census forms, 1790-1930 - scott smith

125

Section 5

Census Forms, 1790-1930

Population Schedules:

1790 Census Form .............................. 126

1800 U.S. Census Form ...................... 128

1810 U.S. Census Form ...................... 130

1820 U.S. Census Form ...................... 132

1830 U.S. Census Form ...................... 134

1840 U.S. Census Form ...................... 136

1850 U.S. Census Form ...................... 138

1860 U.S. Census Form ...................... 140

1870 U.S. Census Form ...................... 142

1880 U.S. Census Form ...................... 144

1885 U.S. Census Form ...................... 146

1890 U.S. Union Veterans’ Census Form148

1900 U.S. Census Form ...................... 150

1910 U.S. Census Form ...................... 152

1920 U.S. Census Form ...................... 154

1930 U.S. Census Form ...................... 156

Slave Schedules:

1850 U.S. Slave Schedule Form ......... 158

1860 U.S. Slave Schedule Form ......... 160

Mortality Schedules:

1850 U.S. Mortality Schedule Form... 162




Soundex Index Extraction Forms:

1880 U.S. Soundex Form ................... 170

1900 U.S. Soundex Form ................... 172

1910 U.S. Soundex/Miracode Form ... 174

1920 U.S. Soundex Form ................... 176

1930 U.S. Soundex Form ................... 178

Census Extraction Sheet:

1790-1840 U.S. Census Comparison Sheet180

1850-1930 U.S. Census Comparison Sheet182

1790 Federal CensusHeads of household extracted from the original text of the 1790 Population Schedules

STATE & COUNTY

FREE WHITES

Name of

HEAD OF HOUSEHOLD

Males16 &over

Otherfree

persons

NARA Microfilm Series M637

Roll no. Page no.

Researcher: Date:

Males0 - 15

Females Slaves

Census Forms, 1790-1930 • 127

First Census of the United States - 1790

of free white males under 16, and 16 or older,the number of free white females of any age,the name of a slave owner, and number ofslaves owned by that person.

Census losses: 1790 districtwide censuslosses include those for Kentucky, Delaware,Georgia, New Jersey, and Virginia. SinceVirginia had extant tax lists covering all of itscounties for the years immediately preceding1790, the Census Office used these tax lists toreconstruct the 1790 name lists for the entirestate of Virginia. A few 1790 counties ofother states were also reconstructed from taxlists, including certain counties in NorthCarolina and Maryland.

Microfilm: The National Archives andRecords Administration microfilm for the1790 census is contained on 12 rolls of 35mmfilm, series M637. In addition, the 1908printed volumes of the 1790 census were filmedon three rolls of 35mm film as series T498.

General Information: In 1908, the CensusOffice in Washington, D.C., undertook a projectto extract and index the 1790 census name lists,a publication now commonly known as the1790 Heads of Families. It includes the namelists for twelve of the sixteen federal courtdistricts that were originally enumerated in the1790 census. Vermont entered the Union as the14th state in early 1791, its census taken as of 1April 1791. Also, in 1790, Maine was still partof Massachusetts but had its own censusbecause it was a separate federal court district.The same was true of Kentucky which was stillpart of Virginia but was a separate federal courtdistrict. The Census Office’s 1790 volumes,therefore, are limited to the federal courtdistricts of Connecticut, Maine, Maryland,Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York,North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island,South Carolina, Vermont, and Virginia.

Content: The 1790 census format includedthe name of a head of household, the number

Otherfree

personSlaves

1800 Federal CensusHeads of households extracted from the original text of the 1800 Population Schedules

FREE WHITE FEMALESName of

HEAD OF HOUSEHOLD

Researcher: Date:

FREE WHITE MALES

NARA Microfilm Series M32 Roll no.: State: County: Township:

Page0

thru9

10thru15

16thru25

26thru44

45andover

10thru15

16thru25

26thru44

45andover

0thru

9

Census Forms, 1790-1930 • 129

Second Census of the United States - 1800

Census losses: 1800 districtwide censuslosses include those for Georgia, IndianaTerritory, Kentucky, Mississippi Territory,New Jersey, Northwest Territory, andTennessee, which have no known substitutesexcept some isolated tax lists. The 1800census for Washington County, NorthwestTerritory (later Ohio), was found among thepapers of the New Ohio Company. Thepapers are now at the Special CollectionsDepartment, Marietta College Library,Marietta, Ohio, and microfilmed by the FHLin Salt Lake City. Washington County wasabout one-third of the population of the oldNorthwest Territory in 1800. The portion ofthe District of Columbia included with theMaryland side (Washington County, DC)survives and is part of the Maryland 1800census. The portion for the Virginia side(Alexandria County, DC) is lost along with allof Virginia for 1800.

Microfilm: The National Archives andRecords Administration microfilm for the1800 census is contained on 52 rolls of 35mmfilm, series M32.

General Information: The 1800 federalcensus included two new states admitted tothe Union since 1790: Kentucky, admitted in1792; and Tennessee, previously the “South-west Territory,” admitted in 1796 for a total of16 states in the Union. In addition, threeterritories were enumerated for the first timein 1800: Mississippi Territory, created in1798 from lands obtained in a treaty withSpain; the Northwest Territory, created in1787 (but not enumerated in 1790); andIndiana Territory, divided from the oldNorthwest Territory in early 1800. Maine wasstill a federal court district within the state ofMassachusetts; and therefore, Maine had aseparate census taken. The District ofColumbia was created in 1791 from landceded by Maryland and Virginia, but itsfirst census of 1800 was taken withMaryland and Virginia.

Content: The 1800 census format included thename of a head of household, the number of freewhite males and free white females in specificage categories, the name of a slave owner, andnumber of slaves owned by that person.

Otherfree

person

1810 Federal CensusHeads of households extracted from the original text of the 1810 Population Schedules

FREE WHITE FEMALESName of

HEAD OF HOUSEHOLD

Researcher: Date:

FREE WHITE MALES

NARA Microfilm Series M252 Roll no.: State: County: Township:

Page0

thru9

0thru

9

10thru15

16thru25

26thru44

45andover

10thru15

16thru25

26thru44

45andover

Slaves

Census Forms, 1790-1930 • 131

Third Census of the United States - 1810

boundaries except it still included thenorthern peninsula of present-day Michigan.

Content: The 1810 census format included thename of a head of household, the number of freewhite males and free white females in specificage categories, the name of a slave owner, andnumber of slaves owned by that person.

Census losses: 1810 districtwide censuslosses include those for the District ofColumbia, Georgia, Indiana Territory, Michi-gan Territory, Mississippi Territory, Louisi-ana (MO) Territory, New Jersey, andTennessee. Partial losses included IllinoisTerritory which had only two counties(Randolph is extant, St. Clair is lost), andOhio, all lost except Washington County.

