Exploring Your Ancestry One Census at a Time

The United States government began taking a census of each household in 1790 and every ten years thereafter. The census records are used to plan for future schools, hospitals, housing and more. It’s also used for determining political representation. However, genealogists and family historians use these records to trace their ancestors through the years. Census records can provide birth locations, ages, race, marital status, number of children and vital clues for building your family tree.

The 1790 census was for white males over the age of 16. Later, they listed just the heads of households for white or Free People of Color (FPOC). Finally, in 1850 they began listing everyone in the households of white or FPOC. Formerly enslaved African Americans were listed by first and last name in the 1870 census. Prior to the 1870 census, enslaved African Americans were shown on slave schedules with a tick mark along with age, gender and color. Some people refer to this as the 1870 Brick Wall. It’s possible to find records on African Americans prior to this date. However, it will take a little more effort.

Each census offers something unique and useful. The 1880 census was completely burned, save a few places. The 1900 census asked the number of years married. Which is helpful if you can’t find a marriage license. Women were asked how many children they had given birth to and how many are still living. Great clues in determining if you’ve found all the children in the family.

The 1910 census requested native language. Men reported if they were a survivor of the Union or Confederate services. This tells you if your ancestor served in the Civil War. It also tells if this was the first (M1) or second (M2) marriage. You need to know if your ancestor had a previous spouse. In some Native American communities, they were questioned about which tribe they belonged to and if they were living on a reservation.

In 1920 the census included questions on immigration and naturalization status. They queried who could read and write as well as the amount of education for each family member. A large number of Americans, of every color, were illiterate so they signed their name with an X. In 1930 the bureau wanted to know if there was a radio in the home to determine technology use nationwide. They drilled down on questions from previous census years by asking the age at the time of their first marriage. Again, helpful in trying to determine parentage of children in the home. Veterans declared which war they served in. Another way to find out if and when your ancestor served, which is beneficial in trying to locate military records.

The 1940 census asked where the person was living in 1935. If you can’t your family in 1930 take note of this section. They may have been living in another county or state. An X was placed next to the person providing the information. You want to know who supplied the data. Sometimes when the census taker was going door to door and no one was home, he would ask a neighbor. The neighbor would often guess at the names, ages and birthplaces of those in the home. This will sometimes account for the misinformation on census records.

The most recent census record available is the 1950 enumeration. The questions were a variation of previous requests. Including asking a woman how many children she had given birth to, excluding stillbirths. In addition, they inquired on the number of weeks worked, weeks unemployed, type of work performed, own or rent your home and did you live on a farm. This is a great way to learn more about when, where and how your ancestors lived.

For privacy reasons, the government releases census records after 72 years. The census data for the 1960 census will be released in April 2032.

The US Census is not perfect and can contain errors. They are transcribed, but you must always view the original handwritten document to verify the accuracy. There are also School Census Records, individual State Census Records and Agricultural Census Records. Many, many ways for you to find your family.

If you believe you may be a descendant of the 435 Freedmen who migrated from South Carolina to Marlin, please contact us. Sharon, Sharon.kay@sbcglobal.net or Angela, honey_be_2001@yahoo. com.