancestry.com, FindMyPast, and MyHeritage
 * Internet Archiveimages 1790-1930
 * Fold3.com ($) index &amp; images 1860 and 1930
 * CensusRecords.com ($) indexes &amp; images 1790-1940
 * My Free Census Find your ancestors in the U.S. census, and International census records
 * New Horizons Genealogy Specializing in State Census Records.
 * Census Finder free census links and how to use census records for genealogical research.
 * U.S. Census Bureau images of published transcriptions of 1790 census for 12 states
 * Nonpopulation Census Records Agriculture, mortality, and social statistics schedules are available for the census years of 1850, 1860, 1870, and 1880. Manufacturing schedules are available for 1820, 1850, 1860, 1870, and 1880. Schedules of business are available for 1935 for these industries: advertising agencies, banking and financial institutions, miscellaneous enterprises, motor trucking for hire, public warehousing, and radio broadcasting stations.

Value of Censuses
A census is a count and description of the population of a country,state, county, or city for a given date. Census lists are also called “schedules." In the United States a nationwide census has been taken every ten years since 1790. A well-indexed census is one of the easiest ways to locate where an ancestor lived and when they lived there. You can also use censuses to:


 * Follow the family over time.
 * Determine family relationships.
 * Find clues to other locations where the family lived
 * Show clues for finding other records.

Contents of Federal Censuses

 * Headings of census records 1790-1930
 * What You'll Learn in the Census Year by Year Ancestry.com ($) Comparison table of census headings
 * Historical Census Browser 1790-1960 (University of Virginia Library)

Key Reference Sources

 * Map Guide to U.S. Federal Censuses 1790-1920 Shows county boundary changes in each state from 1790 to 1920, and which census areas were lost or still exist.
 * The Census Book: a Genealogist's Guide to Federal Census Facts, Schedules and Indexes: with Master Extraction Forms for Federal Census Schedules, 1790-1930 An online edition is at HeritageQuestOnline. Discusses indexes, regular, and non-population schedules.
 * Censuses and Tax Lists Strategies for finding elusive ancestors, and history of indexing.
 * Census Class Video
 * State and Special Census Video
 * Heads of Households Only Video
 * United States Census, 1890 (FamilySearch Historical Records)