Microfilm: The National Archives andRecords Administration microfilm for the1810 census is contained on 71 rolls of 35mmfilm, series M252

General Information: The 1810 federalcensus included the new state of Ohio,admitted in 1803, bringing the total toseventeen states in the Union. The 1810census also included the District of Colum-bia, separated in the census schedules fromVirginia and Maryland for the first time. Inaddition, six territories in the public domainwere enumerated. Georgia ceded its westernlands to the federal government in 1802.These were added to Mississippi Territory,doubling its size. In 1804, two new territorieswere created from the Louisiana Purchase:Louisiana Territory (renamed MissouriTerritory in 1812); and Orleans Territory,which would become the state of Louisiana in1812. The remainder of the old NorthwestTerritory left by the creation of the state ofOhio and a part of Indiana Territory werecombined to become Michigan Territory in1805. To complete the changes for thedecade, Illinois Territory was created in 1809,reducing Indiana Territory to its present

0 thru 13 years14 thru 25 years26 thru 44 years45 years a

nd over

All other perso

ns


nd over


nd over

Fem

ales

Agriculture Commerce Manufacture 0 thru 13 years14 thru 25 years26 thru 44 years45 years a

nd over

No.

of

p

erso

nsen

gage

d

in:

0 thru 9 years 10 thru 15 years16 thru 18 years16 thru 25 years26 thru 44 years45 years a

nd over

0 thru 9 years 10 thru 15 years16 thru 25 years26 thru 44 years45 years a

nd over

1820

Fed

eral

Cen

sus

Rese

arch

er:

Dat

e:

Hea

ds

of h

ouse

hold

s ex

tract

ed fr

om th

e or

igin

al te

xt o

f the

182

0 Po

pul

atio

n Sc

hed

ules

NA

RA M

icro

film

Ser

ies

M33

Roll

no.:

Stat

e:Co

unty

:To

wns

hip

:

FREE

WH

ITES

SLA

VES

FREE

CO

LORE

D

Nam

e of

HEA

D O

F H

OU

SEH

OLD

Page

Mal

esFe

mal

esM

ales

Fem

ales

Foreigners not naturalized

Mal

es

Census Forms, 1790-1930 • 133

Fourth Census of the United States - 1820

by age categories, and the number offoreigners (not naturalized) in a household.

Census losses: 1820 districtwide census lossesinclude those for Arkansas Territory, MissouriTerritory, and New Jersey. Partial losses werefor over half the counties of Alabama. In 1820,Tennessee had two federal court districts, onewith a U.S. Courthouse in Nashville, the other inKnoxville. The original censuses returned toWashington were from the Nashville districtonly, representing the western two-thirds of thestate. The schedules for the twenty Easterncounties enumerated within the Knoxville 1820district were not received in Washington and arepresumed lost.

Microfilm: The National Archives andRecords Administration microfilm for the1820 census is contained on 142 rolls of35mm film, series M33.

General Information: By 1820 six newstates had been formed bringing the total totwenty-three states in the Union. The sixwere: Louisiana, admitted in 1812; Indiana in1816; Mississippi in 1817; Illinois in 1818;Alabama in 1819; and Maine in 1820. OrleansTerritory became the state of Louisiana in1812, and Louisiana Territory was renamedMissouri Territory the same year. MichiganTerritory spanned the northern portion of theold Northwest Territory north of the states ofOhio, Indiana, and Illinois. A new ArkansasTerritory was created from the southern areaof Missouri Territory in 1819.

Content: The 1820 census format includedthe name of a head of household, the numberof free white males and free white females inspecific age categories, the name of a slaveowner, the number of slaves owned by thatperson, the number of male and female slaves

Fem

ales

23 & over BlindAliens

0 - 13

14 - 24

36 thru 54 years

55 thru 99 years

100 years and over

0 thru 9 years10 thru 23 years

24 thru 35 years

36 thru 54 years

55 thru 99 years

100 years and over

0 thru 4 years5 thru 9 years10 thru 14 years15 thru 19 years20 thru 29 years30 thru 39 years40 thru 49 years50 thru 59 years60 thru 69 years70 thru 79 years80 thru 89 years90 thru 99 years100 years a

nd over


24 thru 35 years

100 years and over


0 thru 4 years5 thru 9 years10 thru 14 years15 thru 19 years20 thru 29 years30 thru 39 years40 thru 49 years50 thru 59 years60 thru 69 years70 thru 79 years

Mal

es

1830

Fed

eral

Cen

sus

Rese

arch

er:

Dat

e:

Extra

cted

from

the

orig

inal

text

of t

he 1

830

Cens

us S

ched

ules

NA

RA M

icro

film

Ser

ies

M19

Roll

no.:

Stat

e:Co

unty

:To

wns

hip

:

Nam

e of

HEA

D O

F H

OU

SEH

OLD

Page

:

Mal

esM

ales

Fem

ales

Fem

ales

FREE

WH

ITE

PERS

ON

S -

incl

udin

g he

ads

of fa

mili

esFR

EE C

OLO

RED TOTAL PERSONS

SLA

VES

Oth

er in

form

atio

n

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

NO

TES

Whi

te

per

sons

who

are

:

D

eaf &

dum

b

Census Forms, 1790-1930 • 135

Fifth Census of the United States - 1830

person; the number of male and female slavesby age categories; the number of foreigners(not naturalized) in a household; and thenumber of deaf, dumb, and blind personswithin a household.

Census losses: None for 1830, except somecountywide losses in Massachusetts, Mary-land, and Mississippi.


General Information: Missouri became a statein 1821, bringing the total number of states inthe 1830 census to twenty-four. Florida waspurchased from Spain in 1819, but treatyratification did not occur until 1821. Floridabecame a territory in 1822, and its first censustaken was in 1830. No other new territories wereadded to the U.S. before this census year.

Content: The 1830 census format includedthe name of a head of household; the numberof free white males and free white females inspecific age categories; the name of a slaveowner and number of slaves owned by that

Mal

esFe

mal

es

23 & over

D

eaf &

dum

b BlindAliens

0 - 13

14 - 24

36 thru 54 years

55 thru 99 years

100 years and over


24 thru 35 years

36 thru 54 years

55 thru 99 years

100 years and over

0 thru 4 years5 thru 9 years10 thru 14 years15 thru 19 years20 thru 29 years30 thru 39 years40 thru 49 years50 thru 59 years60 thru 69 years70 thru 79 years80 thru 89 years90 thru 99 years

100 years and over


24 thru 35 years

100 years and over


0 thru 4 years5 thru 9 years10 thru 14 years15 thru 19 years20 thru 29 years30 thru 39 years40 thru 49 years50 thru 59 years60 thru 69 years70 thru 79 years

1840

Fed

eral

Cen

sus

Rese

arch

er:

Dat

e:

Extr

acte

d fr

om

the

orig

inal

text

of t

he 1

840

Cen

sus

Sche

dul

es

NA

RA M

icro

film

Ser

ies

M70

4Ro

ll no

.:St

ate:

Co

unty

:To

wns

hip

:

Nam

e o

f

HEA

D O

F H

OU

SEH

OLD

Page

:

Mal

esM

ales

Fem

ales

Fem

ales

FREE

WH

ITE

PERS

ON

S -

incl

udin

g he

ads

of f

amili

esFR

EE C

OLO

RED TOTAL PERSONS

SLA

VES

Scho

ols

Etc

.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

No

. of P

erso

ns in

Eac

h Fa

mily

Em

plo

yed

in:

Whi

te

per

sons

who

are

:

Age

Nam

e

Revo

lutio

nary

War

/ M

ilita

ry P

ensi

one

rs

AF0106

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Min

ing

Agr

icul

ture

Co

mm

erce

Man

ufac

ture

san

d tr

ades

.N

avig

atio

n o

f the

oce

an

Nav

igat

ion

of

cana

ls, l

akes

,an

d ri

vers

Lear

ned

pro

fess

ions

an

d e

ngin

eers

Census Forms, 1790-1930 • 137

Sixth Census of the United States - 1840

Content: The 1840 census format includedthe name of a head of household; the numberof free white males and free white females inspecific age categories; the name of a slaveowner; the number of slaves owned by thatperson; the number of male and female slavesby age categories; the number of foreigners(not naturalized) in a household; the numberof deaf, dumb, and blind persons within ahousehold; the number and age of eachperson receiving a military pension; and thenumber of persons attending school.


