Census

• Census records are among the most rich and rewarding family history records available. Depending on which census your ancestor is in, you can learn where he or she lived at a particular place or time, learn his or her place of birth, and what he or she did for a living, among many other bits of valuable information. With the advent of scanning and indexing technology, census records are now available online, making this incredible resource available to more people than ever.

Census History

• The first U.S. Federal Census was taken by Constitutional mandate in 1790, and was to take place every ten years. The purpose of the census was to determine the representation of each state in the House of Representatives. However, data from recent censuses are not available after 1940 because of a 72-year restriction on access to the Census.

1790 – 1840 Census

• 1790 – Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina ,Vermont

• 1800 – Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York , North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Vermont, Delaware, Georgia, Kentucky, New Jersey, Tennessee, Virginia

• 1810 – Connecticut, Delaware, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Vermont, Virginia1820 – Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia

1820 – Alabama, Delaware , District of Columbia , Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia

White Inhabitants, Slave Inhabitants. Free Colored Inhabitants 

1830 – Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland* (Some counties missing), Massachusetts* (Some counties missing), Mississippi* (Some counties missing), Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont

White Inhabitants, Slave Inhabitants, Free Colored Inhabitants, Categories for deaf, dumb, and blind

1840 – Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana ,Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York

North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Vermont Territories – Florida, Iowa, Oregon, Wisconsin

White Inhabitants, Slave Inhabitants, Free Colored Inhabitant, Name of pensioners for Revolutionary or military services, Number of persons employed in each of six classes of industry and one of occupation, Number in school, Number in family over 20 who cannot read & write

1850 and 1860 Census

• Names of every person in the household.• Name; age as of the census day; sex; color; birthplace;

occupation of males over age fifteen; value of real estate; whether married within the previous year; whether deaf-mute, blind, insane, or "idiotic"; whether able to read or write for individuals over age twenty; and whether the person attended school within the previous year.

• No relationships were shown between members of a household

1870 Census

• Added from the 1850 and 1860 census• Age at last birthday (children under one, months of age were to be stated)• Profession• Occupation or trade of every adult in household• Whether mother and father were of foreign birth• Who could not read and write (whole household)

1880 Census

• The 1880 census was the first to identify an individual’s relation to the head of household. In addition, the 1880 census was the first to identify the state, county, and other subdivisions; the name of the street and house number for urban households; illness or disability at the time the census was taken; marital status; number of months unemployed during the year; and the state or country of birth of every individual’s father and mother.

1900 Census

• Names of every person in the household. Enumerators were asked to include the following categories in the census: name; address; relationship to the head of household; color or race; sex; month and year of birth; age at last birthday; marital status; number of years married; the total number of children born of the mother; the number of those children living; places of birth of each individual and the parents of each individual; if the individual was foreign born, the year of immigration and the number of years in the United States; the citizenship status of foreign-born individuals over age twenty-one; occupation; whether the person could read, write, and speak English; whether the home was owned or rented; whether the home was on a farm; and whether the home was mortgaged.

1910 – 1940 Census

•See Handout

Information about Census

• 1880 and 1940 Census are free on Ancestry• Census Records except images for the 1880 and 1930 on

Familysearch.org• Black Forms are available on Ancestry• Websites: http://www.myfreecensus.com/

UK Census Collection

• England, Scotland, Wales, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, covering every decade from 1841 to 1911

• Census are very similar to the US, black forms are also on Ancestry.com

• Can’t find any free U.K. Census online, however you can view UK census at Familysearch.org family center’s.

• Website: http://www.myfreecensus.com/• (also other Country's too)

1890 Veterans Schedules

• The 1890 veterans schedules provided spaces for the following information: names of surviving soldiers, sailors, and marines, and widows; rank; name of regiment or vessel; date of enlistment; date of discharge, length of service; post office address; disability incurred; and remarks.

• Blank Forms are available on Ancestry.com

1850 and 1860 Census - Slave Schedules

• Slaves were enumerated separately during the 1850 and 1860 censuses, though, unfortunately, most schedules do not provide personal names. In most cases, individuals were not named but were simply numbered and can be distinguished only by age, sex, and color; the names of owners are recorded. However, some enumerators listed the given names of slaves, particularly those over one hundred years of age. These names are generally found in the "name of slave owners" column.

