Using Census Records for Genealogical Research

More of this Feature • Pt 1: 1790 - 1870 • Pt 2: 1880 - 1920 • Pt 4: Special Schedules • Pt 5: Census 'Gotchas' • Pt 6: Census Substitutes • Pt 7: Bibliography    Special Chat! Curt B. Witcher, president of the National Genealogical Society and Head of the Allen County, IN Public Library's Historic Genealogy Department, was a guest in our chat room on March 7, 2001 to answer questions about Using Census Records for Family History. This special lecture iwas a part of an ongoing series sponsored by the U.S. National Genealogical Society. Read the Transcript!     Related Resources • Census Around the World • Common Soundex Mistakes • U.S. Census Online    Elsewhere on the Web • National Genealogical Society • Allen County Public Library Genealogy Dept.

Indexes to the U.S. Census can be found in a variety of locations:  

·    Books  

        ü State-wide

        ü County-wide

        ü Ethnic/Surname

• If the name contains more letters than needed, drop the ending letters.
  
  
• If there are not enough consonants in the name to form the code, add zeroes to complete it.
  
  
• It is important to note that when two letters of the same value are together, not separated by a vowel, the second letter is ignored.
  
  
• All surnames within that code will be in order by first name/given name of the head of household.
  
  
• It is possible to differentiate between people of the same name by studying the other identifying data on the soundex card: names and ages of other members of the household, birthplaces, and county of residence.
  
  
• Persons with a surname differing from that of the head of house will usually be listed separately in the soundex.
  
  
• The 1880 soundex lists only heads of households with children 10 (ten) years of age and younger, although everyone is listed on the census itself.
  
  
• The 1900 census is completely soundexed, listing all heads of households and those persons living in a household with a surname different from that of the head of household.
  
  
• Some states in the 1910 census are indexed by soundex, and other states are indexed by miracode. Miracode is a slightly different form of soundex though the coding process is the same. Some states are not indexed at all.
  
  
• The twenty-one (21) states soundexed or miracoded for the 1910 census are: AL AR CA FL GA IL KS KY LA MI MS MO NC OH OK PA SC TN TX VA WV

Sources for Un-indexed Census Schedules

1. The Cross Index to Selected City Streets and Enumeration Districts, 1910 -- Microfiche which identifies which street names and house numbers belong to a particular enumeration district. This source is available for larger cities only. For this source and the next, it is necessary to know the address of the person being sought. This data may be obtained from city directories and/or other family data. 
   
   
2. The Census Enumeration District Descriptors -- Microfilm which describes specific areas covered in each enumeration district. An older street map is helpful in using this source. 
   
   
3. City Directories -- These publications can assist one in determining a particular township or ward when attempting to find a potential ancestor who was a city-dweller in an un-indexed census year.