Archives for September 2016

The US Census

Continuing with our series of articles about census records of genealogical value, we would be making reference here to the US historic censuses.[i]

• The first thing to point out is that census records from 1790 to 1940 are maintained by the National Archives and Records Administration while the U.S. Census Bureau, deals with census performed after 1940.
• The most recent publicly available census records are from the 1940 Census, released April 2, 2012. Another thing to be taken into consideration is that census records in the US became publicly accessible just 72 years after each decennial census.
• However individuals may request their own records before they are publicly available via the Census Bureau’sAge Search service.

What kind of information can I get from my ancestors at US censuses?

• The United States has collected data about its population since 1790 and continues to do so every 10 years. In the US censuses carried by the Federal Government besides as serving for the normal purposes every census is used “serve as inventory of everyone living in the United States” and are “ taken for the purpose of determining representation in the House of Representatives”.[ii]
• Up to 1840 censuses have limited value from the genealogical point of view as they name only the head of household and headcounts.
• Beginning in 1850, the census records began asking for more information and therefore, became a useful source of genealogical information, with the exception of the 1890 Census that unfortunately was destroyed by fire and only a few fragments remain.

As follows we provide a table detailing the information of genealogical value available per census.  This table has been created and published by the LDS Family Search and can be found at: https://familysearch.org/wiki/en/Beginning_Research_in_United_States_Census_Records#What_are_the_United_States_census_records.3F

 

Basic Family Information Found in the U.S.Census by Year (other smaller details also given but not listed here)
Year of census	Useful Information
1850	Name, age, and gender of each family member Occupation Birthplace If married that year
1860
1870	Adds: Whether father and mother are of foreign birth
1880	Adds: Marital status Relationship to head of household Place of birth for father and mother
1900	Adds: Number of years in current marriage Month and year of birth Mother of how many children Number of children living Naturalization status: alien, papers submitted, or naturalized Year of immigration to U.S. How many years lived in U.S.
1910	Drops: Month and year of birth Number of years in U.S. Adds: Whether Civil War Veteran
1920	Drops: Number of years married Mother of how many children and number of children living Whether Civil War Veteran Adds: Year of naturalization Native language Native language of father and mother
1930	Drops: Native language of father and mother Adds: Age at first marriage Military veteran, which war
1940	Drops: Age at first marriage Father’s and mother’s birthplaces Military veteran, which war Year of immigration Native language

How can I have access to US historic census records? Is it hard?

• No, it isn´t hard. Online subscription services to the National Archives are available to access the 1790–1940 census records and many public libraries provide access to these services free-of-charge. Contact your local library to inquire if it has subscribed to one of these services. Check this at: http://www.census.gov/
• Besides the National Archives there are many providers both by subscription and free of charge.
  • familysearch.org is one of the free suppliers of US censuses but they do just supply the indexes and not the images.
  • The National Archives, provide online free data of the 1940 Census
  • You can check both indexes and images of US censuses online by paying a fee at:

http://www.ancestry.com

http://www.findmypast.com

http://www.myheritage.com

• In addition to the censuses conducted by the federal government, many state censuses have been conducted. Some of these censuses date to the colonial period. Although the National Archives may have some of these records, it is advisable that you contact your local archives or local library to inquire about their state census holdings

 Is there anything else I should take into consideration when searching ancestors in the US censuses?

• Indeed, yes. You should take into consideration that search results may vary by site, due to both, variations in search engines and differences in interpretation of handwriting in   If you can´t find your ancestors in one collection, you might try others.
• However, before giving up with a collection you can try spelling the first or last name of your ancestor differently. It may have been indexed incorrectly.
• Besides this, consider that often a person who has both a first and middle name might appear with the first name in one census and the middle name in another census. Try searching both ways.
• Also, when searching for a woman, make sure to search for her under her maiden name and under each of her married names.
• Look for your ancestors in every census in which they could appear: you could learn something new from each.. [iii]

Last but not east, combine the information you learn from the census records with vital records and other information you might already have.  This could lead you to search other records, and continue growing your family tree.

[i] https://www.census.gov/history/

[ii] https://familysearch.org/wiki/en/Beginning_Research_in_United_States_Census_Records#What_are_the_United_States_census_records.3F

[iii] https://familysearch.org/wiki/en/Beginning_Research_in_United_States_Census_Records#How_do_I_access_them.3F

By, Carmen Vazquez Sibils

 

French Census, why are we looking for this information?  Is it difficult?

Looking for French ancestors might be overwhelming. I can tell this from my own experience.  In France, vital records are departmental and not national. French departments across the country have digitized and made available a variety of vital records, parish registers, and census records. However, the records and years available vary by department, and on top of this, to be able to use them, you must know or search for your ancestor´s place of residence first. The genealogy expert Kimberly Powell [i] also points out that “…in large cities, such as Nice or Paris, there may be many civil registration districts, so unless you can identify the approximate location where (your ancestors) lived, you may have no choice but to browse through the records of multiple registration districts”.

