The goal of a family historian is to record and remember the lives of their ancestors. The Federal Census is a great record to use to accomplish this. Currently, census records are available for the years 1790 to 1930. By searching the various years that a family appears on the census researchers can create a wonderful timeline of their ancestors’ lives which can then lead to other avenues of study. Here are some quick tips to begin creating a timeline for your family.
Find a blank census form that you are fond of and stick with it. This will save time and energy transcribing the individual questions asked during each census period. You can find many forms available for free from sites such as Ancestry.com.
Begin with the most recent year and work backwards in time.
Don’t simply focus on the family surname. Look at the pages before and after your ancestor’s record. Make note of any neighbors who appear in multiple years. They may have a connection to your family that could be meaningful later.
After you’ve completed a census form distill what you’ve recorded into points of information. You’ll begin to see the given response as a clue to who your ancestor was. Stringing these together will allow you to see them as individuals rather than line items.
“In April 1930, Ara D. Pitcher lived at 151 Grant Street, Conneaut, Ashtabula County, Ohio. Married in approximately 1922, he and his wife, Jessie, were parents to two sons. Ara, who was born in Ohio, worked as a contract painter.”
By tracing your relative throughout the census you can gather information that may point you in the direction of possible records and locales related to your family.
Several things to consider:
- Census records between the years 1790 and 1840 will only refer to members of the household with tally marks. Rather than transcribing the census as tally marks record them as, “male between the ages of/born between the years,” etc. This may help identify potential leads as to the identity of the household.
- Most of the 1890 U.S. Federal Census was destroyed. Try searching for state census or religious records for additional information. For example, the 1890 Ohio supplemental census schedule enumerating Union Veterans and Widows still remains.
- The 1940 census will be released in digital form on April 2, 2012.
- Census records are available online through various locations including the Columbus Metropolitan Library. With a library card you can explore census records through Ancestry.com (in library) or Heritage Quest (at home.)
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