Using the Federal Census in Research

Using the Federal Census in Genealogy
By Shirley D. Webb

As you do your research, you will find that your ancestors did not necessarily leave a Will, a diary or journal, or even a family Bible. And they may not have owned land for most of their lives, meaning they may not appear on record at county court houses or in county histories.

There is one set of documents, however, where your ancestors are very likely to be found – and that is on the Federal Census taken every 10 years in the United States since 1790.

The newly formed U.S. government had a Constitutional mandate to take a census every 10 years. In the early years this was not a very well organized process, however. The first census records did not name every person in a household - only the Head of Family. The number of people in that household were counted by age groups.

The 1850 census is the first to give the names, ages and places of birth for all members of a household. And, in 1850, a Census Office began operations in Washington DC , but only temporarily. That office became permanent in 1902.

The 1890 census was lost due to a fire. The 1880 census is the first to authorize enumerating Native Americans (Indians), and also the first to show the relationship of each member of a family to the Head of Household. The places of birth of the parents of each person listed are also given on the 1880 census for the first time.

In the 1900 census, dates of naturalization & immigration are listed (if applicable) as well as the month and year of birth for each family member. In addition, the number of children born by the mother of the family is listed and the number of years married for each couple.

It is easy to see that the Federal Census is a good tool for doing your genealogy research. All census records have been microfilmed in varying degrees of readability and can be found in many libraries as well as the National Archives & Records Administration.

A “Census Day” is designated in each census year. The information given to the census taker was to be correct as of that day. This would not necessarily be the day the enumerator visited the family since it could take weeks to complete the gathering of census information by the individuals who took on this job. The “Census Day” explains why a census taker will list someone who was deceased at the time of his visit, but who was alive on the Census Day….or will omit a child born after the Census Day, even though that baby is right there in the room!!

Below is a List Showing the “Census Day” for the Various Census Years

Census Year Census Day

1790, 1800, 1810, 1920 First Monday in August

1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870 June 1st
1880, 1890, 1900

1880 Indian Schedule October 1st

1910 April 15th

1920 January 1st

1930, 1940, 1950, 1960 April 1st

Note: For privacy reasons, a particular census is not released for public use until 72 years after it is taken. The latest census to be released is the 1930 census which was released to National Archives & Records Administration and their nationwide branch offices, on April 1, 2002 .

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