Argentina, Capital Federal, Census, 1855 - FamilySearch Historical Records

Argentina City of Buenos Aires

What is in the Collection?
This collection includes census records for 1855.

Each of the census registers is separated by a title page, which includes the name of the parish, the name or number of the ward, and the name or number of the block. It is followed by the enumeration sheets containing the following information in columns: Names and surnames of the inhabitants, relationship to the householder, civil status, gender, age, if the person knows how to read and write, place of birth, nationality, the length of time in the country if the person is a foreigner, and occupation or profession.

This census of the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina, was performed on Wednesday, October 17, 1855, under the direction of the then Statistics Department (Mesa de Estadística), which was directed at the time by Justo Maeso. Authorization for the census was given in July 1855 by the government council member Valentín Alsina. This census covers about 92,000 inhabitants.

For the purpose of the census, the city of Buenos Aires was divided into thirteen parishes: Balvanera, Barracas al Norte, Catedral Sud, Catedral del Norte, Cañuelas, La Piedad, Monserrat, Para Campo, Pilar, San Miguel, San Nicolas, San Pedro Gonzalez Telmo and Socorro. Each parish was subdivided into barracks and blocks.

The data element listed in the census is of great value when civil or parish records are not available. It will permit the patron to find information unavailable elsewhere, which will help to continue research for an ancestor. The census records should be considered as a secondary source and used only when civil or church records are not available.

These records are written in Spanish; see the section For Help Reading these Records for translation helps.

What Can this Collection Tell Me?
The census of 1855 of the city of Buenos Aires may include the following information:


 * Name
 * Relationship to head of household
 * Gender
 * Age
 * Marital Status
 * Residence
 * Birthplace
 * Country of birth
 * Literacy
 * Number of years in Argentina

How Do I Search the Collection?
As you are searching it is helpful to know such information as your relative’s given name and surname, some identifying information such as residence and age, and family relationships. Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name as your ancestor and that your ancestor may have used nicknames or different names at different times.

Search by Name by visiting the Collection Page: Fill in the requested information in the initial search page. This search will return a list of possible matches. Compare the information about the relatives in the list to what you already know about your relatives 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 relative.

View images in this collection by visiting the Browse Page: ⇒ Select the "Browse" link in the initial search page ⇒ Select the “Parish” category ⇒ Select the “Section Number” category that takes you to the images.

For Help Reading These Records
These records are in Spanish. For help reading the records, see the following wiki articles:


 * Spanish Genealogical Word List
 * Reading Spanish handwritten records
 * Script tutorial for Spanish
 * Argentina Language and Languages

I Found Who I was Looking for, Now What?

 * Use the marriage date and place as the basis for compiling a new family group or for verifying existing information.
 * Use the birth date or age along with the place of birth of each partner to find a couple's birth records and parents' names.
 * Use the birth date or age along with the place of birth to find the family in census records.
 * Use the residence and names of the parents to locate church and land records.
 * Occupations listed can lead you to other types of records such as employment or military records.
 * Use the parents' birth places to find former residences and to establish a migration pattern for the family.
 * The name of the officiator is a clue to their religion or area of residence in the county. However, ministers may have reported marriages performed in other counties.
 * Compile the marriage entries for every person who has the same surname as the bride or groom; this is especially helpful in rural areas or if the surname is unusual.
 * Continue to search the marriage records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives of the bride and groom who may have married in the same county or nearby. This can help you identify other generations of your family or even the second marriage of a parent. Repeat this process for each new generation you identify.
 * Use the marriage number to identify previous marriages.
 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.

I Can't Find Who I'm Looking for, Now What?
If you are unable to find the ancestors you are looking for, try the following:


 * Check for variant spellings of the surnames.
 * Search the records of nearby localities.

Known Issues with This Collection
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Citing this Collection
Citing your sources makes it easy for others to find and evaluate the records you used. When you copy information from a record, list where you found that information. Here you can find citations already created for the entire collection and for each individual record or image.

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