Census Archives - Genealogical.com https://genealogical.com/product-category/census/ The Best Source for Genealogy and Family History Books and eBooks Tue, 03 Jun 2025 04:00:05 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.2 https://genealogical.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/cropped-genappicon-300x300-1-125x125.png Census Archives - Genealogical.com https://genealogical.com/product-category/census/ 32 32 Migration to South Carolina – 1850 Census https://genealogical.com/store/migration-to-south-carolina-1850-census/ Fri, 18 Oct 2024 16:42:20 +0000 https://genealogical.com/?post_type=product&p=82144 One of four volumes in Mrs. Motes’ series devoted to the ethnic and migration components of South Carolina’s population taken from the federal census of 1850, this work names 3,700 foreign-born South Carolinians (other than Irish, who are treated in another volume in this series), including 1,900 Germans, 861 English, and 579 Scots. The book […]

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One of four volumes in Mrs. Motes’ series devoted to the ethnic and migration components of South Carolina’s population taken from the federal census of 1850, this work names 3,700 foreign-born South Carolinians (other than Irish, who are treated in another volume in this series), including 1,900 Germans, 861 English, and 579 Scots.

The book is arranged by country of origin and thereunder alphabetically by surname. Each individual is identified by name, age, sex, occupation, country of birth, county of residence in South Carolina, and household enumeration number assigned by the census taker. The front matter of the book includes an author’s Introduction and a list of South Carolina county codes. The book concludes with a name index, an occupation index, and a place index. Mrs. Motes transcribed her information from thirteen reels of microfilm covering the 29 South Carolina counties in 1850.

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New York in 1698 https://genealogical.com/store/new-york-in-1698/ Sat, 22 Jun 2024 01:28:04 +0000 https://genealogical.com/?post_type=product&p=81004 On or about May 3, 1697, Governor Fletcher of New York authorized an every-person census of the colony. Fletcher’s order was widely ignored, but his successor, Governor Bellomont, succeeded in carrying out the order and all the returns were submitted by the Fall of 1698. The various county totals appear in Bellomont’s report to the […]

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On or about May 3, 1697, Governor Fletcher of New York authorized an every-person census of the colony. Fletcher’s order was widely ignored, but his successor, Governor Bellomont, succeeded in carrying out the order and all the returns were submitted by the Fall of 1698. The various county totals appear in Bellomont’s report to the King’s Council of Trade and Plantations in November 1698. Many of the enumerators did, in fact, record the names and vital information of all inhabitants under their purview; others recorded only the heads of household, adding the numbers of other persons at each dwelling. Although the surviving manuscripts of the census were lost in the 1911 fire at the state archives in Albany, about half of the returns survive in the form of handwritten copies or published articles, several appearing in the New York Genealogical and Biographical Record.

This compilation is the result of a 26-year, masterful reconstruction of the 1698 census of New York by the esteemed genealogist and librarian Kory Meyerink. In this effort, Mr. Meyerink was aided by not only the “surviving” portions of the 1698 census but also the statistical summaries of the census which have survived the passage of time. The fact is that we know exactly how many men, women, and children (all free whites) and slaves (usually black, and sometimes Native American) were counted in the census. With these numbers in hand, Mr. Meyerink was able to locate more or less contemporary substitute sources (e.g., militia lists, tax lists, church records, town minutes, etc.) and reconstruct the residents of the missing counties, towns, and manors. In a number of cases, he was able to find the names of the same New Yorkers on multiple lists, thereby enhancing the accuracy of the reconstruction. In other cases, he assembled lists as “composites” from multiple sources (e.g., Easthampton, Rye, etc.). In all, he has identified by name 96% of the men, 50% of the women, and at least 40% of the children alive in the colony of New York in 1698.

New York in 1698 is arranged alphabetically by county and thereunder by town, ward, or manor. Mr. Meyerink begins each county chapter with a detailed discussion of the reconstruction variables: original source(s), spelling, layout of the original information, statistical recap, a brief history of the area under investigation at the time of the census, and a bibliography for further research on that county. The chapter-by-chapter lists of persons are arranged to conform to the earliest known transcription of the 1698 census, or substitute. The volume concludes with a complete name index of 13,700 and, owing to the significant New Netherland heritage of turn-of-the-17th century New York, a substantial listing of Dutch names with their English versions. Mr. Meyerink’s historical and methodological Introduction to the book–which also contains a separate bibliography–not only provides insight into the “missing” census itself but also is must reading for any genealogist or historian planning to conduct research into this fascinating period.

