United States Census, 1930 - FamilySearch Historical Records

United States

What Is in the Collection?
Index to the population schedules from National Archives microfilm publication T626, Fifteenth Census of the United States,1930. The collection is part of Record Group 29 Records of the Bureau of the Census.The index includes the 48 states as well as Alaska, Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, Consular Services, Panama Canal Zone, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. The census will identify the place of residence on April 1, 1930 for each person counted. The index was created by FamilySearch and Ancestry.com.

What Can This Collection Tell Me?
The 1930 census includes the following information:
 * State, county, township, city/town/precinct, and enumeration district
 * Name of street and house number
 * Name of head of household
 * Names of all members of household
 * Relationship to head of household
 * Gender
 * Race
 * Age on last birthday (can be used to calculate an approximate birth year)
 * Married or single
 * Age at time of first marriage
 * Birthplace of each member of household)
 * Father's birthplace
 * Mother's birthplace
 * Language spoken
 * Occupation
 * Industry
 * Veterans: What war or expedition?
 * Abbreviations:
 * (WW) World War
 * (Sp) Spanish-American
 * (Civ) Civil War
 * (Phil)Philippine Insurrection
 * (Box) Boxer Rebellion
 * (Mex) Mexican expedition

How Do I Search the Collection?
To begin your search it is helpful to know the following:
 * The name of your ancestor.
 * The age and birth place of your ancestor.
 * The state and county where your ancestor lived.
 * The names of other family members.

Search by Name by visiting the Collection Page: Fill in your ancestor’s name in the initial search page. This search will return a list of possible matches. Compare the information about those in the list to what you already know about your own ancestors to determine if this is the correct family or person.

View images in this collection by visiting the Browse Page: To search the collection you will need to follow this series of links: ⇒Select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page ⇒Select the appropriate "State" ⇒Select the appropriate "County" ⇒Select the appropriate "Township" ⇒Select the appropriate "District" which takes you to the images.

Look at each image comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine if the image relates to them. You may need to look at several images and compare the information about the individuals listed in those images to your ancestors to make this determination.

With either search 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.

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

What Do I Do Next?
When you have located your ancestor in the census, carefully evaluate each piece of information about them. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details that can lead you to other records about your ancestors.

I Found Who I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Use the age listed to determine an approximate birth date. This date along with the place of birth can help you find a birth record. Birth records often list biographical and marital details about the parents and close relatives other than the immediate family.
 * Use the race information to find records related to that ethnicity such as records of the Freedman’s Bureau or Indian censuses.
 * Use the naturalization information to find their naturalization papers in the county court records. It can also help you locate immigration records such as a passenger list which would usually be kept records at the port of entry into the United States.

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

 * Remember that as with any index, transcription errors may occur.
 * Check for variant spellings of the names.
 * Look for another index. Local historical and genealogical societies often have indexes to local records.
 * Search neighboring localities or states.
 * Try alternative search methods such as only filling in the surname search box (or the given name search box) on the landing page leaving the other box empty and then click on search. This should return a list of everyone with that particular name. You could then browse the list for individuals that may be your ancestor.
 * There is also the possibility that a family was missed in the census.

General Information About These Records
Population schedules were recorded on large sheets with rows and columns. The schedules are arranged by state, county, place, and enumeration district. The districts are not always filed in sequential order. The arrangement of families on a schedule is usually the order in which the enumerator visited the households.

Federal census takers were asked to record information about all the people who were in a household on the census day, which was April 1 for the 1930 census. A census taker might have visited the residence on a later date, but the information collected was to have been about the people in the residence on the census day. The basic census enumeration unit was the county. Each county was divided into enumeration districts, one for each enumerator. The completed forms were sent to the Census Office of the Commerce Department in Washington, D.C. The schedules cover 95 to 97 percent of the population.

The U.S. federal census has been taken at the beginning of every decade, beginning in 1790, to apportion the number of representatives a state could send to the House of Representatives. In the absence of a national system of vital registration, many vital statistics and personal questions were asked to provide a statistical profile of the nation and its states.

Federal censuses are usually reliable, depending on the knowledge of the informant and the care taken by the census enumerator. Realize that any family member or even a neighbor may have supplied information to the census taker. Some information may have been incorrect or deliberately falsified.

Known Issues With This Collection
For a full list of all known issues associated with this collection see the attached 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 FamilySearch Collections

 * NARA Census Maps, 1900-1940

Citing This Collection
Citing your sources makes it easy for others to find and evaluate the records you used. When you copy information from a record, list where you found that information. Here you can find citations already created for the entire collection and for each individual record or image.

Collection Citation:

Record Citation (or citation for the index entry):

Image Citation: