Using the Census to Build Your Family Tree

If you’ve developed a list of your ancestors’ names and dates, you may be wondering how to fill in the gaps in your records. A good place to start is the U.S. census. The census was designed to provide the federal government with the information it needs to function. For you, it can be a way to research your family’s history. Taken every ten years, the census holds a variety of information about American families.

What you’ll find recorded on the census varies by the year. Prior to 1850, the only person studied is the head of household. That head of household is usually a white male. You can find the ages of people in his house and a limited amount of other information about him. The rest of the family is a mystery. Census documents became more detailed over time. In 1850, enumerators started taking the names of all family members. By 1930, census documents even indicated if the family owned a radio.[1]

Census records are by no means perfect. Enumerators recorded names as best they could. The spellings of the family name may be very different from what you expect. Family members occasionally provided the wrong dates to census takers. Birth and immigration dates are often a few years off. You may need to verify the census information from other sources. Expect problems and surprises. Whatever you find can still help to extend your family tree.

To use the census, start by determining what census year is closest to your ancestor’s date of death. If your ancestor died in 1950, you will want to begin with the 1930 census. The 1940 census will not be available until April 2012. This method has a few advantages. First of all, your living relatives probably gave you information about the end of their ancestors’ lives. You can use those details in your research. Second, it means that your ancestor (if male) is likely the head of household. That means his names will show up when you search all of the online census databases. That’s something you’ll need to consider when you start searching. Finally, you will be able to find more information about your ancestor. The later the census, the more items recorded. [2]

Armed with that starting date and all the information you have about your ancestor, you can begin searching. Microfilm copies of the census exist but can be difficult to use. Online census databases are much easier to navigate. FamilySearch (www.familysearch.org) offers a free way to search the census.  You’ll need to open their “USA, Canada, and Mexico” section and then click into their census databases. Once there, you’ll have a space to enter your ancestor’s name and details. This site has a few flaws. For 1880 and 1930, the FamilySearch database lacks images of the census documents. Those images hold more information than the main search page. You may want to check another website for those years. HeritageQuest, available through the state library system at www.iconn.org, is one choice. Its index is very detailed, but only lists the name of the head of household. This can pose a problem once you’ve gone back into your ancestor’s childhood. Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com) is another option. Although it is a pay website, it occasionally offers free access to some of its databases. Give yourself a little time to learn these databases. They vary slightly in format and content. If you do, you’ll soon be turning up new material on your ancestors.

[1] U.S. Census Bureau, “Availability of Census Records about Individuals,” Factfinder for the Nation CFF-2 (June 2008); online archives, Census.gov (http://www.census.gov/prod/2000pubs/cff-2.pdf: accessed 5 September 2011).

[2] U.S. Census Bureau, “Availability of Census Records about Individuals,” Factfinder for the Nation CFF-2 (June 2008); online archives, Census.gov (http://www.census.gov/prod/2000pubs/cff-2.pdf: accessed 5 September 2011).