• The slave schedule was used in the following states: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia.

Mortality Schedules 1850-1885

• Questions asked in the mortality schedules:• Deceased's name• Sex• Age• Color (White, black, mulatto)• Whether widowed• Place of birth (state, territory, or country)• Month in which the death occurred• Profession, occupation, or trade• Disease or cause of death• Number of days ill• Parents' birthplaces (added in 1870)• Place where disease was contracted and how long the deceased was a resident of the area (added in 1880)

Agricultural Schedules

• Agricultural schedules of 1850, 1860, and 1870 provide the following information for each farm: name of owner or manager, number of improved and unimproved acres, and the cash value of the farm, farming machinery, livestock, animals slaughtered during the past year, and "homemade manufactures." The schedules also indicate the number of horses, mules, cows, working oxen, other cattle, sheep, and swine owned by the farmer. The amount of oats, rice, tobacco, cotton, wool, peas and beans, Irish potatoes, sweet potatoes, barley, buckwheat, orchard products, wine, butter, cheese, hay, clover seed, other grass seeds, hops, hemp, flax, flaxseed, silk cocoons, maple sugar, cane sugar, molasses, and beeswax and honey produced during the preceding year is also noted. The 1880 schedules provide additional details, such as the amount of acreage used for each kind of crop, the number of poultry, and the number of eggs produced.

Manufacturing Schedules

• Manufacturing schedules in 1820, 1850, and 1860 reported the name of the manufacturer; the type of business or product; the amount of capital invested; the quantities, kinds, and value of raw materials used; the quantities, kinds, and value of product produced annually; the kind of power or machinery used; the number of men and women employed; and the average monthly cost of male and female labor. The amount of detail reported in these schedules increased in 1870 and again in 1880. In 1880, supplemental schedules were also used for specific industries, such as for boot and shoemaking, lumber and saw mills, flour and grist mills.

Social Statistics Schedules 

• Social statistics schedules provide information about the ancestor's community. In 1850 through 1870, these schedules indicate for each political subdivision the value of real estate; annual taxes; number of schools, teachers, and pupils; number and type of libraries and the number of volumes they have; name, type, and circulation of newspapers; the types of church denominations, the number of people each church can seat, and the value of their property; the number of native and foreign-born paupers and the cost of supporting them; the number of native and foreign-born criminals convicted and in prison; and the average wages paid to farm hands, day laborers, carpenters, and female domestics. Note that these schedules provide only statistical data, not information about specific individuals. In contrast, the 1880 schedules of delinquent, defective, and dependent classes provide information about deaf, dumb, blind, and criminal persons who are listed by name.

More Special Census Records

• State• Merchant Seaman 1930• New York inmates in almshouse and poorhouse 1830 – 1920• Puerto Rico 1935• Indiana Census 1880• Indiana rolls 1885 - 1940

Military

American Wars• Revolutionary War

• War of 1812• War of Texas Independence

• Mexican War• Civil War

• World I and II• Korean War• Vietnam War

Revolutionary War RecordsRevolution War Rolls 1775-1783

Record types contained in this collection include:

• Muster rolls• Payrolls• Strength returns• Misc., personnel, pay, and supply records of American Army units• Manuscript register of the series

Records are arranged into three categories

• Individual states (Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Vermont, and Virginia) – includes records for Continental Army units raised in the state; state militia and volunteer units

• Continental Troops - includes records for Continental Congress specialized units; Continental Congress infantry regiments organized from resolutions of 1776; Continental Army units raised in multiple states

• Miscellaneous – includes records for units larger than a regiment; special returns not easily classified into another category

Pensions

• In the years of and following the Revolutionary War, the federal government provided three main types of pensions for servicemen:

• Disability or invalid pensions for soldiers physically disabled in the line of duty

• Service pensions awarded on the basis of time served• Widows’ pensions for women who lost husbands during the war or whose

husbands met specific service requirements

The first pension law in 1776 granted half-pay for life to soldiers disabled in the service and unable to earn a living. The first pension law based on service was passed in 1818, but it was later amended to make eligible only those soldiers unable to earn a living. The pension act of 1832 allowed pensions again based on service and made widows of veterans also eligible to receive pension benefits.