General Information: Two new states wereincluded in the 1840 federal census:Arkansas, admitted in 1836; and Michigan in1837 bringing the total of states in the Unionto twenty-six. Florida Territory was enumer-ated, as were two new territories: WisconsinTerritory, carved out of the bounds ofMichigan Territory in 1836, including part ofthe area of present-day Minnesota; and IowaTerritory, created from the unorganizedterritory between the Mississippi and Mis-souri Rivers in 1838 and a northern area thatlater became Minnesota and Dakota Territo-ries. The “Indian Territory” was created in1828 from the western part of ArkansasTerritory, but no federal census was taken inthat area until 1860.

31

1850

Fed

eral

Cen

sus

Rese

arch

er:

Dat

e:

Extra

cted

from

the

orig

inal

text

of t

he 1

850

Cens

us S

ched

ules

NA

RA M

icro

film

Ser

ies

M43

2Ro

ll no

.:St

ate:

Coun

ty:

Tow

nshi

p:

Occ

upat

ion

Birth

pla

ceN

ame

of P

erso

n

Des

crip

tion

Page

Dwelling-house no.

Family no.

Age

Sex

Color

Value of real

estate owned

Married within year

Attended schoolCannot re

ad or write

92

45

67

810

1112

13

Whe

ther

dea

f and

dum

b, b

lind

,in

sane

, id

iotic

,p

aup

er, o

r con

vict

Census Forms, 1790-1930 • 139

Seventh Census of the United States - 1850

household. The census was taken with acensus day of 1 June 1850. The categoriesincluded the following for each person: name;age as of the census day; sex; color;birthplace; occupation; value of real estate;whether married within the previous year;whether deaf, dumb, blind, or insane; whethera pauper; whether able to read or speakEnglish; and whether the person attendedschool within the previous year. Norelationships were shown between membersof a household.

Microfilm: The National Archives andRecords Administration microfilm for the1850 census is contained on 1,009 rolls of35mm film, series M432, including freeschedules and slave schedules.

General Information: Between 1840 and1850, five new states were added to theUnion: Florida and Texas, both admitted in1845; Iowa in 1846; Wisconsin in 1848; andCalifornia in 1850 bringing the total to thirty-one states. In addition, four new territorieswere included: Oregon Territory, created in1848; Minnesota Territory in 1849; and NewMexico Territory and Utah Territory, bothcreated in 1850. No enumeration for the“Unorganized Territory” of the great plainswas included in the 1850 census. This arealater became all or part of the states of Nebraska,North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana,Wyoming, Colorado, Kansas, and Oklahoma.

Content: For the first time, the 1850 censusschedules listed the name of every person in a

31

1860

Fed

eral

Cen

sus

Rese

arch

er:

Dat

e:

Extra

cted

from

the

orig

inal

text

of t

he 1

860

Cens

us S

ched

ules

NA

RA M

icro

film

Ser

ies

M65

3Ro

ll no

.:St

ate:

Coun

ty:

Tow

nshi

p:

Occ

upat

ion

Whe

ther

dea

f and

dum

b, b

lind

,in

sane

, id

iotic

,p

aup

er, o

r con

vict

Birth

pla

ceN

ame

of P

erso

n

Des

crip

tion

Page

Dwelling-house no.

Family no.

Age

Sex

Color

Married within year


ad or write

102

45

67

811

1213

149

Realestate

Personal estate

Val

ue o

f Est

ate

Census Forms, 1790-1930 • 141

Eighth Census of the United States - 1860

Nebraska Territory and the state of Minnesotawas included in the 1860 census, enumerated as“Unorganized Dakota Territory.”

Content: The 1860 census schedules listedthe name of every person in a household witha census day of 1 June 1860. The categoriesincluded the following for each person: name;age as of the census day; sex; color;birthplace; occupation; value of real estate;value of personal estate; whether marriedwithin the previous year; whether deaf, dumb,blind, or insane; whether a pauper; whetherable to read or speak English; and whether theperson attended school within the previousyear. No relationships between members of ahousehold were given.

Microfilm: The National Archives andRecords Administration microfilm for the1860 census is contained on 1,438 rolls of35mm film, series M653, including freeschedules and slave schedules.

General Information: Between 1850 and1860, two new states were added to the Unionfor a total of thirty-three states: Minnesotawas admitted in 1858, and Oregon in 1859.The existing territories of New Mexico andUtah were included in the 1860 census aswere three new territories: WashingtonTerritory, created in 1853 from OregonTerritory; and Nebraska and Kansas Territo-ries, created from the “Unorganized Territory”in 1854. Washington Territory increased in sizein 1859 when Oregon became a state, adding thearea of present-day Idaho plus the portions ofpresent-day Montana and Wyoming lying westof the continental divide. The region matchingthe present bounds of Oklahoma wasunofficially called the “Indian Territory.” In1860, for the first time, a census was taken there,but only for non-Indians living in that region.The name lists for the non-Indians in the “IndianTerritory” were added to the end of theArkansas name lists. The remainder of the“Unorganized Territory” left by the creation of

3118

70 F

eder

al C

ensu

sRe

sear

cher

:D

ate:

Extra

cted

from

the

orig

inal

text

of t

he 1

870

Cens

us S

ched

ules

NA

RA M

icro

film

Ser

ies

M59

3Ro

ll no

.:St

ate:

Coun

ty:

Tow

nshi

p:

Birth

pla

ceN

ame

of P

erso

n

Des

crip

tion

Page

Dwelling-house no.

Age

Father of foreign birth

Male over 21

102

47

89

Val

ue o

f Est

ate

Value of real estate

Family no.

Sex

Color

Value of personal estate

Mother of foreign birth

If born within year

If marrie

d within year


ad Cannot write Whether deaf and dumb,

blind, insane, or id

iots Denied vote

56

1112

1314

1516

1718

1920

Occ

upat

ion

Census Forms, 1790-1930 • 143

Ninth Census of the United States - 1870Content: The 1870 census schedules listedthe name of every person in a household witha census day of 1 June 1870. The categoriesincluded the following for each person: name;age as of the census day; month of birth ifborn during the year; sex; color; birthplace;occupation; value of real estate; value ofpersonal estate; whether married within theprevious year; month of marriage if marriedwithin the previous year; whether deaf, dumb,blind, or insane; whether able to read or write;whether father or mother of foreign birth; andwhether the person attended school within theprevious year. No relationships betweenmembers of a household were shown.

Microfilm: The National Archives andRecords Administration microfilm for the1870 census is contained on 1,748 rolls of35mm film, mostly in series M593. SomeMinnesota schedules were filmed with seriesM593 on rolls 716-719. The entire Minnesotastate copy is on series T132, rolls 1-13.

General Information: Between 1860 and1870 — the decade of the Civil War — four newstates were added to the Union for a total ofthirty-seven states: Kansas became a state in1861, West Virginia in 1863, Nevada in 1864,and Nebraska in 1867. In addition, six newterritories were created: Dakota and ColoradoTerritories in 1861, Arizona and IdahoTerritories in 1863, Montana Territory in 1864,and Wyoming Territory in 1868. New MexicoTerritory was reduced to its present size with thecreation of Arizona and Colorado Territories, aswas Washington Territory with the creation ofIdaho, Wyoming, and Montana Territories.Kansas was reduced to its present size with thecreation of Colorado Territory, as was Nebraskawith the creation of Dakota Territories,Montana and Wyoming. Utah Territory wasreduced to its present size with the creation ofthe state of Nevada and Colorado Territory. The“Unorganized Territory,” unofficially called the“Indian Territory” was not enumerated for non-Indians in 1870.

Sex

Street

31

1880

Fed

eral

Cen

sus

Rese

arch

er:

Dat

e:

Extra

cted

from

the

orig

inal

text

of t

he 1

880

Cens

us S

ched

ules

NA

RA M

icro

film

Ser

ies

T9Ro

ll no

.:St

ate:

Coun

ty:

Tow

nshi

p:

Prof

essi

on o

r Tra

de

Nam

e of

Per

son

Pers

onal

Page

Color

24

78

House no.

Age

56

Dwelling no. Family no.

E.D

. In

citie

s

If born within year

Relationship to Head

SingleMarrie

dWidowed / D

iv.If m

arried within year

Civi

lCo

nditi

onO

ccup

atio

n

Months Unemployed

Hea

lthEd

ucat

ion

City

/ To

wn

Birth

pla

ce o

f

Pers

onFa

ther

Mot

her

Sickness / disability

BlindDeaf or dumb IdioticInsaneCrippled, etc.Attended schoolCannot re

ad Cannot write

910

1112

1314

1516

1718

1920

2324

2526

2221

Census Forms, 1790-1930 • 145

Tenth Census of the United States - 1880

of house; name of street and number of house;sex; color; birthplace; occupation; maritalstatus; whether married within the previousyear; whether temporarily or permanentlydisabled; whether crippled, maimed, ordeformed; time unemployed during thecensus year; whether deaf, dumb, blind, orinsane; whether able to read or write;birthplace of father and mother; and whetherthe person attended school within theprevious year.

Microfilm: The National Archives andRecords Administration microfilm for the1880 census is contained on 1,454 rolls of35mm film, series T9.

General Information: Only one new statewas admitted to the Union between 1870 and1880 (Colorado in 1876) bringing the total tothirty-eight states. Eight territories wereenumerated: Arizona, Dakota, Idaho, Mon-tana, New Mexico, Utah, Washington, andWyoming territories. Unorganized Alaskawas enumerated, but the “Indian Territory”was not enumerated for non-Indians.

Content: The 1880 census schedules listedthe name of every person in a household witha census day of 1 June 1880. The categoriesincluded the following for each person: nameand age as of the census day; month of birth ifborn during the year; relationship to the head

Sex

Street

31

1885

Cen

sus

(tak

en w

ith fe

der

al a

ssis

tanc

e)Co

lora

do,

Dak

ota

Terri

tory

, Flo

rida,

Neb

rask

a, o

r New

Mex

ico

Terri

tory

Rese

arch

er:

Dat

e:

Extra

cted

from

the

orig

inal

text

of t

he 1

885

Cens

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ched

ules

NA

RA M

icro

film

Ser

ies

Roll

no.:

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e:Co

unty

:To

wns

hip

:

Prof

essi

on o

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de

Nam

e of

Per

son

Pers

onal

Page

Color

24

78

House no.

Age

56

Dwelling no. Family no.

E.D

. In

citie

s

If born within year


SingleMarrie

dWidowed / D

iv.If m

arried within year

Civi

lCo

nditi

onO

ccup

atio

n

Months Unemployed

Hea

lthEd

ucat

ion

City

/ To

wn

Birth

pla

ce o

f

Pers

onFa

ther

Mot

her

Sickness / disability

BlindDeaf or dumb IdioticInsaneCrippled, etc.Attended schoolCannot re

ad Cannot write

910

1112

1314

1516

1718

1920

2122

2324

2526

Census Forms, 1790-1930 • 147

1885 Censuses Taken with Federal Assistance

Dakota portion. The surviving 1885 countiesfor present-day North Dakota are Allred,Bowman, Buford, Dunn, McIntosh,McKenzie, Mercer, Mountrail, Oliver,Renville, Stanton, Towner, Villard, Wallace,Ward, Wells, and Wynn. The surviving 1885counties of present-day South Dakota areBeadle, Butte, Charles Mix, Edmunds, FallRiver, Faulk, Hand, Hanson, Hutchinson,Hyde, Lake, Lincoln, Marshall, McPherson,Moody, Roberts, Sanborn, Spink, Stanley,and Turner. The South Dakota portion wasmicrofilmed by the National Archives asseries GR27 (3 rolls).

Florida: The Florida State Archivesreported having no state manuscript of the1885 census, just the microfilmed federalcopy (microfilm series M845, 14 rolls).Missing are Alachua, Clay, Columbia, andNassau counties.

Nebraska: 1885 federal copy was micro-filmed by the National Archives as seriesM352 (56 rolls). Missing are Blaine andChase counties.

New Mexico Territory: The federal copy ofthe New Mexico Territory 1885 census iscomplete for all counties and was micro-filmed by the National Archives as seriesM846 (6 rolls). The state copy, microfilmedby the University of New Mexico -Albuquerque, is missing Bernalillo, RioArriba, Santa Fe, and San Miguel counties.

General Information: Congress allowedany state or territory to take a census in 1885and have the federal government pay for partof the expense. Only five states or territoriestook up the government’s offer: Colorado,Dakota Territory, Florida, Nebraska, andNew Mexico Territory. The 1885 censusfollowed the same format as the 1880 censusschedules, except that the names usually givean initial letter instead of a first name for aperson. Those federal copies of the 1885census that have been microfilmed includePopulation Schedules (list of inhabitants),inter-filed with other schedules, such asAgricultural Schedules (lists of farmers andfarm products), Manufactures Schedules(lists of companies, description of businesses,etc.), and Mortality Schedules (lists ofpersons who died within the previous twelvemonths).

Census Losses and Microfilm:

Colorado: The state copy of the Colorado1885 census is located at the Colorado StateArchives. The federal copy is at the NationalArchives and was microfilmed as seriesM158 (8 rolls). The federal copy is missingFremont and Garfield counties, while thestate copy has Fremont but is missingGarfield and eighteen other counties.

Dakota Territory: The 1885 census survivesfor just 37 of the 132 counties that existed in1885, 17 in the present-day North Dakotaportion and 20 in the present-day South

31

1890

Vet

eran

s Sc

hedu

leRe

sear

cher

:D

ate:

Extra

cted

from

the

orig

inal

text

of t

he 1

890

spec

ial s

ched

ules

for s

urvi

ving

sol

die

rs, s

ailo

rs, m

arin

es, a

nd w

idow

s

NA

RA M

icro

film

Ser

ies

M12

3Ro

ll no

.:St

ate:

Coun

ty:

Sub

dis

trict

:

Rank

92

45

67

8

1011

12

Nam

e of

sur

vivi

ng s

old

iers

,sa

ilors

, mar

ines

, or w

idow

sN

ame

of R

egim

ent

or V

esse

l

Company

House no.

Family no.

Dat

e of

enl

istm

ent

Dat

e of

dis

char

geLe

ngth

of s

ervi

ce

day

sm

osyr

sye

arm

onth

day

year

day

mon

th

Rem

arks

Dis

abili

ty in

curre

dPo

st O

ffice

ad

dre

ss

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Census Forms, 1790-1930 • 149

Eleventh Census of the United States - 1890Union Veterans and Widows of Union Veterans

states’ Union Veterans’ schedules (alphabeti-cally from Alabama through Kansas) wereapparently lost in the fire, as were abouthalf of the names for Kentucky. Statelistings begin with the partial list forKentucky and are complete from Louisianathrough Wyoming.

