Outlines what each US Census contains with examples

1. USING THE CENSUS
TO GROW YOUR
FAMILY TREE

2. 1940 CENSUS
 Street Name and House Number
 Owned or Rented
 Value of home or monthly rent
 Live on a farm?
 Name of person whose usual place of residence was in this
household on April 1, 1940
 Relation to head of house
 Male or Female
 Color or Race
 Age at Last Birthday
 Marital Status
 Attended school or college since March 1, 1940
 Highest grade of school completed
 Place of Birth
 Citizenship if foreign birth
 City/county state where person lived April 1, 1935

3. 1940 CENSUS
supplemental questions
Asked of two persons per page
Included :
Place of birth of father and mother
Native language
Veteran or child of a veteran under 18
years
Social Security questions
Occupation and Industry
Married more than once
Age at first marriage
Number of children born (omit stillbirths)

5. 1930 CENSUS
 Street Name and House Number
 Name of each person whose place of abode on
April 1, 1930 (omit children born since April 1,
1930
 Relation to Head of Household (wife, daughter,
son
 Own or Rent; Value of home or monthly rent
 Radio set
 Live on a farm
 Male or Female
 Color or Race
 Age at last birthday
 Married, Single Divorced, Widowed
 Age at First marriage

6. 1930 CENSUS (cont.)
 Attended School or College since Sept. 1, 1929
 Able to Read and Write
 Person’s place of birth
 Person’s father’s place of birth
 Person’s mother’s place of birth
 Person’s native language
 Year of Immigration to U.S. and whether
naturalized
 Able to speak English
 Occupation and Industry
 Currently employed
 Whether veteran and if so what war/expedition

8. 1920 CENSUS
 Street Name and House Number
 Name of every person whose place of
abode on January 1, 1920 was in this
family
 Relation to head of house (wife,
daughter, son)
 Own or Rent/Owned Free or Mortgaged
 Male or Female
 Color or Race
 Age at Last Birthday
 Single, Married, Widowed or Divorce

9. 1920 CENSUS (cont.)
 Year of Immigration/Naturalized/Year of
naturalization
 Attended school anytime since Sept. 1, 1919
 Able to Read/Able to Write
 Person’s place of birth and mother tongue
 Person’s father’s place of birth and native
tongue
 Person’s mother’s place of birth and native
tongue
 Able to speak English
 Trade/Industry
 Employer/ salary or wage worker/ working on
own account

11. 1910 CENSUS
 Street Name and House Number
 Name of each person whose place of abode on April
15, 1910 was in this family (omit children born since
April 15, 1910)
 Relationship to head of house
 Color or Race
 Male or Female
 Month and Year of birth
 Age at last birthday
 Single, Married, Widowed or Divorced
 Number of years of present marriage
 Mother of how many children
 Number of these children living

12. 1910 CENSUS (cont.)
 Person’s Place of Birth
 Person’s Father’s Place of Birth
 Person’s Mother’s Place of Birth
 Year of U.S. Immigration
 Naturalized
 Language Spoken
 Trade or Profession
 Industry in which this person works
 Employee/Employer/Work on Own Account
 Whether out of work on April 15, 1910
 Number of weeks out of work in 1909
 Able to Read, Able to Write, Attended School since Sept. 1, 1909
 Own or Rent, Owned Free or Mortgaged, Farm or House
 Survivor of Union or Confederate Army or Navy
 Blind (both eyes) or Deaf and Dumb

14. 1900 CENSUS
 Street Name and House Number
 Name of each person whose place of abode on June 1,
1900 was in this family (omit children born since June 1,
1900
 Relationship to head of house
 Color or Race
 Male or Female
 Month and Year of birth
 Age at last birthday
 Single, Married, Widowed or Divorced
 Number of years of present marriage
 Mother of how many children
 Number of these children living

15. 1900 CENSUS (cont.)
 Person’s Place of Birth
 Person’s Father’s Place of Birth
 Person’s Mother’s Place of Birth
 Year of U.S. Immigration
 Number of years in the U.S.
 Naturalization
 Occupation
 Months Employed
 Attended School (in months)
 Can Read, Can Write, Can speak English
 Own or Rent, Owned Free or Mortgaged, Farm
or House

17. 1890 CENSUS
WAS MOSTLY DESTROYED IN A FIRE
Ancestry.com has compiled Substitute
including the 6,160 that did survive
INCLUDES:
 State Census
 City and County Directories
 Voter Lists
 Alumni Directories

