Where do we find census records?
They are available at different public libraries, genealogical societies, Latter Day Saints Family History Centers and even on the Internet.
USGENWEB has an ongoing project to eventually have all of the census records online. What they are doing is posting the names of the people in the particular censuses. If you find a name that seems to be one of your ancestors or other type of relative, you will know which census you need to obtain more information. You can than search the actual census to see what other relatives may have lived in the household or if any of the neighbors were relatives. The 1910 and 1920 records will let you know if your ancestor was a naturalized US citizen.
Some of the online census records can be found at The USGenWeb Census Project and USGenWeb Archives. They can be found on individual state pages at USGenWeb Census Project State Census Status. On the bottom of the USGenWeb Census Project State Census Status website, there is a list of the each year the census was taken describing the data each one contains.
Another good source of locating census records is to go to the different county pages that volunteers maintain for USGenWeb. The site to locate each state is at The USGenWeb Project Links to States When you reach the particular state you are researching, click on the county where your family lived. Check to see if there are any censuses posted on that page.
If you do not find any census records online which you need, you can find a library that has them available for your use. The Latter Day Saints Family History Centers can order the census records for you. There is a nominal fee for them. Some of the libraries do have some on hand, but not all of them for each year for each state and county. Some of the libraries that are equipped with computer facilities will have CDs with some of the records. To find the closest FHC near you go to this site: Family History Center. Many public libraries, university libraries and genealogical societies have films available also. Check with your local public facilities.
A Research Log can be used to record all the places and years you have searched for your ancestors. It will save you time. It's very easy to forget where you have done your research previously, such as particular years and places in census records. This would include individuals in your family that you have spoken to regarding particular areas of your research and other sources. You can also use the Research Log to keep track of which census you have searched for your family members. A disappearance of a family member in a particular census may give you a clue to the time frame of a death, divorce, separation from the family, move or marriage of that person. Don't forget it could mean that they were also missed in that year by the census takers.
This site will tell you what you can expect to find in census records: Clues in Census Records, 1850-1920. These are clues in furthering that will help in furthering your research. This is probably the most educational site there is available regarding the data you will find in census records. There are no guessing games with which census you need to learn specific things about your ancestors to trace them.
If you will go to the PBS Volunteers Page you will find a list of owners of CDs that will do lookups for you. Please be sure to follow the directions given for each of them as you make your requests.
Census records for 1930-1990 are confidential, but you can possibly obtain information for a deceased relative with proof of death, or living next of kin if you have written permission from them. You will need to give them the town and state they resided in these censuses. For a search write for form BC-600 [Application for Search of Census Records] to U. S. Department of Commerce, PO Box 1545, Jefferson, IN 47131. The last known price to perform a search by this department was $45.00. |
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