census

 

Wabaunsee County

Census Records

 

If  you have any census records you would like to contribute on Wabaunsee County, see "A Guide for contributing your material to share with others via the Wabaunsee Co., AHGP site"  All files are "as is" and I cannot guarantee the completeness, accuracy, or timeliness of the information contained in this database. I regret I cannot assist you in your personal research or prevent duplication of data. My goal is to provide these files to aid you in finding and/or correcting your family information. Don’t forget to check the “Lookups” section for individuals who may have volunteered to look up records. 

 

 

Census records can provide the building blocks of your research, allowing you to both confirm information, and to learn more.  The first Federal Population Census was taken in 1790, and has been taken every ten years since. However, data from recent censuses are not available after 1930 because of a 72-year restriction on access to the Census. Present day Kansas was part of the Missouri Territory for 18 years. From 1821-1854, the territory was unorganized. Known as Kansas Territory in 1854 the first federal Census was conducted in 1860.  In 1855 a Territorial Census was conducted.   Most researchers find it most helpful to begin with the 1930 Census and work backwards to locate people in earlier generations.  If you are new to Census or just need questions answered, an excellent learning and reference tool "The Census Book" can be located here.  (Requires Adobe Reader)

 

 

 

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1790 Heads of Families - includes the names list for 12 of the 16 Federal Court Districts. The Census Office's 1790 Volumes are therefore limited to the federal court districts of Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, North & South Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Virginia. Kansas  is not included in the 1790 Census due to the fact it had not yet become a state, territory and/or have a federal court district.

 

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1800 Federal Census - included the list of 16 Federal Court Districts in addition to three Territories enumerated for the first time, Mississippi Territory; the Northwest Territory and Indian Territory. District-wide census losses include those for; Northwest Territory, Georgia, Indiana Territory, Kentucky, Mississippi Territory, New Jersey, and Tennessee. These have no known substitutes except for some isolated tax lists.

 

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1810 Federal Census -  included all of the above and the new State of Ohio. Partial losses include those for Illinois Territory and Ohio.

 

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1830 Federal Census - added Missouri, who had  achieved statehood in 1821, bringing the total number of states to 24. Some county wide census losses occurred.

 

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1840 Federal Census - The new states of Arkansas and Michigan were included in the 1840 Federal Census, bringing the total state count to 26. There were no substantial census losses for the 1840 census.

 

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1850 Federal Census - Between 1840 and 1850, five new states were added and four new territories were included in the census. No enumeration for the Unorganized Territory of the Great Plains was included. For the first time, the census schedules listed the names of everyone in a household and included information for each person. But no relationships between the members of the household were shown.

 

 

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1860 Federal Census - Two new states, Minnesota and Oregon, were added to the Union for a total of 33 states. No relationships were shown between members of a household

 

Content Included in the Census

  • Name

  • Age

  • Sex

  • Color (race)

  • Birthplace

  • Occupation

  • Value of real estate

  • Value of personal estate

  • Whether married within the previous year

  • Whether deaf, dumb, blind or insane

  • Whether a pauper

  • Whether able to read or speak English

  • Whether the person attended school within the previous year

 

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1870 Federal Census - Four new states were added to the Union between 1860 and 1870 for a total of 37 states and six new territories were created. The Unorganized Territory, unofficially called the "Indian Territory" was not enumerated for non-Indians in 1870.

  • 1870 Mortality Schedule

 

Content Included in the Census

  • Name

  • Age (month of birth if born during the year)

  • Sex

  • Color (race)

  • Birthplace

  • Occupation

  • Value of real estate

  • Value of personal estate

  • Whether married within the previous year (month of marriage if married within the year)

  • Whether deaf, dumb, blind or insane

  • Whether able to read or write

  • Whether father or mother of foreign birth

  • Whether the person attended school within the previous year

 

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1880 Federal Census -  Colorado was the only state admitted to the Union between 1870 and 1880, bringing the total to 38 states. Eight territories were enumerated and Unorganized Alaska was enumerated. But the Indian Territory was not enumerated for non-Indians. For the first time an Index was created by clerical workers from the Works Progress Administration (WPA). The new indexing method used a helpful coding system for names called Soundex. Also for the first time Relationship to head-of-household were added.

 

Content Included in the Census
 

  • Name

  • Age (month of birth if born during the year) Relationship to head-of-household

  • Name of street and number of house

  • Sex

  • Color (race)

  • Birthplace

  • Occupation

  • Marital status (whether married within the previous year)

  • Whether temporarily or permanently disabled

  • Whether crippled, maimed or deformed

  • Time unemployed during the census year

  • Whether deaf, dumb, blind or insane

  • Whether able to read or write

  • Birthplace of father and mother

  • Whether the person attended school within the previous year

 

  • 1890 Federal Census - The United States had grown to 44 states between 1880 and 1890, with six new additions to the Union. In 1889, Oklahoma Territory was created but represented only a part of the present-day state, as Indian tribal areas made up the rest of that area. In addition, the three territories, Arizona, New Mexico and Utah, were enumerated in 1890, as was unorganized Alaska. The detailed information for every household was extensive and the format was on one full sheet per household. Now tragically this extensive information, was lost. Over 99 percent of the 1890 population schedules were destroyed in a fire, which took place in January 1921 at the Commerce Building in Washington, D.C. Of the 62,979,766 persons enumerated in 1890, a total of 6,160 names could be extracted from the surviving schedules. These names were all indexed and microfilmed as National Archives Series M496 on two rolls of film.  The surviving fragments consists of 1,233 pages or pieces, including enumerations for Alabama, the District of Columbia, Georgia, Illinois, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, South Dakota, and Texas.