In what has to do with censuses in France, many have been local as well. Of course, besides local censuses, there have been some national censuses. But there is a “but”: national censuses have not yet been digitized and must be consulted at the departmental archives, which is something difficult even if you live in France.

The first census listing names in France (and thus useful from a genealogical point of view) was taken in the year 1772.  One was carried out in 1975, and another under Napoleon in 1801; next one was recorded in 1806, next in 1821, and from then on census was performed every 5 years. While 1871 census was delayed until 1872, 1916 census was skipped because of World War I.  But somehow between 1795 and 1836, censuses show only statistics without personal names, and just after 1836 they provide the most useful information genealogically speaking.

What is the solution and why?

• National censuses have not yet been microfilmed and therefore, for the time being, the only solution for checking most censuses is going to the local archives.
• Good news is that LSD is working on these censuses right now. I myself have recently volunteered to index for LDS and I am mostly consecrating to French censuses. Hopefully, little by little we will start having some more information online. It is a pity this work hasn’t been done before: as far as I was able to check, registers have been very well preserved, and information is very clear. Indexing French census schedules is not difficult at all.
• Census records already published by LDS, are available both the LDS Family History Library and on the web. By clicking on a specific department of an interactive map of France available at https://familysearch.org/wiki/en/France_Genealogy, you can access specific information for such department.
• com has also some interesting information available online. Check http://search.ancestry.co.uk/Places/Europe/France/Default.aspx for some French censuses.
• Besides this, the genealogy expert, Kimberly Powel, in her article “French Genealogy Records Online. French Databases — Actes Etat Civil” [ii]provides useful links to 54 French departmental archives. You can check full article at http://genealogy.about.com/od/france/tp/France-Genealogy-Records-Online.01.htm
• Apart from census registers, you can search French ancestors, by locating their vital records. As mentioned above, in France, vital records are departmental and not national. However by checking the “Tables décennales de l´état civil” – most of which are available on line – you can get the place and the date of the event you are looking for, to later check the right register for the full information.  The “Tables décennales” are some kind of indexes carried apart from vital records that gather information in groups of 10 years.  Records from 1792 on can be found on line: you just have to place in google the phrase “tables décennales” and you will get several useful links to them.
• You can also take profit of military records, which are a gold mine for ancestor´s information in France. The[iii] “military records are held by the Army and Navy Historical Services in Vincennes, France. Records survive from as early as the 17th century and may include information on a man’s wife, children, marriage date, address, a physical description of the man, and details of his service”.  com is a good source for military records too. You can check them at: http://search.ancestry.co.uk/Places/Europe/France/Default.aspx?category=35&ldf=2
• Cemetery records are also a noticeable source of genealogical information in France. They are kept locally and may include the name and age of the deceased, the birth date, death date, and place of residence. The cemetery keeper may also have records with detailed information[iv].
• Last but not least, notarial records are also an important genealogical source in France and can include such records as marriage settlements, wills, inventories, guardianship agreements, and property transfers. Some of the oldest available records in France are part of this collection: some date back to the 1300s. Unfortunately most of them are not indexed, but can be checked at departmental archives. In practical terms, it is almost impossible to research these records without hiring a professional genealogist.[v]

Is there anything  should I consider when looking for French ancestors at the French Censuses?

• Indeed yes. The information on French censuses should be used with caution, since the information was not being given by the householder but may have been given by any member of the family or a neighbor. Some information may be incorrect or deliberately falsified.
• For those not reading French, LDS provides a list of the most commonly used genealogical terms in French at https://familysearch.org/wiki/en/France_Language_and_Languages#General_Word_List

[i] Kimberly Powell, “French Civil Registration. Vital Records of Birth, Marriage and Death in France.” About parenting, http://genealogy.about.com/od/france/a/French-Civil-Registration.htm, May 2, 2016.

[ii] Kimberly Powell, “French Genealogy Records Online. French Databases — Actes Etat Civil », About parenting, http://genealogy.about.com/od/france/tp/France-Genealogy-Records-Online.htm January 23, 2016.

[iii] Kimberly Powell, “Genealogy in France. More Sources for Genealogical Information in France”, About parenting, http://genealogy.about.com/od/france/a/french_ancestry_5.htm, June 30, 2016.

[iv] Kimberly Powell, “Genealogy in France. More Sources for Genealogical Information in France”, About parenting, http://genealogy.about.com/od/france/a/french_ancestry_5.htm, June 30, 2016.

[v] Kimberly Powell, “Genealogy in France. More Sources for Genealogical Information in France”, About parenting, http://genealogy.about.com/od/france/a/french_ancestry_5.htm, June 30, 2016.

By, Carmen Vazquez Sibils