Microfilm: The National Archives andRecords Administration microfilm for thefragments of the 1890 census is contained on3 rolls of 35mm film, series M407. An indexto the surviving names of the 1890 census wascompiled and microfilmed on 2 rolls of 16mmfilm, series M496.

The 1890 Special Schedules EnumeratingUnion Veterans and Widows of UnionVeterans of the Civil War were microfilmedon 118 rolls of 35mm film, series M123.

General Information: Over 99 percent of the1890 census was destroyed as a result of a firewhich took place in January 1921 inWashington, DC. A special census listing wasextracted from the 1890 population schedulesfor surviving Union soldiers, sailors, andmarines (or their widows), and a portion ofthat special census survives.

Content of 1890 Union Veterans Census:The schedules listed the name of each soldier,sailor, marine, or widow of a veteran in ahousehold; the veteran’s rank; company;regiment or vessel; dates of enlistment anddischarge; length of service in years, months,and days; post office address; nature ofdisability, if any; and remarks.

Census losses: Of the forty-nine states andterritories enumerated in 1890, sixteen of the

Occ

upat

ion

Mot

her

Fath

erPe

rson

No.

Farm / House

Age, last b

irthday


Street

31

1900

Fed

eral

Cen

sus

Rese

arch

er:

Dat

e:

Extra

cted

from

the

orig

inal

text

of t

he 1

900

Cens

us S

ched

ules

NA

RA M

icro

film

Ser

ies

T623

Roll

no.:

Stat

e:Co

unty

:Su

bd

istri

ct:

Nam

e of

Per

son

Pers

onal

Des

crip

tion

Page

E.D

.

27

8

Color or Race

56

City

/ To

wn:

War

d:

Educ

atio

n

Year of immigration

Months not employed

910

1112

1314

1516

1718

1920

2122

2324

2526

House no. Family no.

Sex

Month

Marital sta

tusYears m

arried

Children bornChildren living

Dat

e of

Birth

Birth

pla

ce o

f:

Citiz

ensh

ip

Number years in U.S.

Naturalization

Months at school

Can read Can writeCan sp

eak EnglishOwn / R

ent Free / M

ortgaged

427

28

Year

Census Forms, 1790-1930 • 151

Twelfth Census of the United States - 1900

birthplace; if female, number of children, andnumber of children still living in 1900;occupation; marital status, and if married,number of years; number of years in the U.S.;birthplace of father and mother; whetherparents were of foreign birth; whether able toread or write; whether a person could speakEnglish; and whether the person attendedschool within the previous year.

Microfilm: The National Archives andRecords Administration microfilm for the1900 census is contained on 1,854 rolls of35mm film, series T623. The original censusschedules, after microfilming in the early1940s, were destroyed.

General Information: Utah was added to theUnion in 1896 bringing the total number ofstates to forty-five. Oklahoma Territory,Arizona Territory, Hawaii Territory, “Unor-ganized (Indian) Territory,” New MexicoTerritory, and Alaska were also included.Hawaii was annexed to the U.S. in 1898 andbecame a territory in 1900. UnorganizedAlaska was enumerated, but did not become aterritory until 1912.

Content: The 1900 census schedules listedthe name of every person in a household andincluded the name of each person; relation-ship to the head of house; name of street andnumber of house; sex; color; the person’s age,plus the exact month and year of birth;

Can write

Deaf

Blind

Veteran

Sex

Occ

upat

ion

Age, last b

irthday


Street

31

1910

Fed

eral

Cen

sus

Rese

arch

er:

Dat

e:

Extra

cted

from

the

orig

inal

text

of t

he 1

910

Cens

us S

ched

ules

NA

RA M

icro

film

Ser

ies

T624

Roll

no.:

Stat

e:Co

unty

:Su

bd

istri

ct:

Nam

e of

Per

son

Pers

onal

Des

crip

tion

Page

E.D

.

27

85

6

City

/ To

wn:

War

d:

Educ

atio

n

Year of immigration

Out of work?

910

1112

1314

1516

1718

1920

2122

2324

2526

House no. Family no.

Color or RaceMarita

l status

Years marrie

dChildren bornChildren living

Birth

pla

ce o

f:

Trade of profession

Can read

427

28

Father

Mother

Naturalization Language spoken

Typ

e of

bus

ines

s

works on own account

employee, or

Employer,

Weeks out

Attended school

Owned / Rented

Free / M

ortgagedFarm / H

ouse Farm schedule no.

2930

3132

Person

Hom

e O

wne

rshi

p

Census Forms, 1790-1930 • 153

Thirteenth Census of the United States - 1910

language spoken; trade or profession, type ofbusiness, and whether an employee, em-ployer, or working on one’s own account;whether out of work, and if so, the numberweeks out; birthplace of father and mother;whether able to read or write; whether theperson attended school within the previousyear; whether a person own or rented a house;whether the house was mortgaged ormortgage free; whether a farm or a home;whether the person was a veteran; andwhether the person was blind or deaf.


General Information: Oklahoma was ad-mitted to the Union in 1907 bringing the totalnumber of states to forty-six. Arizona,Hawaii, and New Mexico Territories werealso enumerated. Unorganized Alaska wasenumerated, but did not become a territoryuntil 1912. Also included in the census wasthe U.S. possession of Puerto Rico.

Content: The 1910 census schedules listedthe name of every person in a household andincluded the name of a street and housenumber; the name and age of each person;relationship to the head of house; sex; color; iffemale, the number of children, and numberof children still living in 1910; marital status,and if married, number of years; year ofimmigration to the U.S.; whether a natural-ized citizen, alien, or papers pending;


Street address

3119

20 F

eder

al C

ensu

sRe

sear

cher

:D

ate:

Extra

cted

from

the

orig

inal

text

of t

he 1

920

Cens

us S

ched

ules

NA

RA M

icro

film

Ser

ies

T625

Roll

no.:

Stat

e:Co

unty

:Su

bd

istri

ct:

Nam

e of

Per

son

Pers

onal

Page

E.D

.

27

85

6

City

/ To

wn:

War

d:

Educ

atio

n

910

1112

1315

1617

1819

2021

2223

2425

264

2728

29

Occ

upat

ion

farm

Typ

e of

bus

ines

s

own account

works on

employee, or

Employer,

House no. Dwelling no. Family no.

Home owned or rented

Free / M

ortgagedSexColor or ra

ce Age, last b

irthday

Marital sta

tus Year of immigration

Naturalization Year naturalized

Citiz

ensh

ip

Attended school

Can read Can write

Nat

ivity

and

mot

her t

ongu

e

Pers

onFa

ther

Mot

her

Place of birth

Mother tonguePlace of birth

Mother tonguePlace of birth

Mother tongue Speaks English

? Trade of profession

14

Census Forms, 1790-1930 • 155

Fourteenth Census of the United States - 1920

pending; language spoken; trade or profes-sion, type of business, and whether anemployee, employer, or self employed;whether out of work, and if so, the number ofweeks out; birthplace of father and mother;whether able to read or write; whether theperson attended school during the previousyear; whether a person own or rented a house;whether the house was mortgaged ormortgage free; whether a farm or a home;whether the person was a veteran; andwhether the person was blind or deaf.


