Alabama State Census, 1855 - FamilySearch Historical Records

Collection Time Period
These records cover individuals living in Alabama in 1855.

Record Description
This is an index to the census taken in Alabama in 1855.

Record Content
The index contains the following information:


 * Names of individuals or heads of families
 * Residence
 * Film number
 * Digital folder numbe
 * Page number
 * Image number

The census contains the following information:


 * Names of individuals or heads of families
 * Number of white males under 21 in the family
 * Number of white males over 21 in the family
 * Number of white females under 21 in the family
 * Number of white females over 21 in the family
 * Total whites in the family
 * Insane within each county
 * Insane sent abroad
 * Slaves
 * Free persons of color
 * Total inhabitants

How to Use the Record
To begin your search it is helpful to know a full name. If you do not have the full name, use the surname. Put the names in the boxes on the initial search page and search the collection. Look at the list of entries created by your search. Compare the information about the ancestors in the list to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct family or person. You may need to compare the information about more than one person to find your ancestor. An approximate birth date can help you narrow your list of possible matches.

Using the Information
The information in this index can help you with the following:


 * Use the names, county, and page number to locate your ancestor in the actual census.
 * Use the names and location to locate your ancestor in the 1850 and 1860 federal censuses of Alabama.
 * Use the residence to locate additional records such as church and land records.

Tips to Keep in Mind

 * Remember, this is only an index.
 * If the surname is unusual, you may want to compile the entries for every person of the same surname.
 * There is also some variation in the information given from record to record.
 * If you are unable to find the ancestors you are looking for, check for variant spellings of the names.

Record History
The State of Alabama conducted state censuses in the following years: 1818 (partial), 1820 (partial), 1821 (partial), 1823, 1850, 1855, 1866, and 1907.

Why the Record Was Created
The census was compiled to obtain a count of the population of the state to determine how many representatives the state would send to Congress.

Record Reliability
The information is generally reliable. However, use the information with some caution, since the information may have been given to a census taker by any member of the family or by a neighbor. Some information may have been incorrect or deliberately falsified.

Related Websites

 * Chattahoochee Valley Libraries
 * Columbus Public Library
 * Alabama Genealogy
 * New Horizons Genealogy

Related Wiki Articles
Alabama Censuses, Existing and Lost

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
When you copy information from a record, you should list where you found the information. This will help you or others to find the record again. It is also good to keep track of records where you did not find information, including the names of the people you looked for in the records.

A suggested format for keeping track of records that you have searched is found in the wiki article Help:How to Cite FamilySearch Collections.

Example of a Source Citation for a Record Found in This Collection
"Alabama State Census, 1855: index and images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org: accessed 16 Decenber 2011). entry for Eliza Franklin, residence Perry, Alabama, citing Census Records, FHL microfilm 1,686,107; Department of Archives and History, Montgomery, Alabama, United States.

Citation for This Collection
The following citation refers to the original source of the data and images published on FamilySearch.org Historical Records. It may include the author, custodian, publisher, and archive for the original records.

Alabama. State Census, 1855. Department Of Archives and History. Montgomery, Alabama.

Information about creating source citations for FamilySearch Historical Collections is listed in the wiki article Help:How to Create Source Citations For FamilySearch Historical Records Collections.