Iowa State Census, 1895 - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in the Collection?
The collection consists of an index of the Iowa state census taken in 1895. The census names everyone in the household. Iowa became a territory in 1838 and a state in 1846. The state of Iowa conducted statewide censuses in 1847, 1849, 1854, 1856, 1859, 1862, 1865, 1867, 1869, 1873, 1875, 1885, 1895, 1905, 1915, and 1925. The census was compiled to obtain a count of the population to determine how many representatives the state would send to Congress. Reliability of the information in the census is determined by the accuracy of the knowledge of the informant, which could have been any member of the family or even a neighbor.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The census includes the following information:
 * Name of every person who resided in the family
 * Age range (18 or over, 5-18 years, under 5 years)
 * Marital status
 * Gender
 * Race
 * Place of birth (if in Iowa, the county of birth; if not in Iowa, state or country)
 * Religious belief
 * Whether subject to military duty
 * Whether entitled to vote
 * If a foreigner, whether or not naturalized
 * Births or deaths in 1894
 * Whether literate or not (by age category, under or over 10 years old)
 * Children over 6 and under 17 not attending any school in 1894
 * Any disabilities
 * Occupation
 * If a soldier in the Civil War, the company, regiment, state, arm of service, and rank
 * If a soldier in the Mexican war, the regiment and state.

How Do I Search the Collection?
You can search the index or view the images or both. Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:


 * Name of the person
 * The name of a parent or date of the event

View the Images
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How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images.

For more tips about searching on-line collections see the on-line article FamilySearch Search Tips and Tricks.

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?

 * If your ancestor does not have a common name, collect entries for every person who has the same surname. This list can help you find possible relatives.
 * 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.
 * Try different spellings of your ancestor’s name.
 * Remember that sometimes individuals went by nicknames or alternated between using first and middle names. Try searching for these names as well.
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Known Issues with This Collection
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Citing This Collection
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