Lesson VI
Census Records

Suggested Reading

• U.S. National Archives and Records Administration. Clues in Census Records, 1790-1840
  Description of some of the clues found in early census records that will help you find other records about the same individual. Adapted from an article by Claire Prechtel-Kluskens in the May 1998 issue of the NARA publication The Record.
• U.S. National Archives and Records Administration. Clues in Census Records, 1850-1920
  Description of some of the clues found in later census records that will help you find other records about the same individual. Adapted from an article by Claire Prechtel-Kluskens in the January 1998 issue of the NARA publication The Record.

Finding Aids

• U.S. Bureau of the Census. Age Search Service
  Instructions for obtaining information from closed census records (1930 to the present).
• U.S. National Archives and Records Administration. How to Use NARA's Census Microfilm Catalogs
  Instructions for using National Archives catalogs of microfilmed census records and Soundex indexes
• U.S. National Archives and Records Administration. National Archives Microfilm Rental Program
  Instructions for borrowing census microfilm directly or through a library.
• U.S. National Archives and Records Administration. 1790-1890 Federal Population Censuses
  Online version of the National Archives microfilm catalog for the federal population censuses from 1790 through 1880, the special 1890 census of Union veterans and widows, and the 1880 Soundex.
• U.S. National Archives and Records Administration. 1900 Federal Population Census
  Online version of the National Archives microfilm catalog for the 1900 population census and Soundex.
• U.S. National Archives and Records Administration. 1910 Federal Population Census
  Online version of the National Archives microfilm catalog for the 1910 population census and Soundex.
• U.S. National Archives and Records Administration. 1920 Federal Population Census
  Online version of the National Archives microfilm catalog for the 1920 population census and Soundex.
• U.S. National Archives and Records Administration. 1930 Federal Population Census
  Preview of the 1930 federal population census, which will become available on 1 April 2002.
• U.S. National Archives and Records Administration. The Soundex Indexing System
  Instructions for using the Soundex indexing system.
• U.S. National Archives and Records Administration. The Soundex Machine
  National Archives site that converts surnames to Soundex codes.

Digital Images

The following links show you examples of the U.S. population census schedules used from 1830 through 1920, with the exception of 1890. These images are taken from the USGenWeb Census Project.

• 1830 U.S. Census, Missouri, Howard Co., p. 139a and p. 139b
• 1840 U.S. Census, Missouri, Howard Co., Richmond Twp., p. 6a and p. 6b
• 1850 U.S. Census, free population schedule, Missouri, Howard Co., p. 120a
• 1860 U.S. Census, free population schedule, Missouri, Howard Co., Franklin Twp., p. 287
• 1870 U.S. Census, population schedule, Missouri, Howard Co., Bonne Femme Twp., Fayette P.O., p. 237a
• 1880 U.S. Census, population schedule, Missouri, Howard Co., Moniteau Twp., E.D. 90, p.4
• 1900 U.S. Census, population schedule, Missouri, Howard Co., Bonne Femme Twp., E.D. 59, sheet 2A
• 1910 U.S. Census, population schedule, Missouri, Howard Co., Bonne Femme Twp., E.D. 74, sheet 2A
• 1920 U.S. Census, population schedule, Missouri, Howard Co., Moniteau Twp., E.D. 97, sheet 3A