General Information: Arizona and NewMexico both became states in 1912 bringingthe total number of states to forty-eight.Hawaii Territory and Alaska Territory wereenumerated along with the U.S. possessionsof Guam, Midway, Canal Zone, Puerto Rico,American Samoa, the Virgin Islands, andWake Island.

Content: The 1920 census schedules listedthe name of every person in a household andincluded the name of a street and housenumber; the name, age, and birthplace of eachperson; relationship to the head of house; sex;color; if female, the number of children, andnumber of children still living in 1920;marital status, and if married, number ofyears; year of immigration to the U.S.;whether a naturalized citizen, alien, or papers

Age, last b

irthday

Shee

t no.

:

At work y

esterday?

Sex

1930

Fed

eral

Cen

sus

Rese

arch

er:

Dat

e:

Extra

cted

from

the

orig

inal

text

of t

he 1

930

Cens

us S

ched

ules

1516

1718

1920

21 A

BC22

2324

2526

D27

28

Attended school?

Mot

her

Roll

no.:

Stat

e:In

corp

orat

ed p

lace

:En

umer

atio

n d

istri

ct n

o.:

Coun

ty:

War

d o

f city

:Bl

ock

no.:

Sup

ervi

sor’s

dis

trict

no.

:

Tow

nshi

p, T

own,

Pre

cinc

t, et

c.:

Uni

ncor

por

ated

pla

ce:

Inst

itutio

n:En

umer

atio

n d

ate:

Pers

onal

des

crip

tion

Can read & write?Education

NA

RA M

icro

film

Ser

ies:

Fath

erPe

rson

Plac

e of

birt

h of

eac

hp

erso

n en

umer

ated

and

of h

is o

r her

par

ents

.

Year of immigration to U.S.

NaturalizationSpeaks E

nglish?

Language spoken in home

before coming to the U.S.

Trade or profession

or kind of w

ork Industry or business

Census offic

e code

Class of w

orkUnemploymt Sched. no.

Veteran? What war? Farm

Color or race

Marital conditio

n

Age, 1st marria

ge

2930

3132

No. of dwelling house in

order of enumeration

Relationship to head of house

Street, ave., ro

ad, etc.

31

Nam

e of

Per

son

Hom

ed

ata

27

56

910

1112

1314

4

House no. (in citie

s) Family no.

Plac

e of

Ab

ode

Nam

e

Each

per

son

who

se p

lace

of

abod

e on

Ap

ril 1

, 193

0, w

as in

this

fam

ily.

Home owned or rented Radio set Live on farm?

Value of home

or monthly payment

8

Occ

upat

ion

and

Ind

ustry

Census Forms, 1790-1930 • 157

Fifteenth Census of the United States - 1930

Ireland; Mother Tongue (or Native Lan-guage) of Foreign Birth: listing the languagespoken in the person’s home before coming tothe United States and codes to indicate themother tongue, country, and nativity;Citizenship, Etc.: listing the person’s year ofimmigration to the U.S., indicating whethernaturalized (Na), alien (Al), or first papersfiled (Pa), and whether able to speak English;Occupation and Industry: listing theperson’s trade or profession or particular kindof work; industry or business, and whether anemployer (E), wage or salary worker (W),working on own account (O), or an unpaidworker, as a member of the family (NP);Employment: listing whether the person wasactually at work 31 March 1930, and if not,the line number on the unemploymentschedule; Veterans: listing whether theperson was a veteran of U.S. military or navalforces, and codes to indicate a war in whichthe person served: World War (WW),Spanish-American War (Sp), Civil War(Civ), Philippine Insurrection (Phil), BoxerRebellion (Box), or Mexican Expedition(Mex); and finally, if the person lived on afarm, the number on the farm schedule.

Microfilm: Researchers are awaiting the2002 release of the 1930 census on microfilm.Microfilmed in the early 1940s, the quantityand quality of the film is unknown to thepublic yet. The original census schedules,after microfilming, were destroyed.

General Information: The National Ar-chives and Records Administration isexpected to release the population schedulesof the 1930 census to the public in the year2002. Forty-eight states were enumeratedalong with Hawaii Territory and AlaskaTerritory, plus the U.S. possessions of Guam,Midway, Canal Zone, Puerto Rico, AmericanSamoa, the Virgin Islands, and Wake Island.

Content: The 1930 population censusschedule has the categories of Place ofAbode: listing the street number, avenue, orroad, and family numbers in order ofvisitation; Name: listing the surname, firstname and middle initial of each person as of 1April 1930; Relation: listing the relationshipof each person to the homemaker (indicatedwith “H”); Home Data: listing whether thehome was owned or rented, the value of thehome or monthly rental, whether the homehad a radio set, and whether the family livedon a farm; Personal Description: listing theperson’s sex, color or race, coded to indicateWhite (W), Negro (Neg), Mexican (Mex),Indian (In), Chinese (Ch), or Japanese (Jp),age at last birthday, marital status, and theperson’s age at first marriage; Education:listing whether the person attended school orcollege any time since 1 September 1929;Place of birth: listing the place of birth(without abbreviating) of each personenumerated and of his or her parents,distinguishing Canada-French from Canada-English, and Irish Free State from Northern

1850 Slave ScheduleExtracted from the original text of the 1850 census slave schedules

Researcher: Date:

NARA Microfilm Pub. No. M432 Roll no.: State: County:

Page

City, Town, or Subdistrict Names of Slave Owners

Description

Deaf & dumb,blind, insane,or idiotic

No.

of S

lave

sA

ge

Sex

Colo

r

Fugi

tives

from

stat

eN

o. M

anum

itted

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Census Forms, 1790-1930 • 159

1850 U.S. Federal Census - Slave Schedule

and number deaf, dumb, blind, insane, oridiotic. Although the form did not providefor the names of the slaves, manyenumerators added the slave’s given nameon the schedules.

Microfilm: The National Archives andRecords Administration microfilm for the1850 slave schedules is included in seriesM593. The slave schedules follow the freeschedules for each of the 16 states and theDistrict of Columbia.

General Information: Slave schedules wereprepared for certain states as part of the 1850census: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware,District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia,Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi,Missouri, New Jersey, North Carolina, SouthCarolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia.

Content: The format listed the city, town, orsubdistrict; name of slave owner; number ofslaves; age, sex, and color; number offugitives from state; number manumitted;

1860 Slave ScheduleExtracted from the original text of the 1860 census slave schedules

Researcher: Date:

NARA Microfilm Pub. No. M653 Roll no.: State: County:

Page

City, Town, or Subdistrict Names of Slave Owners

Description

Deaf & dumb,blind, insane,or idiotic

No.

of S

lave

sA

ge

Sex

Colo

r

Fugi

tives

from

stat

eN

o. M

anum

itted

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

No. of slavehouses

Census Forms, 1790-1930 • 161

1860 U.S. Federal Census - Slave Schedule

and number of deaf, dumb, blind, insane, oridiotic; and number of slave houses.Although the form did not provide for thenames of the slaves, many enumerators addedthe slave’s given name on the schedules.

Microfilm: The National Archives andRecords Administration microfilm for the1860 slave schedules is included in seriesM653. The slave schedules follow the freeschedules for each of the 15 states and theDistrict of Columbia.

General Information: Slave schedules wereprepared for certain states as part of the 1860census: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware,District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia,Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi,Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina,Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia.

