Minnesota State Census, 1885 - FamilySearch Historical Records

Collection Time Period
This census is for the year 1885.

Record Description
The record is a printed form that was filled in by hand by the enumerator. The forms are arranged by county and community.

Record Content
Key genealogical facts found in the Minnesota 1885 State Census are:


 * Name
 * Age
 * Gender
 * Color
 * Place of birth (state or territory if in the U.S., country if foreign born)
 * Length of residence
 * Occupation
 * If a soldier or sailor in the Civil War
 * Whether mother and father foreign born or not
 * Residence or location within a country (The location within a county may not be a town name but a legal land description instead which gives the township number and the range number.)

How to Use the Record
A census can provide you with names and ages of family members, which can be used to calculate birth or marriage dates. It can also provide the name of the county and town where your ancestor lived. People living with the family may be relatives. Relatives may also have lived nearby. The census may identify individuals for whom other records may not exist.

Record History
The census includes most individuals within the counties enumerated. State censuses were taken in Minnesota every ten years beginning in 1865 through 1905.

Why This Record Was Created
The census was compiled to obtain a description and a count of the population of the state of Minnesota. This helps in apportioning political representation at all levels of government.

Record Reliability
The information is generally reliable. However, use the information with some caution since it 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

Related Web Sites
Census Project Minnesota

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Related Wiki Articles
Minnesota Census

Minnesota Censuses Existing and Lost

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
When you copy information from a record, you should also list where you found the information. This will help you or others to find the record again. It is also good to keep track of records where you did not find information, including the names of the people you looked for in the records.

A suggested format for keeping track of records that you have searched is found in the Wiki Article: Help:How to Create Source Citations For FamilySearch Historical Records Collections.

Examples of Source Citations for a Record in This Collection
"Minnesota State Census, 1885." index and images, FamilySearch;(https://www.familysearch.org: accessed 25 March 2011). entry for John Church, age 25; citing Census Records, FHL microfilm 000,565,734; State Library and Records Service, St. Paul, Minnesota.

Sources of information for This Collection
"Minnesota State Census, 1885," index and images, FamilySearch Record Search (http://familysearch.org), 2009; from Minnesota State Library and Records Service, "State Censuses 1865-1905." Minnesota state census 1885. Digital images of originals housed in the State Library and Records Service, St. Paul, Minnesota. FHL microfilm, 28 reels. Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah.