U.S. FEDERAL CENSUS RECORDS
An Invaluable Tool
Instructor: Connie Bailey
Colonial, territorial, and statue census records
Census, 1790 – 1850
· History and changes in early census taking
· Penmanship, obsolete names, etc.
Census, 1850 – 1930
· Spelling, etc.
· Maps of population growth and boundary changes
· Changes in census office and system, improvements
· The worst census
· Importance of historical and geographic information
Schedule of Colonial, Territorial, and State Census Records
Note: These are not available at the National Archives but are available through the LDS Church, State Archives, and in books.
Alabama 1801 1808 1810 1818 1820 1821 1823 1832 1838 1840 1844 1850 1855 1866 1875
Alaska 1870 1876 1878 1880 1881 1885 1887 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1904 1905 1906 1907
Arizona 1790 1796 1864 1866 1867 1869
Arkansas 1823 1829 1854
California 1790 1798 1836 1852 1855 1865 1875 1885 1895 1897 1905 1915 1925 1935
Colorado 1861 1866 1885
Connecticut 1636 1756 1762 1774 1798
Delaware 1776 1798
D.C. 1798 1803 1807 1818 1867 1878 1885 1888 1897 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1912 1913 1915 1919
Florida 1790 1825 1837 1845 1855 1865 1875 1885 1895 1905 1915 1925 1935 1945 1955
Georgia 1738 1740 1750 1753 1756 1810 1817 1824 1829 1831 1838 1845 1852 1859
Idaho 1863
Illinois 1787 1793 1810 1818 1820 1825 1830 1835 1840 1845 1855 1865
Indiana 1801 1815 1820 1825 1830 1835 1840 1845 1850 1865 1871 1877 1883 1889 1895 1901 1907 1914 1921
Iowa 1836 1838 1840 1844 1846 1847 1849 1851 1852 1854 1856 1859 1862 1863 1865 1867 1869 1873 1875 1885 1895 1905 1915 1925
Kansas 1855 1859 1865 1875 1885 1895 1905 1915 1925
Kentucky 1792 1798 1799 1803 1807 1811 1815 1819 1823 1827 1831 1835 1839 1843 1847 1851 1859 1867 1875 1883 1891 1899
Louisiana 1790 1805 1806 1811 1813 1817 1821 1825 1829 1833 1837 1841 1845 1853 1858
Maine 1798 1837
Maryland 1701 1704 1708 1710 1712 1755 1762 1776 1778
Massachusetts 1754 1764 1783 1785/6 1793 1798 1837 1840 1850 1855 1860 1865 1870 1875 1885 1895 1905 1915 1925 1935 1945
Michigan 1799 1806 1827 1834 1837 1845 1854 1864 1874 1884 1894 1904 1935
Minnesota 1830 1849 1857 1865 1875 1885 1895 1905
Mississippi 1774 1788 1789 1792 1801 1805 1808 1810 1816 1820 1822 1823 1824 1825 1830 1837 1840/1 1845 1850/3 1866 1880
Missouri 1789 1790 1796 1803 1814 1817 1821 1824 1828 1832 1836 1840 1844 1848 1852 1856 1860 1864 1868 1876
Montana 1864
Nebraska 1854 1855 1856 1861 1874 1875 1876 1877 1878 1879 1882 1883 1884 1885
Nevada 1861 1863 1865 1867 1875
New Hampshire 1767 1773 1774 1775 1786 1798
New Jersey 1726 1737 1738 1745 1772 1798 1855 1875 1885 1895 1905 1915
New Mexico 1790 1823 1845 1864 1865 1885 1895 1905 1915
New York 1698 1703 1712 1714 1723 1731 1737 1746 1749 1756 1771 1795 1798 1801 1804 1807 1814 1821 1825 1835 1845 1855 1865 1875 1880 1885 1892 1895 1905 1915 1925
North Carolina 1784 1785 1786 1787 1798
North Dakota 1885 1895 1905 1915 1925
Ohio 1790 1801 1802 1807 1811 1815 1819 1823 1827 1831 1835 1839 1843 1847 1851 1855 1859 1863 1867 1871 1875 1879 1883 1887 1891 1895 1899 1903 1907 1911 1915
Oklahoma 1860 1890 1896 1907
Oregon 1845 1849 1851 1852 1856 1857 1865 1875 1895 1905
Pennsylvania 1776 1798
Rhode Island 1708 1730 1745 1749 1755 1774 1782 1798 1865 1875 1885 1895 1905 1915 1925 1935
South Carolina 1798 1868 1875
South Dakota 1885 1895 1905 1915 1925 1935 1945
Tennessee 1798
Texas 1790 1815 1829 1836 1847 1848 1858
Utah 1851 1856 1895
Vermont 1765 1771 1798
Virginia 1623 1624 1625 1634 1699 1701 1703 1779 1798
Washington 1871 1883 1885 1889 1892
West Virginia Part of Virginia until 1863
Wisconsin 1830 1836 1838 1842 1846 1847 1855 1865 1875 1885 1895 1905
Wyoming 1905 1915 1925
Types of Census Schedules
Population / ● / √ / √ / √ / √ / √ / √ / √ / √ / ● / √ / √ / √ / √
Mortality / ● / ● / ● / ●
Veterans / √ / ●
Agriculture / ● / ● / ● / ● / ● / ● / ● / ●
Manufacture / ● / ● / ● / ● / ● / ● / ●
Slave / √ / √
Social Statistics / ● / ● / ● / ●
Legend: √ The schedule exists and is available
● Some parts are missing or destroyed
U.S. Census Contents
For the Years 1790 to 1840
Detail / 1790 / 1800 / 1810 / 1820 / 1830 / 1840Name of Family Head / √ / √ / √ / √ / √ / √
Males
Under 16 / All / Under 10, 10 to 16 / Under 5, 5 – 10, 10 - 15
Males
16 and Older / All / 16 – 26, 26 – 45, 45 and Older
(1820 had 16 – 18) / 15 – 20, then 10-year groups, ages 20 – 99
Females
Under 16 / All / Under 10, 10 to 16 / Under 5, 5 – 10, 10 - 15
Females
16 and Older / All / 16 – 26, 26 – 45, 45 and Older / 15 – 20, then 10-year groups, ages 20 – 99
All other persons / √ / √ / √ / √ / √ / √
Slaves / √ / √ / √ / √ / √ / √
Foreigners not naturalized / √ / √ / √
U.S. Census Contents for the Years 1850 to 1920
Name of each person / √ / √ / √ / √ / √ / √ / √ / √
Dwelling #, family #, Enumeration District / √ / √ / √ / √ / √ / √ / √ / √
Post Office address / √ / √ / √ / √ / √ / √ / √
Street address (in city) / √ / √ / √ / √ / √
Age at last birthday / √ / √ / √ / √ / √ / √ / √ / √
Gender and race / √ / √ / √ / √ / √ / √ / √ / √
Marital Status / √ / √ / √ / √ / √
Relationship to Head / √ / √ / √ / √ / √
Occupation / √ / √ / √ / √ / √ / √ / √ / √
Real Property $ / √ / √ / √ / √
Personal Property $ / √ / √
Place of birth / √ / √ / √ / √ / √ / √ / √ / √
Place of parents birth / √ / √ / √ / √ / √
Length of time in U.S. / √ / √ / √ / √
If farm/home owned/rented / √ / √ / √ / √
Number of years married / √ / √ / √
If speaks English / √ / √ / √ / √
Children born / √ / √
If married within year / √ / √ / √ / √
If in school / √ / √ / √ / √ / √ / √ / √ / √
If cannot read or write / √ / √ / √ / √ / √ / √ / √ / √
If deaf, blind, idiotic / √ / √ / √ / √ / √
Month of birth if within 1 year / √ / √
If parents were foreign birth / √
Time employed within year / √ / √ / √