Content: The format listed the city, town, orsubdistrict; name of slave owner; number ofslaves; age, sex, and color; number offugitives from state; number manumitted;

Age

31

1850

Mor

talit

y Sc

hedu

leRe

sear

cher

:D

ate:

Extra

cted

from

the

orig

inal

text

of t

he 1

850

cens

us (

Mor

talit

y) s

ched

ules

NA

RA M

icro

film

Pub

. No.

:Ro

ll no

.:St

ate:

Coun

ty:

Sub

dis

trict

:

Birth

pla

ce

Page

27

85

69

1011

4

Sex

Color

Free or Slave

Married or W

idowed

Occ

upat

ion

Mon

thof

Dea

thD

isea

se o

rCa

use

of D

eath

No.

of

day

s ill

Nam

e of

eac

h p

erso

n w

ho d

ied

dur

ing

the

year

end

ing

June

1, 1

850

NA

ME

OF

DEC

EASE

D

Census Forms, 1790-1930 • 163

1850 U.S. Federal Census - Mortality Schedule

Content: The schedule listed the name of adeceased person who died during the yearending 1 June 1850, the person’s age, sex,color, whether free or slave, whethermarried or widowed, birthplace, month ofdeath, occupation, disease or cause ofdeath, and the number of days the personwas ill prior to the death.

General Information: Mortality scheduleswere prepared for all states and territories inthe U.S., taken from the 1850 populationschedules. For all states, the name of anyperson who died within the previous year wasgiven, along with information about thedeath. See the “Non-Population CensusSchedules” section for a state-by-state listingshowing the repositories holding original ormicrofilm copies of mortality schedules.

Age

31

1860

Mor

talit

y Sc

hedu

leRe

sear

cher

:D

ate:

Extra

cted

from

the

orig

inal

text

of t

he 1

860

cens

us (

Mor

talit

y) s

ched

ules

NA

RA M

icro

film

Pub

. No.

:Ro

ll no

.:St

ate:

Coun

ty:

Sub

dis

trict

:

Birth

pla

ce

Page

27

85

69

1011

4

Sex

Color

Free or Slave

Married or W

idowed

Occ

upat

ion

Mon

thof

Dea

thD

isea

se o

rCa

use

of D

eath

No.

of

day

s ill

Nam

e of

eac

h p

erso

n w

ho d

ied

dur

ing

the

year

end

ing

June

1, 1

860

NA

ME

OF

DEC

EASE

D

Census Forms, 1790-1930 • 165


Content: The schedule listed the name of adeceased person who died during the yearending 1 June 1860, the person’s age, sex,color, whether free or slave, whethermarried or widowed, birthplace, month ofdeath, occupation, disease or cause ofdeath, and the number of days the personwas ill prior to the death.


Age, last b

irthday

31

1870

Mor

talit

y Sc

hedu

leRe

sear

cher

:D

ate:

Extra

cted

from

the

orig

inal

text

of t

he 1

870

cens

us (

Mor

talit

y) s

ched

ules

NA

RA M

icro

film

Pub

. No.

:Ro

ll no

.:St

ate:

Coun

ty:

Sub

dis

trict

:

Birth

pla

ce

Page

27

85

69

124

Occ

upat

ion

Mon

thof

Dea

thD

isea

se o

rCa

use

of D

eath

Nam

e of

eac

h p

erso

n w

ho d

ied

dur

ing

the

year

end

ing

June

1, 1

870

NA

ME

OF

DEC

EASE

D

Sex

Color

Married or w

idowed

Father foreign born

Mother foreign born

Fam

ily n

o.(f

rom

187

0p

opul

atio

nsc

hed

ule)

1011

Census Forms, 1790-1930 • 167


Content: The schedule listed the familynumber from the population schedules, thename of a deceased person who died duringthe year ending 1 June 1870, the person’s ageat last birthday, sex, color, whether married orwidowed, birthplace, whether father wasforeign born, whether mother was foreignborn, month of death, occupation, and thedisease or cause of death.


31

1880

Mor

talit

y Sc

hedu

leRe

sear

cher

:D

ate:

Extra

cted

from

the

orig

inal

text

of t

he 1

880

cens

us (

Mor

talit

y) s

ched

ules

NA

RA M

icro

film

Pub

. No.

:Ro

ll no

.:St

ate:

Coun

ty:

Sub

dis

trict

:

Birth

pla

ce o

f:

Page

E.D

.

27

85

69

174

Occ

upat

ion

Dis

ease

or

caus

e of

dea

thN

ame

of e

ach

per

son

who

die

d d

urin

gth

e ye

ar e

ndin

g M

ay 3

1, 1

880

NA

ME

OF

DEC

EASE

D

Age

Fam

ily n

o.(f

rom

188

0p

opul

atio

nsc

hed

ules

)

1011

Sex

Color

Single

Married

Widowed / divorced

Pers

onal

Des

crip

tion

Mar

ital

Stat

us Pers

onFa

ther

Mot

her

Nam

e of

atte

ndin

gp

hysi

cian

Month of death

Months in county Plac

e disease contracted

1213

1415

16

Census Forms, 1790-1930 • 169


Content: The schedule listed the familynumber from the population schedules, thename of a deceased person who died duringthe year ending 1 June 1880, the person’s ageat last birthday, sex, color, whether married orwidowed, birthplace, whether father wasforeign born, whether mother was foreignborn, month of death, occupation, and thedisease or cause of death.


1880

Sou

ndex

Rese

arch

er:

Dat

e:

Extra

cted

from

the

orig

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Census Forms, 1790-1930 • 171

1880 U.S. Federal Census - Soundex Index

to the original census schedules—which werebound into large books—indicated a state,county, volume, enumeration district, page,and line from which the family names wereextracted. Each head of household’s surnamewas given a Soundex code, and the cards werethen arranged in alphabetical order by theSoundex code number and after that by thefirst name of the head of the household. Afterthe 1880 census and 1880 Soundex cardswere microfilmed in the 1940s, the need forknowing the volume was eliminated, sincethe census schedules were microfilmed innumerical order by Enumeration District.Therefore, the pertinent information one needsfrom the 1880 Soundex Index are the state,county, E.D. number, and page number to find afamily in the census schedules.

Microfilm: The National Archives andRecords Administration microfilm for the 1880Soundex Index is contained on 2,367 rolls of16mm film. Each state has a separate microfilmseries, beginning with Alabama (T734) throughWyoming and Institutions (T780).

General Information: Soon after thecreation of the Social Security Administra-tion in 1935, clerical workers from the WorksProgress Administration (WPA) were calledupon to create an index to the 1880 census. Aspecial system of coding names was created,called “Soundex.” 3" x 5" cards wereprepared for each household which includedchildren ten years old or younger. Familieswith children older than ten were not indexed,nor were persons living alone, or anyhousehold with no children. A person shownas 0-10 years old in the 1880 census wouldhave been born after 31 May 1870 and before1 June 1880. The same person in 1935 wouldhave been 55 to 65 years old. The WPASoundex index was prepared for confirming aperson’s age after he or she had applied forSocial Security benefits, beginning in 1935.The information on the Soundex index cardswas extracted from the full census schedulesand included the full name, age, andbirthplace for a head of household, andincluded any other person living in thehousehold, regardless of their age. A citation

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Census Forms, 1790-1930 • 173


code number and after that by the first nameof the head of the household. After the 1900census and 1900 Soundex cards weremicrofilmed in the 1940s, the need forknowing the volume was eliminated, sincethe census schedules were microfilmed innumerical order by Enumeration District.Therefore, the pertinent information oneneeds from the 1900 Soundex Index is thestate, county, E.D. number, and page numberto find a family in the census schedules.

