Venezuela Census

Introduction
A census is a count and description of the population. Censuses have been taken by various levels of government in Venezuela and by some ecclesiastical officials. Census records were taken primarily for population studies, taxation, military purposes, or taxing in behalf of the parish poor. Censuses, known as censos or padrones, have been taken by colonial and national governments throughout Latin American.

Records created during the Spanish administration of colonial Latin America, would be located in the Archivo General de Indias in Seville, Spain.

The Catholic church also took occasional censuses of parishioners. An ecclesiastical census was also known as a censo or padrón in Latin America.

Where available, census records can provide a person’s age, birth year, religion, birthplace, and occupation. These records can also explain his or her relationship to family members, and provide other family information.

Census records are especially valuable because they list a large portion of the population. They can provide information about persons where church and civil records may be incomplete. However, use the information with caution, since it may contain inaccuracies. The informant (perhaps a member of the family or a neighbor) may have not known the facts or deliberately falsified the information.

Searching Census Records
When searching census records, it is important to remember the following:


 * Accept the ages with caution.
 * Given names may not always be the same as the names recorded in vital records.
 * Information may be incorrect.
 * Names may be spelled as they sound.
 * Place names may be misspelled or spelled phonetically.
 * If the family is not at the suspected address, search the surrounding area.
 * Parts of the census may be indecipherable.

Venezuela Census Records in Census Records for Latin America and the Hispanic United States
The following table is a list of census records for the country of Venezuela, as listed in Lyman D Platt's book, Census Records for Latin America and the Hispanic United States.