The files can contain a wide variety of records submitted to support an application. Information of genealogical interest includes the application itself, which can provide the soldier’s name, rank, unit, time of service, age, date of birth, residence, and sometimes birthplace. A widow’s application may also include her maiden name and date and place of her husband’s death.

About American Revolutionary War Rejected Pensions

During America's struggle for freedom, thousands of men fought for the colonial government and many received pensions or bounty land grants for their service. This database is a listing of men who applied for a pension but were rejected. It was originally published in 1852 and was an expanded version of a book published in 1838. Each record provides the applicant's name, state and town of residence, and the reason their petition was denied. It contains the names of over 8600 individuals. For researchers of Revolutionary War ancestors, this can be a helpful database.

Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files, 1800-1900• Bounty-land warrants assigned rights to land in the public domain to

soldiers who met eligibility requirements related to their service. • 1776 resolution provided the following land grants to men who

served until the end of the war: • noncommissioned officers and soldiers, 100 acres• ensigns, 150; • lieutenants, 200; other officers • Colonel up to 500 acres

A November 1800 fire apparently destroyed Revolutionary War pensions and bounty-land-warrant applications and papers related to them submitted before that date. Some files thus contain cards noting that further papers are not available.

War Bounty Land Warrants, 1789-1858This database contains bounty land warrants issued to veterans of the U.S. Revolutionary War between 1789 and 1833, and to veterans of the War of 1812 between 1815 and 1858. It also contains some related papers of the Revolutionary War warrants that date to as late as 1880. Bounty land warrants were certificates given to eligible veterans granting them rights to free land on the public domain.Veterans were offered a total of 6 million acres of bounty land in Arkansas, Illinois, Michigan, and later, Missouri.

Historical BackgroundDuring the Revolutionary War the Continental Congress promised bounty land as an inducement to military service. For this war and other wars in which the United States engaged during the years 1812-1855, the issuance of bounty land warrants to veterans or their heirs as a form of reward for service was continued

Websites• http://revwarapps.org/

• http://militaryindexes.com/revolutionarywar/

War of 1812 Service Records, 1812-1815

• When the United States declared war on Great Britain in 1812, Congress authorized the President to accept and organize volunteers in order to win the war. This database is a listing of men mustered into the armed forces between 1812 and 1815. Taken from records in the National Archives, each record includes the soldier's name, company, rank at time of induction, rank at time of discharge, and other helpful information. It provides the names of nearly 600,000 men. For researchers of early American ancestors who may have served in the military, this can be a helpful source of information.

War of 1812 Pension• This database contains an index to War of 1812 pension application files. Pensions were applied for

and granted to War of 1812 veterans or their survivors.• The application files indexed in this collection relate to claims of military service between 1812 and

1815. Most of the applications were filed as a result of acts instated in 1871 and 1878. These acts made it possible for veterans and their survivors to receive pensions based on service alone. Earlier acts provided pensions only for service related deaths or disabilities.

• This index consists of the fronts of the envelopes containing the actual pension applications. These envelopes are arranged alphabetically according to surname of applicant. The amount of information shown on the front of the envelope varies. However, the following information is generally provided:

• Name of veteran• Name of widow, if she applied• Pension claim or file number(s)• Service type or organization

Acts Providing Pensions for Service Alone:The act of 14 February 1871 granted pensions to surviving soldiers and sailors who had served 60 days in the War of 1812 and had been honorably discharged, or to those who had been personally named in any resolution by Congress for specific service of less than 60 days. The widows of such soldiers and sailors were eligible for pension provided the marriage had taken place before the treaty of peace was ratified on 17 February 1815.The act of 9 March 1878 provided pensions for surviving soldiers and sailors of the War of 1812 who had served for 14 days or in any engagement and had been honorably discharged and for their surviving widows. It made no proviso regarding the date of marriage.