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The People of Derry City, 1930 https://genealogical.com/store/the-people-of-derry-city-1930/ Tue, 29 Oct 2019 18:14:54 +0000 https://genealogical.com/?post_type=product&p=38741 Because of the destruction of the 1926 census for Northern Ireland during World War II, the first census that survives for the city and county of Londonderry, after 1911, is that of 1937 and this will not be available for inspection until 2038. From 1868 right through to 1949 inclusive, each annual edition of the […]

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Because of the destruction of the 1926 census for Northern Ireland during World War II, the first census that survives for the city and county of Londonderry, after 1911, is that of 1937 and this will not be available for inspection until 2038. From 1868 right through to 1949 inclusive, each annual edition of the Derry Almanac and Directory contained a “Street Directory” where heads of households were identified against their street address in Derry city. This means that each annual edition of Derry Almanac is the closest census substitute for Derry city between 1912 and 1936.

By 1930, despite a number of economic setbacks, Derry still retained its maritime importance as both a gateway to North West Ireland (i.e., counties Derry, Donegal, and Tyrone) and as a corridor across the Atlantic linking Western Europe with North America.

For genealogists, the Derry Almanac and Directory of 1930 names 9,084 heads of household and family businesses in Derry city. This list of inhabitants, in alphabetical order by surname, contains these 5 fields: Surname of Head of Household, First Name of Head of Household, Street Address, House Number, and Page Number of the listing. Author Brian Mitchell has re-arranged the contents of the 1930 almanac in a convenient tabular alphabetical format, so researchers can access this vital information with relative ease.

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Census Records for Latin America and the Hispanic United States https://genealogical.com/store/census-records-for-latin-america-and-the-hispanic-united-states/ Fri, 03 May 2019 20:27:00 +0000 http://gpcprod.wpengine.com/product/census-records-for-latin-america-and-the-hispanic-united-states/ This is the largest and most complete survey of census records available for Latin America and the Hispanic United States. The result of exhaustive research in Hispanic archives, it contains a listing of approximately 4,000 separate censuses, each listed by country and thereunder alphabetically by locality, province, year, and reference locator. The enormous number of […]

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This is the largest and most complete survey of census records available for Latin America and the Hispanic United States. The result of exhaustive research in Hispanic archives, it contains a listing of approximately 4,000 separate censuses, each listed by country and thereunder alphabetically by locality, province, year, and reference locator. The enormous number of census records identified by Dr. Platt in the course of his twenty-five-year investigation will surprise and delight the serious researcher, and none more so than the family historian researching his Hispanic roots.

In every colony of the Spanish Empire at least one major census was taken during the colonial period (1492-1825), although not all of these documents have been preserved. However, the stream of colonial reports on local population submitted to Spain for administrative, fiscal, military, and religious purposes swelled to a flood as the Spanish colonial administrative apparatus was reformed and expanded during the Intendency Period (1763-1825). The amount of material available to genealogists and family historians during this period of time is the largest accumulation of demographic information available for any major region of the world.

Beginning in the late 1700s the Council of Indies, the administrative arm of the Crown in Spain, initiated an Empire-wide project of population management through systematic and regular census reports. All persons in a given area, together with information about their age, sex, residence, and marital status, were to be listed, by name, usually within family grouping, showing an implied or written relationship to the head of the household. The women were almost always recorded in these listings with their maiden names, as is common in all Latin American records.

The first series of censuses beginning in 1776 resulted from orders issued to both civil and ecclesiastical officials that each take separate counts. The results were sporadic, but they were fairly extensive, and a large number of them have survived in one archive or another in Latin America or Spain. Many have been microfilmed by the Family History Library of the LDS Church in Salt Lake City, and they are identified here by film number. The largest number of censuses identified in this study, however, are those of the 1790 time period.

While the majority of census listings are for Mexico, all countries of Spanish North America,
Central America, and South America are covered. The modern states of California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas are found here under Mexico because they belonged to Mexico during the period in which most of the censuses were taken. Florida and Louisiana, on the other hand, are separate because of their loose ties to Mexico. Notwithstanding the Mexican emphasis, anyone even slightly interested in identifying the early inhabitants of Latin America and the Hispanic United States will find this book absolutely indispensable.

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The Census Tables for the French Colony of Louisiana from 1699 Through 1732 https://genealogical.com/store/the-census-tables-for-the-french-colony-of-louisiana-from-1699-through-1732/ Fri, 03 May 2019 20:27:00 +0000 http://gpcprod.wpengine.com/product/the-census-tables-for-the-french-colony-of-louisiana-from-1699-through-1732/ This is a compilation of the twenty-eight earliest census records of Louisiana. Such records have proved time and again to be the foundation and touchstone of modern genealogy. These particular census records cover, at one period or another, Fort Maurepas, Biloxi, Mobile, Natchez, New Orleans, and other locations. The records are both civilian and military, […]

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This is a compilation of the twenty-eight earliest census records of Louisiana. Such records have proved time and again to be the foundation and touchstone of modern genealogy. These particular census records cover, at one period or another, Fort Maurepas, Biloxi, Mobile, Natchez, New Orleans, and other locations. The records are both civilian and military, mainly the former, and they extend from 1699 through 1732. Besides census records, the reader will find lists of 1,704 marriageable girls, a 1726 list of persons requesting negroes, landowner lists, and a list of persons massacred at Fort Rosalie in 1729. Other features include a synopsis of Louisiana’s colonial history, tips on French colonial naming practices, and a comprehensive index of 5,000 names.

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Genealogy at a Glance: U.S. Federal Census Records https://genealogical.com/store/genealogy-at-a-glance-u-s-federal-census-records/ Fri, 03 May 2019 20:27:45 +0000 http://gpcprod.wpengine.com/product/genealogy-at-a-glance-u-s-federal-census-records/ Federal censuses have been taken every ten years since 1790. They are the best known and most commonly used of all genealogical records and have the unique ability to identify virtually anyone born in the last 250 years. Because they are so extensive, the careful researcher should be able to find almost every individual and […]

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Federal censuses have been taken every ten years since 1790. They are the best known and most commonly used of all genealogical records and have the unique ability to identify virtually anyone born in the last 250 years. Because they are so extensive, the careful researcher should be able to find almost every individual and family being sought.

But where are these records located? How do you access them and how do you use them? Moreover, with such a wealth of information as name, age, sex, birthplace, and family relationships, what are their limitations? These questions and more are answered by professional genealogist Kory Meyerink in this addition to our popular Genealogy at a Glance series.

Today, most census research is conducted online, with census images and indexes available from both subscription-based and non-subscription-based websites. Not all websites have a complete collection of census records, of course, and Meyerink identifies the censuses that are available from each website and the nature of the indexes, which are usually linked to the online image of the census page where the individual appears. (All censuses older than 72 years have been indexed, and the recently released 1940 census is in process of being indexed.)

As part of the ongoing Genealogy at a Glance series, this four-page laminated folder also provides 1) tips for research, 2) a list of the best books for further reference, 3) instructions for online research, 4) a bulleted list of census search strategies, and 5) and a description of the major online resources for census research. In keeping with the rest of this distinguished series, this work provides an encyclopedia’s-worth of information in a thimble’s-worth of pages.

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Register of Seamen’s Protection Certificates from the Providence, Rhode Island Customs District, 1796-1870 https://genealogical.com/store/register-of-seamens-protection-certificates-from-the-providence-rhode-island-customs-district-1796-1870/ Fri, 03 May 2019 20:27:27 +0000 http://gpcprod.wpengine.com/product/register-of-seamens-protection-certificates-from-the-providence-rhode-island-customs-district-1796-1870/ In 1796 Congress passed an Act for the Relief and Protection of American Seamen, requiring customs collectors to maintain a record of all United States citizens serving on United States vessels. Each registered seaman was given a Seaman’s Protection Certificate. These certificates vouched for the citizenship of the individual and included identifying information such as […]

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In 1796 Congress passed an Act for the Relief and Protection of American Seamen, requiring customs collectors to maintain a record of all United States citizens serving on United States vessels. Each registered seaman was given a Seaman’s Protection Certificate. These certificates vouched for the citizenship of the individual and included identifying information such as height, complexion, place of birth, and in some cases, eye and hair color. The intention of these certificates was to discourage impressment from foreign navies, especially Great Britain.

The Rhode Island Historical Society has six volumes of “Register of Protections Granted to American Seamen” from 1796 to 1870. These registers are part of the United States Custom House Papers housed in the Manuscript Division of the Rhode Island Historical Society Library in Providence, R.I.

This transcription is in alphabetical order by surname and includes the date of certification, age, complexion, place of birth, and the book and page number of the original volume in which the information appears. There are several asterisk notations throughout the text. Some note that names are out of order, while others explain that a yellow complexion refers to a mulatto complexion. Some names lack a volume and page reference. Instead, the citation refers to Newport, R.I., sworn statements and birth certification.

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Heads of Families at the First Census of the United States Taken in the Year 1790: New Hampshire https://genealogical.com/store/heads-of-families-at-the-first-census-of-the-united-states-taken-in-the-year-1790-new-hampshire/ Fri, 03 May 2019 20:26:00 +0000 http://gpcprod.wpengine.com/product/heads-of-families-at-the-first-census-of-the-united-states-taken-in-the-year-1790-new-hampshire/ No other official record or group of records is as historically significant as the 1790 census of the United States. The taking of this census marked the inauguration of a process that continues right up to our own day–the enumeration at ten-year intervals of the entire American population. In its very continuity the census is […]

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No other official record or group of records is as historically significant as the 1790 census of the United States. The taking of this census marked the inauguration of a process that continues right up to our own day–the enumeration at ten-year intervals of the entire American population. In its very continuity the census is a mirror image of the evolution of the American republic, and the census of 1790, the first official enumeration of all heads of household residing in the infant republic, is the true starting point of this process, the place where we can point a finger and say with confidence, “This is where it started! From here on we deal with facts!” The equivalent of England’s Domesday Book, the 1790 census is an authentic chronicle of the American people during the period immediately following the Revolution and at the time of the adoption of the Constitution. It is certain that no other set of records in the government archives contains as much information about ordinary citizens at this momentous period in history.

The original 1790 enumerations covered the present states of Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, and Virginia. Unfortunately, not all the schedules have survived, the returns for the states of Delaware, Georgia, Kentucky, New Jersey, Tennessee, and Virginia having been lost or destroyed, possibly when the British burned the Capitol at Washington during the War of 1812, though there seems to be no proof for this. For Virginia, taxpayer lists made in the years 1782-1785 have been reconstructed as replacements for the original returns.

In response to repeated requests from genealogists, historians, and patriotic societies, the surviving census records were published by the Bureau of the Census in 1907 and 1908. The twelve states whose records were then extant are each covered by a single volume. The twelve published volumes contain the names of the heads of about 400,000 families, with information concerning their place of residence, the size of their families, and the approximate ages of the male family members. The families, averaging six people each, comprised about 2,400,000 individuals, or approximately 75% of the total population of the United States at the time.

In each of the published census volumes the schedules are arranged by county and in some cases by minor subdivisions of counties, thus enabling the researcher to narrow his field of research to a particular judicial district. Each volume is separately indexed, so the researcher has only a single alphabet to consult for each state. Heads of families, arranged in alphabetical order under each county and district, are listed with the following information after each name: Number of free white males of sixteen years and upward; number of free white males under sixteen years; number of free white females; number of all other free persons; number of slaves.

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Heads of Families at the First Census of the United States Taken in the Year 1790: Maine https://genealogical.com/store/heads-of-families-at-the-first-census-of-the-united-states-taken-in-the-year-1790-maine/ Fri, 03 May 2019 20:26:00 +0000 http://gpcprod.wpengine.com/product/heads-of-families-at-the-first-census-of-the-united-states-taken-in-the-year-1790-maine/ No other official record or group of records is as historically significant as the 1790 census of the United States. The taking of this census marked the inauguration of a process that continues right up to our own day–the enumeration at ten-year intervals of the entire American population. In its very continuity the census is […]

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No other official record or group of records is as historically significant as the 1790 census of the United States. The taking of this census marked the inauguration of a process that continues right up to our own day–the enumeration at ten-year intervals of the entire American population. In its very continuity the census is a mirror image of the evolution of the American republic, and the census of 1790, the first official enumeration of all heads of household residing in the infant republic, is the true starting point of this process, the place where we can point a finger and say with confidence, “This is where it started! From here on we deal with facts!” The equivalent of England’s Domesday Book, the 1790 census is an authentic chronicle of the American people during the period immediately following the Revolution and at the time of the adoption of the Constitution. It is certain that no other set of records in the government archives contains as much information about ordinary citizens at this momentous period in history.