    • 1895 Kansas State Census - The State Board of Agriculture conducted this Census for the State.  Atchison County is available on-line free at the Kansas State Historical Society web site.

    Content Included in the Census

    • Address of the house

    • Number of persons in the household

    • Names

    • Whether a soldier, sailor or marine during the Civil War and whether Union or Confederate

    • Whether the widow of a veteran

    • Relationship to head of family

    • Race

    • Sex

    • Age

    • Marital status and whether married during the previous year

    • If a mother, how many children, and how many living

    • Birthplace and birthplace of father and mother

    • If foreign born, how many years in the U.S.

    • Whether naturalized or in the process of naturalization

    • Profession, trade or occupation

    • Number of months unemployed during the previous year

    • Ability to read and write

    • Ability to speak English, if not, language or dialect spoken

    • Whether suffering from an acute or chronic disease, if so, name of disease and length of time afflicted

    • Whether defective in mind, sight, hearing, or speech, or whether crippled, maimed, or deformed, with the name of defect

    • Whether a prisoner, convict, homeless child or pauper

    • Whether the home was rented or owned and whether it was mortgaged

    • Whether a farmer, and if so, whether rented or owned – if mortgaged, the post office address of the owner

     

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1900 Federal Census - Utah was the only state to join the Union in the decade prior to this decennial census, making a total of 45 states. Hawaii was annexed to the U.S. in 1898, became a territory in 1900 and later a state. There are hand-entered Soundex indexes for 1900, which were created by the WPA. These are complete for every head-of-household and for all states.

 

Content Included in the Census
 

  • Name

  • Age and month of birth

  • Relationship to head-of-household

  • Name of street and number of house

  • Sex

  • Color (race)

  • Birthplace

  • Occupation

  • Marital status and number of years in a marriage

  • Number of children born to a mother

  • Number of children still living at the time of the census

  • Number of years in the U.S.

  • Birthplace of father and mother

  • Whether parents were of foreign birth

  • Whether able to read or write, speak English or attended school within the previous year

 

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1910 Federal Census - Oklahoma was the only state recently formed prior to this census, making a total of 46 states in 1907. The 1910 Soundex and Miracode indexes were compiled in 1962 for 21 states by the staff of the Personal Census Search section of the Bureau of the Census. The Miracode indexes were done using computers, while the Soundex indexes were done on hand-entered index cards, similar to all of the other Soundex indexes. Ohio was one of the states which had Miracode Indexes. The coding method for the Miracode index is identical to the Soundex coding system. The two differ only in the citation given for a household being indexed. For the Miracode, the citation includes the Volume number, Enumeration District Number, and Visitation Number (house number) taken from the original census schedules pages; while the 1910 Soundex cards cite the Volume Number, Enumeration District Number and Sheet Number.

 

Content Included in the Census

  • Name

  • Age

  • Relationship to head-of-household

  • Name of street and number of house

  • Sex

  • Color (race)

  • Birthplace

  • Occupation

  • Marital status and number of years in a marriage

  • Number of children born to a mother

  • Number of children still living at the time of the census

  • Number of years in the U.S.

  • Birthplace of father and mother

  • Whether parents were of foreign birth

  • Whether able to read or write, speak English or attended school within the previous year

 

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1920 Federal Census - Arizona and New Mexico were both made states in 1912, bringing the total to 48 states, and Alaska became an official territory in 1912. There are hand-entered Soundex indexes for 1920, which were created by the WPA. These are complete for every head-of-household and for all states. The 1920 census schedules listed every person in a household.

 

Content Included in the Census

  • Name

  • Age

  • Relationship to head-of-household

  • Name of street and number of house

  • Sex

  • Color (race)

  • Birthplace

  • Occupation

  • Marital status

  • Number of years in the U.S.

  • Birthplace of father and mother

  • Whether parents were of foreign birth

  • Whether able to read or write, speak English or attended school within the previous year

 

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1930 Federal Census - For the 1930 census, the Bureau of the Census developed a new ED numbering system for 52 of the 56 jurisdictions. Within each state, each county has a distinct number that is followed by the specific enumeration district number. The county numbers were assigned based on the alphabetical order of the counties within each state. Sometimes no one lived in an ED, in which case the enumerator wrote "NP" on the sheet, meaning no population. Some of the EDs contain as few as one person. Be careful when viewing the film so not to miss these small EDs. In some cases, the Bureau combined two EDs. The number that was not used is listed as "void."  There is no roll 1602. Roll number 1602 (New York) was skipped during the original filming. The EDs for Queens, however, are complete. See rolls 1582 to 1601 and 1603 to 1612.

Content Included in the Census

  • Place of Abode

  • Name

  • Relation

  • Home Data

  • Personal Description; Sex, race, Age, Marital status, Age at first marriage

  • Education

  • Place of birth

  • Mother Tongue (or Native Language) of Foreign Born

  • Citizenship, etc.

  • Year of immigration to the United States

  • Naturalization

  • Whether able to speak English

  • Occupation & Industry (detailed)

  • Employment

  • Veterans 

 

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1940 Federal Census - To protect individual privacy, the government doesn't release census data for 72 years after they are taken [92 Stat. 915, Public Law 95-416; October5, 1978]. This means information from the 1940 census won’t be released until 2012.

 

 

 

Copyright © 2006. by Chyrl Lawrence-Bulger, Wabaunsee County Webmaster, American History and Genealogy Project, unless otherwise specified. Material on this page may not be used without the written permission of the webmaster.

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