Introduction to the U.S. Census
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, a census is, "An official enumeration of the population of a country or district, with various statistics relating to them." The United States Federal Census was first held in 1790 and taken every ten years, with the 1940 Federal Census being the most recent fully available census. Full census records (as opposed to just the general data collected by the census) is released every 72 years, to protect the privacy of the citizens. Census records can be one of the most useful resources for genealogy research, an as you will notice, overtime the questions change and become more nuances, provided even more information. Besides the Federal census, there are also state censuses to explore as well.
What Can You Find in Census Records?
- Names
- Addresses
- Dates of birth
- Places of birth
- Marriage information
- Members of households
- Occupations
- And more!
Helpful Tips for Using Census Records
- Begin with the most recent relative in the most recent census you can find, and work your way backwards. The extra information you will find in more current census records, such as addresses, ages, and members of households, can help to verify information in older census records.
- Names can be tricky, visit the section on Surnames to learn more about this topic.
- Census takers were human beings and there were, unavoidably, mistakes made. It is extraordinarily common to see variations in spellings, ages, etc., all due to human error. This is why verifying information through the use of other types of records (i.e. military or vital records) is so important.
- Enslaved vs. free Africa Americans: Certain time periods for the federal census only include free Blacks, but it was not uncommon for status to change from free to enslaved or vice versa.