The original 1790 enumerations covered the present states of Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, and Virginia. Unfortunately, not all the schedules have survived, the returns for the states of Delaware, Georgia, Kentucky, New Jersey, Tennessee, and Virginia having been lost or destroyed, possibly when the British burned the Capitol at Washington during the War of 1812, though there seems to be no proof for this. For Virginia, taxpayer lists made in the years 1782-1785 have been reconstructed as replacements for the original returns.

In response to repeated requests from genealogists, historians, and patriotic societies, the surviving census records were published by the Bureau of the Census in 1907 and 1908. The twelve states whose records were then extant are each covered by a single volume. The twelve published volumes contain the names of the heads of about 400,000 families, with information concerning their place of residence, the size of their families, and the approximate ages of the male family members. The families, averaging six people each, comprised about 2,400,000 individuals, or approximately 75% of the total population of the United States at the time.

In each of the published census volumes the schedules are arranged by county and in some cases by minor subdivisions of counties, thus enabling the researcher to narrow his field of research to a particular judicial district. Each volume is separately indexed, so the researcher has only a single alphabet to consult for each state. Heads of families, arranged in alphabetical order under each county and district, are listed with the following information after each name: Number of free white males of sixteen years and upward; number of free white males under sixteen years; number of free white females; number of all other free persons; number of slaves.

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Heads of Families at the First Census of the United States Taken in the Year 1790: Massachusetts https://genealogical.com/store/heads-of-families-at-the-first-census-of-the-united-states-taken-in-the-year-1790-massachusetts/ Fri, 03 May 2019 20:26:00 +0000 http://gpcprod.wpengine.com/product/heads-of-families-at-the-first-census-of-the-united-states-taken-in-the-year-1790-massachusetts/ No other official record or group of records is as historically significant as the 1790 census of the United States. The taking of this census marked the inauguration of a process that continues right up to our own day–the enumeration at ten-year intervals of the entire American population. In its very continuity the census is […]

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No other official record or group of records is as historically significant as the 1790 census of the United States. The taking of this census marked the inauguration of a process that continues right up to our own day–the enumeration at ten-year intervals of the entire American population. In its very continuity the census is a mirror image of the evolution of the American republic, and the census of 1790, the first official enumeration of all heads of household residing in the infant republic, is the true starting point of this process, the place where we can point a finger and say with confidence, “This is where it started! From here on we deal with facts!” The equivalent of England’s Domesday Book, the 1790 census is an authentic chronicle of the American people during the period immediately following the Revolution and at the time of the adoption of the Constitution. It is certain that no other set of records in the government archives contains as much information about ordinary citizens at this momentous period in history.

The original 1790 enumerations covered the present states of Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, and Virginia. Unfortunately, not all the schedules have survived, the returns for the states of Delaware, Georgia, Kentucky, New Jersey, Tennessee, and Virginia having been lost or destroyed, possibly when the British burned the Capitol at Washington during the War of 1812, though there seems to be no proof for this. For Virginia, taxpayer lists made in the years 1782-1785 have been reconstructed as replacements for the original returns.

In response to repeated requests from genealogists, historians, and patriotic societies, the surviving census records were published by the Bureau of the Census in 1907 and 1908. The twelve states whose records were then extant are each covered by a single volume. The twelve published volumes contain the names of the heads of about 400,000 families, with information concerning their place of residence, the size of their families, and the approximate ages of the male family members. The families, averaging six people each, comprised about 2,400,000 individuals, or approximately 75% of the total population of the United States at the time.

In each of the published census volumes the schedules are arranged by county and in some cases by minor subdivisions of counties, thus enabling the researcher to narrow his field of research to a particular judicial district. Each volume is separately indexed, so the researcher has only a single alphabet to consult for each state. Heads of families, arranged in alphabetical order under each county and district, are listed with the following information after each name: Number of free white males of sixteen years and upward; number of free white males under sixteen years; number of free white females; number of all other free persons; number of slaves.

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