19. 1880 CENSUS
 Street Name and House Number
 Name of each person whose place of abode on June 1st 1880 was in this family
 Color – White (W), Black (B), Mulatto (M), Chinese (C), Indian (I)
 Male or Female
 Age at last birthday prior to June 1, 1880.If under 1 year give month in fractions,
thus 8/12
 Relationship to head of household (wife, daughter, son, etc. )
 Single, Married, Widowed/Divorced, Married during census year
 Profession/Occupation
 Number of months unemployed during census year
 Is person temporarily disabled and unable to work; if so what is the
disability/illness
 Blind, Deaf and Dumb, Idiotic, Insane, maimed, crippled or otherwise bedridden
 Attended school during census year
 Cannot Read
 Cannot Write
 Person’s place of birth
 Place of birth of person’s father
 Place of birth of person’s mother

21. 1870 CENSUS
 The name of every person whose usual place of abode
on the first day of June 1850, was in this family
 Age
 Male or Female
 Profession of males over 15
 Real Estate Value
 Place of Birth
 Parentage – mother or father of foreign birth
 If born within the year state month
 If married within the year state month
 Attended school within the year
 Cannot Read/Cannot Write
 Males 21 yrs. and older/those denied vote

23. 1850 & 1860 CENSUS
 The name of every person whose usual place of
abode on the first day of June 1850, was in this
family
 Age
 Male or Female
 Profession of males over 15
 Real Estate Value
 Place of Birth
 Married within this year
 Attended school within this year
 Persons over 20 who cannot read or write
 Whether deaf/dumb/blind/insane/idiotic/pauper or
convict

26. 1840 CENSUS
 COUNTY/PARISH
 HEAD OF FAMILY
 FREE WHITE MALES (by age group)
 FREE WHITE FEMALES (by age group)
 SLAVES (by age and male/female)
 FREE COLORED PERSONS (by age and male/female)
 Number of persons employed in
mining/agriculture/manufacture or trade/navigation of
oceans/navigation of lakes and rivers/professional engineers
 Military pensioners and their age
 White deaf/dumb/blind/insane
 Colored deaf/dumb/blind/insane
 SCHOOLS : universities or colleges and number of students,
grammar and academies and number of students, primary
and commons schools and number of students at public
charge, number of persons over 20 who cannot read or write

28. 1830 CENSUS
 COUNTY/PARISH
 HEAD OF FAMILY
 FREE WHITE MALES (by age group)
 FREE WHITE FEMALES (by age group)
 SLAVES (by age and male/female)
 FREE COLORED PERSONS (by age
and male/female)
 White persons who are blind, deaf,
dumb, or aliens
 Slaves who are blind, deaf or dumb

30. 1820 CENSUS
 COUNTY/PARISH
 HEAD OF FAMILY
 FREE WHITE MALES (by age group)
 FREE WHITE FEMALES (by age group)
 SLAVES (by age and male/female)
 FREE COLORED PERSONS (by age and
male/female)
 Foreigners not naturalized
 Persons engaged in agriculture
 Persons engaged in commerce
 Persons engaged in manufacture
 All other persons except Indians not taxed

32. 1800 & 1810 CENSUS
 COUNTY/PARISH
 HEAD OF FAMILY
 FREE WHITE MALES (by age group)
 FREE WHITE FEMALES (by age
group)
 OTHER FREE PERSON
 SLAVES

34. 1790 CENSUS
 COUNTY/PARISH
 CITY
 HEAD OF FAMILY
 FREE WHITE MALES 16 YRS. AND
OLDER
 FREE WHITE MALES UNDER 16
 FREE WHITE FEMALES
 OTHER FREE PERSONS
 SLAVES

36. CENSUS SEARCH DO’S
o Experiment with the site’s search tools, entering different search
parameters (adjust the time frame and/or place) and spellings.
o Look for search tips that indicate how you should best enter your search
criteria
o Try searching without a name – enter other information such as the
person’s place of residence, birth date and immigration date
o Search for family, friends and neighbors your ancestor may have been
living with
o Look at the original census document and not only the transcription

37. CENSUS SEARCH DON’TS
o Expect to find an ancestor on the first try
o Assume the site’s data match everything you
understand to be true about your family. Names
may be spelled differently, for example, or people
may have reported different ages or immigration
dates from what you’ve found in other sources
o Assume it’s your ancestor because the name is
right. Multiple people could have the same name.