Not so fast!

Before we get to the body of the census, the left columns need a little more attention.  Things that have been in these columns consistently since 1850 are the dwelling and family numbers.  These numbers can help you determine your ancestor’s living conditions.  If the dwelling number remains the same – or a new dwelling number is not listed, that can tell you they were living in an apartment, duplex or triplex, or in some type of institution.  I have seen several pages in the census that had no dwelling number listed,  In these cases you can often look at the heading for that page and it will tell you where they were living, in some type of group home, a hospital, an orphanage, or other group shelter. 

Keeping the Record Straight

These numbers can also help you determine if a page of the census has been misplaced or grouped in another location.  We have talked before about online images of the census are often grouped by county, precinct, or township.  Unfortunately census enumerators did not always follow these boundaries.  If you are reading through the census and the family number skips ten families, you may need to look in other townships or counties to find that page.

We’ve seen that census enumerators were required to write the street names in the far left column starting in 1880.  They were also supposed to write in the house number as well.  Like we talked about in Location, Location, Location you can often find the home or building where your ancestors once lived.

A Few More Nuggets

In 1940 and 1950 the census added other columns before the person’s name.  In 1940 they asked the value of the home or how much the occupant paid in rent.  This is valuable information about your ancestor’s financial situation.  They also asked whether or not the person was living on a farm.  In 1950 they did away with the home value question, but asked for the specific unit number for multi-family dwellings and also asked if the home was on three or more acres.  All these questions can give you more details about your ancestor’s lives.

Finding where your ancestors lived is something we do regularly at Heroes of the Past.  If you need help in your search, or if you want us to train your group, contact us today!