The 1960 U.S. Census sits just over the horizon, scheduled to be released to the public on April 1, 2032. It’s a highly anticipated snapshot of American life during a time of rapid change: the rise...
Category - Census Research
Inside the 1950 U.S. Census
The 1950 U.S. Census is the most recent one released to the public, and it marks the end of an era and the beginning of another. Taken just five years after the end of World War II, it captures a...
Inside the 1940 U.S. Census
The 1940 U.S. Census gives us a remarkably detailed portrait of America just before everything changed. In a few short years, the United States would enter World War II, and millions of lives would...
Inside the 1930 U.S. Census
The 1930 U.S. Census captures America in an unsettled moment. The Roaring Twenties were winding down, but the Great Depression was just beginning to take hold. It’s a census taken in the calm before...
Inside the 1920 U.S. Census
We’ve now arrived at the 1920 U.S. Census—the first one taken after the end of World War I. This moment in history holds a lot beneath the surface. If your ancestors were alive during this time, they...
Inside the 1910 U.S. Census
We’ve made it to the 1910 census, and I have to say, this one feels like a bit of a turning point. If you’ve been following along through each census with me, you’ve probably noticed how much the...
Inside the 1900 Census
The 1900 U.S. Census marks the beginning of a new era. It was the first census of the 20th century—and it knew it. By 1900, America had changed dramatically. Cities were growing faster than ever...
Navigating the 1890 Census Gap
The 1890 census may be gone, but your ancestors aren’t. This worksheet aims to help you rebuild the missing years—one clue at a time. Whether your ancestors were settling in a new state, welcoming...
Inside the 1890 Census
The 1890 U.S. Census is one of the most heartbreaking gaps in American records. It leaves a missing chapter for family historians—twenty years between 1880 and 1900 when so much changed. Children...
Mastering the 1880 Census for Family Historians
The 1880 census is one of my favorite records—not just because of what it tells us, but because of what it helps us feel. This is the first census where we can see families take shape on paper. For...
Inside the 1880 Census
When people talk about the U.S. Census, most think of it as just a headcount. But by 1880, the census had become something far more powerful. It wasn’t just about population totals or determining how...
Tracing Formerly Enslaved Ancestors: A Companion to the 1870 Census
The 1870 U.S. Census is a milestone for many family historians. For those tracing African American ancestry, it often marks the very first time their ancestors appear in a public federal record by...
Inside the 1870 Census
The 1870 U.S. Census may be one of the most significant records ever created in the country’s history. For the first time, every person—Black, white, free-born, formerly enslaved, immigrant...
Inside the 1860 Census
The 1860 U.S. Census might be one of the most emotionally charged documents in early American history. On the surface, it looks similar to 1850—names, ages, occupations, birthplaces, property values...
Inside the 1850 Census
By the time the 1850 U.S. Census was taken, the United States was no longer a slow-growing collection of coastal settlements. It was a booming, restless, coast-to-coast land of contradictions. The...