Your Number Please!

Your Number Please! Another helpful item in the heading is the page number.  Not necessarily the one that was stamped but the one that was written when the page was originally copied. Sometimes it is called a sheet number.  In an effort to make things easier for us, the people who organize and provide these […]

There's more information in the left column of the census!

Not so fast!

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

First Things First

First Things First Before we jump into the body of the census let’s look at other information on the outside of the body of the census, the heading.  The heading contains some information that will help you better understand what is contained in the body of the census.  One of those is the date. When

Enumeration districts drawn on platt maps can be awesome because they give landowners names

Enumeration District???

Enumeration District??? You have probably noticed a line in the heading of some census documents for Enumeration District.  Even though they weren’t labeled, they have been around since the first census in 1790.  The enumeration district was the area that an enumerator, the person recording information for the census, stayed within when recording census information. 

Often homes located where our ancestors lived a hundred years ago are basically unchanged.

Location, Location, Location

Location, Location, Location One of the things often overlooked on the U.S. Census is the location of the households.  One reason is they weren’t recorded consistently.  The other is because they were written sideways and often unrecognizable. Add That Street! Starting with the 1880 U.S. Census the Instructions to the Enumerators (Enumerators were people conducting

Using the U.S. censuses to create a timeline for your ancestor's life can be the missing pieces to the jigsaw puzzle that is their life!

The Whole is Greater

The Whole is Greater We’ve talked a little in the past about looking at the censuses during your ancestor’s lives as one collection.  Let’s take a closer look.  This is where the old saying, “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts” holds true. Questions Yield Results Since each decade’s census, for the

Analyzing the available census returns for your ancestor's lives together can give you new insights

Digging In

Digging In Some More First Things There wasn’t room in the First Things First blog to give you all the background information about the census, so allow me to share some more now.  The U.S. Census is available to the public seventy two years after it was recorded.  In the last several censuses, there has

Measuring America, a free download from the census bureau, gives a good summary of the enumerators instructions.

Free Tools to Aid Census Research

Free Tools to Aid Census Research When researching the census, there are two tools that will make researching easier and save you time.  They are two free books, Measuring America and a book (made by you) of blank census[1] forms. Measuring America Measuring America is a free download from the U.S. Census Bureau.  You can

Family History websites use AI to search for name variations

First Things First

First Things First Before we dive into the census, let’s talk about where the census comes from and things we need to keep in mind as we use the census. The U.S. Constitution directed the Congress to count the population every ten years. The census has been conducted the first year of every decade ever

Taking the U.S. Census

One Stop Census Shop

One Stop Census Shop If you have been discovering your family’s history for a while you already have a favorite place to access the census.  It is available by subscription to most of the online family history sites and through many local libraries.  If your just starting, you may want to investigate one of these

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