Compiled Military Service Records (CMSR)

• A CMSR is as complete as the surviving records of an individual soldier or his unit. The War Department compiled the CMSRs from the original muster rolls and other records some years after the war to permit more rapid and efficient checking of military and medical records in connection with claims for pensions and other veterans' benefits. The abstracts were so carefully prepared that it is rarely necessary to consult the original muster rolls and other records from which they were made. When the War Department created CMSRs at the turn of the century, information from company muster rolls, regimental returns, descriptive books, hospital rolls, and other records was copied verbatim onto cards. A separate card was prepared each time an individual name appeared on a document. These cards were all numbered on the back, and these numbers were entered onto the outside jacket containing the cards. The numbers on the jacket correspond with the numbers on the cards within the jacket. These numbers were used by the War Department only for control purposes while the CMSRs were being created; the numbers do not refer to other records regarding a veteran nor are they useful for reference purposes today.

Civil War Pension Index

• Because these pension files were for federal benefits, this collection only contains the names of Union veterans

• Requirements for a pension varied according to congressional amendments after the original 1862 legislation. Each amendment extended the benefits by more liberal terms. Veterans, widows, parents, and minor dependents were eligible for pensions under certain conditions, and each was required to file an application. The files contain much military service and family information. Included are a declaration by the claimant, a statement of service from the War Department or the Navy Department, a personal history questionnaire, a family questionnaire, and affidavits by comrades-in-arms, relatives, and neighbors attesting to the validity of the claimant's declarations.

Confederate Service Records, 1861-1865

• The agencies listed below are repositories for Confederate pension records. The veteran was eligible to apply for a pension to the State in which he lived, even if he served in a unit from a different State. Generally, an applicant was eligible for a pension only if he was indigent or disabled. In your letter to the repository, state the Confederate veteran's name, his widow's name, the unit(s) in which he served, and the counties in which he and his widow lived after the Civil War. Some repositories also have records of Confederate Homes (for veterans, widows, etc.), muster rolls of State Confederate militia, and other records related to the war.

• See Flyer for information on state Information.

Confederate Service Records, 1861-1865Confederate Applications for Presidential Pardons, 1865-1867

• This database contains records of Confederate soldiers who served in military organizations that were formed by the Confederate Government.

• On May 29, 1865, President Johnson issued an amnesty proclamation. Under this proclamation any former Confederate who had not already taken advantage of President Lincoln’s 1863 amnesty proclamation, could receive amnesty, upon their taking an oath to defend the Constitution and the Union, and to obey all Federal laws and proclamations in reference to slavery made during the rebellion.

Colored Troops Military Service Records, 1863-1865

• This database contains compiled military service records for United States Colored Troops that volunteered to serve with the Union in the American Civil War. Though some African-American units had been raised and seen fighting prior to this, President Lincoln did not authorize the use of colored troops in combat until 1863, after the Emancipation Proclamation. The Bureau of Colored Troops was established by the United States War Department in May 1863 and was responsible for recruiting African-American soldiers to fight. About 175 regiments composed of 178,000 African-American troops served the Union in the final two years of the Civil War.

Civil War Prisoner of War Records, 1861-1865• This database contains records relating to Civil War Prisoners of War

(POW).

Federal or Union POWs that were held by Confederate authorities at Camp Sumter, Andersonville, Georgia between February 1864 and April 1865. Records contained in this series include:

Register of departures of prisoners from Andersonville

Register of admittances to the prison hospital (original and copy)

Register of prisoners confined at the prison hospital

Register of prisoners’ deaths and burials (original and copy)

Burial lists of prisoners

Lists of prisoners claiming reimbursement for money taken from them by Confederate authorities

Consolidated monthly strength reports of prisoners (original and copy)

Series of provision returns of the prison hospital

Name index to the original hospital register of admittances

Partial name index to one of the burial lists

Confederate POWs that were held by Federal authorities at various prisons and stations from 1861 to 1865.These records are arranged in three sections: (1) records of POWs and political prisoners (2) records

of individual prisons and stations, and (3) records of several prisons. Records contained in this series include:

Registers of prisoners

Registers of deaths of prisoners Registers of prisoners’ applications for release and decisions

Descriptive lists of prisoners and deserters

Register of prisoners ordered to be released

Register of applications made for release of prisoners

Register of unclaimed money and valuables belonging to prisoners Permits granted by the Commissary General of Prisoners for clothing for the prisoners

Lists of prison camp records received

Letters sent and received

Numeric report of prisoners received, transferred, paroled, released, and deceased

Register of Confederate and Federal soldiers and civilians sentenced

Register of prisoners discharged and released

Register of prisoners transferred and escaped

 

•More Military to come…