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Genealogy Boot Camp
Session Two:
Federal Census Records
1790-1930
Federal Census Records
Mandated by the constitution. First Federal Census in 1790. Conducted every 10 years. Personal information open to public after
72 years. 1890 census destroyed in fire.
What Information Might I Find in Census Records?
Names of parents Names of siblings Places of residence Places of Birth Native Language Approx. year of
marriage Month and Year of birth
(1900 census)
Year of Immigration Naturalization Literacy Marital Status Occupations Rent or Own Property Native Language War Veteran
In Class Activity
1930 Census Record Analysis
Who was Recorded in the Census?
1790-1840 Only heads of household are named. Family members, lodgers and slaves are
enumerated but not named.
1850-1930 All enumerated household members (except
slaves) are named. Slaves were enumerated on separate
schedules, but they are generally not named.
1840 Census Record
Age ranges and sex are given for household members, but not names.
Only heads of household are listed by name.
Using Census Records
A Case Study
1930 census is a great place to begin your census research.
Choose a relative who was alive in 1930 and try searching for them.
1930 Search Result for Lorraine Black
Click on the link to view the Original Image.
1930 Census Record
Lorraine D. Black is living with her father, Ralph Black, his wife (presumably her mother) and her grandmother, Sienna E. Black.
Create a Timeline
Create a Pedigree Chart
Lorraine Black
b. abt. 1925 in Illinois
Ralph A. Black
b. abt. 1901 in Rhode Island
m. abt. 1923
Dorothy C.
b. abt. 1903 in Illinois
?
d. prob. bef. 1930
m. prob. bef. 1901
Sienna E.
b. abt. 1861 in Holland
Search 1920 census for Ralph Black who was born in Rhode Island.
1920 Search Result for Ralph Black
1920 Census Record
Ralph A. Black is living with his widowed mother, Mrs. S.E. Black, and his brother, Raymond J. Black.
Mrs. S.E. Black was born in Holland.
Raymond J. was transcribed Ray Morris J. by the indexer.
What Have We Learned?
Lorraine Black
b. abt. 1925 in Illinois
Ralph A. Black
b. abt. 1901 in Rhode Island
m. abt. 1923
Dorothy C.
b. abt. 1903 in Illinois
?
d. prob. bef. 1920
m. prob. bef. 1897
Sienna E.
b. abt. 1861 in Holland
1910 Census
1910 Census Record
Direct Evidence:Married for 28 Years in 1910.
Indirect Evidence:Married about 1882
Ralph A. Black is living with his father, Edward J. Black and his mother Sybretekia(?) E. Family sources confirm this was her “ethnic” name.
Three additional siblings are revealed.
Keep adding new information to your family timeline
What Have We Learned?
Lorraine Black
b. abt. 1925 in Illinois
Ralph A. Black
b. abt. 1901 in Rhode Island
m. abt. 1923
Dorothy C.
b. abt. 1903 in Illinois
Edward Black
b. abt. 1860 in Rhode Island
d. aft. 1910
m. abt. 1882
Sienna E./Sybret??ia
b. abt. 1861 in Holland
?
b. bef. 1844 in Ireland
?
b. bef. 1844 in Ireland
1900 Census Search
Transcription errors can make searching difficult!
1900 Census Record
Same household – next page
Edward Black household
Compare information from previous censuses.
Does the information match?
What Have We Learned?
Lorraine Black
b. abt. 1925 in Illinois
Ralph A. Black
b. abt. 1901 in Rhode Island
m. abt. 1923
Dorothy C.
b. abt. 1903 in Illinois
Edward Black
b. March 1860
d. aft. 1910
m. abt. 1882
Sienna E./Sybret??ia Dekker
b. April 1861
? Black
b. prob. bef. 1844 in Ireland
?
b. prob. bef. 1844 in Ireland
Ary Dekker
b. Jan 1852 in Holland
?
b. prob. bef. 1846
d. prob bef. June 1, 1900
1880 Census
1880 Census Record
More geographic detail is given for Catharine’s birthplace. Terschelling is an island in Friesland, a province in the Netherlands.
Sienna E. is enumerated under her middle name. Or is it really her first name?
One of the children was born in Massachusetts. Might this indicate they immigrated through Boston?
What Have We Learned?
Lorraine Black
b. abt. 1925 in Illinois
Ralph A. Black
b. abt. 1901 in Rhode Island
m. abt. 1923
Dorothy C.
b. abt. 1903 in Illinois
Edward Black
b. March 1860 in Rhode Island
d. aft. 1910
m. abt. 1882
Sienna E./Sybret??ia Dekker
b. April 1861 in Holland
? Black
b. prob. bef. 1844 in Ireland
?
b. prob. bef. 1844 in Ireland
Ary Dekker
b. Jan 1852 in Holland
Catherine
b. abt. 1833 in Terschelling, Friesland, Netherlands
d. bef. June 1, 1900
1880 Census
1880 Census
Note the different birthplaces for John Black’s children. Incorporate this evidence into your timeline.
Edward J. Black is living with his Irish father, John Black, and his presumed mother Jane.
Five siblings are also identified.
What Have We Learned?
Lorraine Black
b. abt. 1925 in Illinois
Ralph A. Black
b. abt. 1901 in Rhode Island
m. abt. 1923
Dorothy C.
b. abt. 1903 in Illinois
Edward Black
b. March 1860 in Rhode Island
d. aft. 1910
m. abt. 1882
Sienna E./Sybret??ia Dekker
b. April 1861 in Holland
? John Black
b. abt. 1813 in Ireland
m. prob. bef. 1847
? Jane
b. abt. 1821 in Ireland
Ary Dekker
b. Jan 1852 in Holland
Catherine
b. abt. 1833 in Terschelling
d. bef. June 1, 1900
Where Can I Find the Census Records?
Subscription Databases – Ancestry.com/Ancestry LE, Heritage Quest, Footnote.com, etc.
Familysearch.org - Free web site sponsored by LDS Church.
Microfilm – Available at large genealogical libraries, National Archives and LDS Family History Centers.
Searching Ancestry for Census Records
Tips and Tricks
This general search screen gives you limited options and searches only a fragment of what’s available on Ancestry.
For best results, search each census year individually.
Select an individual census year to search.
1930 Census Search Options
Narrow your search by entering a birthplace. (Use states or foreign countries)
Only include family members if they were living together in the same household in 1930.
Change the birth year range from 0 to 2 to accommodate for some variance in reported ages.
Exact Match
Results exactly match your search terms. Gives you greater control and accuracy. Allows you to use wildcards ( * and ?)
Soundex Search
Accounts for many (but not all!) spelling variations. Assigns each surname a code based on how it
sounds.
Soundex Results for Karsted(K623)
Ancestry Ranked Search
Does not allow for soundex searching or wildcards. Search results aren’t always very relevant. Give it a try, but don’t count on it always working.
When Exact match is unchecked, Ancestry uses the information you
provide to find potential matches for you.
Census Search Challenges
Use of Initials
Middle Names & Nicknames
1930 Census
1920 Census
Indexing/Transcription Errors
Correct in census. Wrong in index.
Additional Search Challenges
Census Taker Errors “Misspelled” names Americanization of Given Names Changing Surnames Changing County Boundaries
For Hard to Find Relatives
Try alternate spellings. Try phonetic spellings. Try searching for last names without first names, or
vice versa. Try searching by location without any names, but
limit by age, location, and birthplace. Try browsing images by enumeration district. Try searching for your ancestor’s neighbors.
Citing Your Census Record
Genealogy Boot Camp
Session Two:
Federal Census Records
1790-1930
1860 Slave Schedule
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