{"id":2458,"date":"2015-11-17T09:33:48","date_gmt":"2015-11-17T15:33:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/geneosity.com\/?p=2458"},"modified":"2019-05-09T05:46:06","modified_gmt":"2019-05-09T10:46:06","slug":"census-records-a-wealth-of-information","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/geneosity.com\/census-records-a-wealth-of-information\/","title":{"rendered":"Census Records: A Wealth of Information"},"content":{"rendered":"

Census records can really be a great source of information. \u00a0If you’ve never reviewed a census record, here is what you should know:<\/p>\n

Names of all people and their relationship to the head of household<\/u><\/h3>\n

This is the purpose of the census at its core: to enumerate, or list, everyone living at a particular address at that time.\u00a0 As you find your family members, you may also find a child in the family that you never knew existed, because he died early in childhood.<\/p>\n

(Pro tip:\u00a0 check the next census, generally ten years later, to see if that child is still listed.\u00a0 Another important clue to find \u201cmissing\u201d children: some census records show how many children were born to the mother, as well as how many were living at that time.<\/em>)<\/p>\n

Or, maybe your great-grandmother\u2019s mother is living with the family and you finally learn your great-grandmother\u2019s maiden name.<\/p>\n

Pay attention to the genealogy relationship<\/a> given for each person in the household.\u00a0 It can often reveal connections that were previously unknown, such as \u201cstepson\u201d or \u201cnephew\u201d for someone who was thought to be a biological sibling.\u00a0 And, before people had the internet to find a spouse, they usually married someone who lived in the same town \u2014 or even the young man who shows up in one census as \u201chired hand\u201d and ten years later is \u201chead of household\u201d with one of the daughters in the family listed as his wife!\u00a0 \u263a<\/p>\n

Ages of each person enumerated<\/u><\/h3>\n

While all of the information recorded in the census is self-reported, and thus open to error or misinformation, having an approximate age for an individual can help you determine the accuracy of other records you may find.\u00a0 With the exception of the 1900 U.S. Census, which offers the birth month and year, most records provide the age on the date the census taker made the record.<\/p>\n

(Pro tip:\u00a0 when you then enter such information into your family tree<\/a>, you will want to use \u201cAbout\u201d or \u201cabt\u201d and then the calculated approximate year of birth, until you can confirm an exact year or date.<\/em>)<\/p>\n

Address of the household<\/u><\/h3>\n

If you look carefully, you can find the actual address where your ancestors lived.\u00a0 You may need to go back by a page or two in order to find the street name listed, usually handwritten along the left-hand side of the page.\u00a0 The house number can be found under the column \u201cLocation\u201d.\u00a0 Try using Google Maps to search for the address; you can even use \u201cstreet view\u201d to see exactly what it looks like today.\u00a0 (And, if not, it sounds like it\u2019s time for a research road trip!)<\/p>\n

Birthplace<\/u><\/h3>\n

Generally, this is recorded either by state, if inside the U.S., or by country.\u00a0 Again, bear in mind that there is room for error: it\u2019s not uncommon to find a relative who is listed as having been born in England in the 1910 Census and in Scotland in the 190 Census.\u00a0 Use your best judgment when recording the information in your tree: list your source, and take it only as a possible location until you have documentation that proves it.<\/p>\n

Occupation and Workplace<\/u><\/h3>\n

Yes, it\u2019s true:\u00a0 you\u2019re likely to find quite a few records that say \u201cFarmer\u201d and \u201cHired Hand\u201d or \u201cServant\u201d.\u00a0 It goes with the times.\u00a0 But, you never know; your great-grandfather could surprise you with an occupation of \u201cferryman\u201d, \u201cman of pleasure\u201d (!), or even \u201cin jail\u201d (*gasp*).\u00a0 Imagine all of the occupations that your descendants will find in the census records from your<\/u> day!<\/p>\n

As you become more familiar with using the census, you\u2019ll find that they often become the bread-and-butter source for documentation and can even be worth a laugh or two.\u00a0 Happy searching!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Census records can really be a great source of information. \u00a0If you’ve never reviewed a census record, here is what you should know: Names of … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":534,"featured_media":2459,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"generate_page_header":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[59],"tags":[34],"yoast_head":"\nCensus Records: A Wealth of Information<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Genealogy enthusiasts often find that census records are a reliable research source for documentation\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/geneosity.com\/census-records-a-wealth-of-information\/\" \/>\n<meta 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