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Census Records

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Posted by Your Guide on July 6, 2006 9:48 PM

Census records are the mainstay of most genealogical research. Not only do they provide information about families, names, locations, and relationships, they can also contain birth dates, birth place, and include extended family members' information. Census records are available in local libraries, archives and genealogy libraries. They can also be viewed at state archives and historical society libraries. Census records are also being made available on the internet through both subscription and free web sites.

Census records are not always 100 percent accurate and should not be viewed as proof of anything. Census takers were dependent on the family giving the information to be accurate. They were not always the best spellers, and sometimes made mistakes at the end of a long, hot day when they were tired. They sometimes traveled great distances to enumerate a family only to be turned away with only a last name and a few initials. Some census takers felt that since initials were easier to write than all those names, they would take that shortcut. Census takers could not realize the value the information they wrote would have to a searching family member one day and many felt that if the number of people were counted, that's all that mattered.

Census records have deteriorated over time and many are almost illegible. A few have been indexed by helpful genealogists and those indices are of great value when trying to decipher old records. The handwriting of the enumerator was also a problem in some cases. Some enumerators had such beautiful script that it is almost impossible to read while others wrote so sloppily that it, too, is unreadable.

Census records also have huge gaps. Not every person in every county was counted and some were counted twice - with different information on each record. When one family was too far away or unavailable, neighbors were asked about the family. Most of them tried to give accurate information, but often did not.

However, census records give us valuable clues and sometimes accurate information about our family's past. Knowing where they lived, when they lived, and those who lived nearby is a valuable find to a genealogist.



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