Microfilm: The National Archives andRecords Administration microfilm for the1900 Soundex Index is contained on 7,846rolls of 16mm film. Each state has a separatemicrofilm series, beginning with Alabama(T1030) through Wyoming (T1080), plusU.S. Military and Naval (T1081), IndianTerritory (T1082), and U.S. Institutionsand U.S. military and naval facilitiesworldwide (T1083).

Clerical workers from the Works ProgressAdministration (WPA) were called upon tocreate a comprehensive index to the 1900census. Unlike the 1880 Soundex Index, the1900 index was completed for everyhousehold in America. The information onthe Soundex index cards was extracted fromthe full census schedules and included the fullname, age, and birthplace for a head ofhousehold and included any other personliving in the household with the person’srelationship to the head of household. Personsin a household with a different surname thanthe head of household were given anotherseparate card and included in Soundex codesequence. A citation to the original censusschedules—which were bound into largebooks—indicated a state, county, volume,enumeration district, page, and line fromwhich the family names were extracted. Eachhead of household’s surname was given aSoundex code, and the cards were thenarranged in alphabetical order by the Soundex

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Census Forms, 1790-1930 • 175

1910 U.S. Federal Census - Soundex/Miracode Index

order the enumerator followed door-to-door. In both systems, each head ofhousehold’s surname was given a Soundexcode, and the cards were then arranged inalphabetical order by the Soundex codenumber, and after that by the first name ofthe head of the household.

1910 Soundex states: Alabama, Georgia,Louisiana (except Shreveport and NewOrleans), Mississippi, South Carolina,Tennessee, and Texas.

1910 Miracode states: Arkansas, Califor-nia, Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky,Louisiana (Shreveport and New Orleansonly), Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina,Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Virginia,and West Virginia.

Microfilm: The National Archives andRecords Administration microfilm for the1910 Soundex/Miracode Index is containedon 7,846 rolls of 16mm film. Each state has aseparate microfilm series, beginning withAlabama (T1030) through Wyoming (T1080),plus U.S. Military and Naval (T1081),Indian Territory (T1082), and U.S. Institu-tions, and military and naval facilitiesworldwide (T1083).

The 1910 Soundex/Miracode Index wascompleted for twenty-one states only. Thiswas the only census index prepared (in 1962)by the Age Search Group of the Bureau of theCensus. For the fifteen states indexed usingthe Miracode system, it was the first censusindex in which electronic computers wereemployed. The original input data forms wereentered on IBM punch cards and were notpreserved. Only the computer printout datasurvives and was later microfilmed for publicuse. Each head of household and familymembers taken from the computer printoutswere printed on a 1" x 4" strip of paper andlater microfilmed in alphabetical order bySoundex code. Six more states were indexedusing the Soundex system, on handwrittencards similar to other census indexes. Theonly difference between the two systems wasin the citation to the page on the originalcensus schedules. For each indexed head ofhousehold, the Soundex index cards cite thestate, county, enumeration district, pagenumber (within an E.D), and a line number;while the Miracode index cites the state,county, enumeration district, visitationnumber (within an E.D.), and line number.The visitation number indicates the order inwhich the families were visited by the censusenumerator, numbered in the particular

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Census Forms, 1790-1930 • 177


census and 1920 Soundex cards weremicrofilmed in the 1940s, the need forknowing the volume was eliminated, sincethe census schedules were microfilmed innumerical order by enumeration district.Therefore, the pertinent information oneneeds from the 1920 Soundex Index is thestate, county, E.D. number, and page numberto find a family in the census schedules.

Microfilm: The National Archives andRecords Administration microfilm for the1920 Soundex Index is contained on 8,586rolls of 16mm film. Each state has a separatemicrofilm series, beginning with Alabama(M1548) through Wyoming (M1596), plusAlaska (M1597), through Hawaii, CanalZone, Military-Naval, Puerto Rico, Guam,American Samoa, Virgin Islands, andInstitutions (M1605).

The 1920 Soundex Index was completed forevery household in America. The informationon the Soundex index cards was extractedfrom the full census schedules and includedthe full name, age, and birthplace for a head ofhousehold and included any other personliving in the household, with the person’srelationship to the head of household. Personsin a household with a different surname thanthe head of household were given anotherseparate card and included in Soundex codesequence. A citation to the original censusschedules—which were bound into largebooks—indicated a state, county, volume,enumeration district, page, and line fromwhich the family names were extracted. Eachhead of household’s surname was given aSoundex code, and the cards were thenarranged in alphabetical order by the Soundexcode number and after that by the first nameof the head of the household. After the 1920

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Census Forms, 1790-1930 • 179


Soundex code sequence. A citation to theoriginal census schedules—which werebound into large books—indicated a state,county, volume, enumeration district, page,and line from which the family names wereextracted. Each head of household’s surnamewas given a Soundex code, and the cards werethen arranged in alphabetical order by theSoundex code number and after that by thefirst name of the head of the household.

Microfilm: The National Archives andRecords Administration microfilm for the1930 Soundex Index is scheduled for releaseto the public in the year 2002.

The 1930 Soundex index was completed forthe states of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida,Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Caro-lina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Vir-ginia, plus seven counties in Kentucky andseven more in West Virginia. The informa-tion on the Soundex index cards wasextracted from the full census schedules andincluded the full name, age, and birthplace fora head of household and included any otherperson living in the household, with theperson’s relationship to the head of house-hold. Persons in a household with a differentsurname than the head of household weregiven another separate card and included in

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Census Forms, 1790-1930 • 181

1790-1840 U.S. Census Worksheet

The heads of household censuses can becompared on this sheet. The top of the formhas a place to identify the names of the headsof household for each of the years beingcompared. Within the boxes for the agecategories for each census year, indicate thenumber of males and females. By lining upthe census years on a background time-line,the age brackets overlap and a shorter rangeof years for a person’s year of birth should beevident if two or more censuses arecompared. A line drawn vertically on theform will indicate a particular age year for aperson common to all of the census years,1790-1840.

Note the difference in the census day for eachcensus. The census day was the day for which

all statistics were gathered, regardless of howlong after that day it took the censusenumerator to visit a particular house. From1790 through 1820, the census day was thefirst Monday in August. Beginning in 1830,the census day was the first day of June. Bycomparing families appearing in 1830 andearlier censuses, this means that thereporting date has about a 60-day differ-ence. For example, a child born between 7June 1820 and 7 August 1820 will appear inthe “0-9” age category in the 1820 census,and will appear in the “5-9” age category inthe 1830 census, because, due to the latercensus day in the 1830 census, the child hadnot turned ten years old yet. This formallows this type of anomaly in censuses tobe presented graphically.

State County Town or DistrictSeries Roll No. Page Dwelling No. Family No.

Year

Name

Census Comparison Sheet Researcher:

Age Sex Occupation Birthplace Other Information


Year

Name Age Sex Occupation Birthplace Other Information


Year

Name Age Sex Occupation Birthplace Other Information

Census Forms, 1790-1930 • 183

1850-1930 U.S. Census Comparison Sheet

dates of birth, places of birth, and otherfacts. The census years compared do nothave to be in sequence, and, up to threeyears, can be displayed.

This form can be used to identify a familyappearing in more than one census year. Byplacing them together on one sheet, it willbe possible to see a better picture of the

census forms, 1790-1930 - scott smith

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