A Deep Dive into the US Census Records

The US Census has changed greatly since the first one was performed in 1790. This presentation will discuss how the census has changed from 1790 to 1950, provide an explanation of the data that is available in the various census records, and how to develop that into a timeline to discover the details for your family. Prior to 1850, the US Census was a list of names and tick marks. From 1850 to 1950, six basic questions asked in each census remained the same: name, age, gender, race, occupation, and place of birth. Relationship to head of household was asked from 1880 to 1950, and the citizenship status of each foreign-born person was asked from 1890 to 1950. The information from each census alone gives you a snapshot of the family but by combining several census years together, you can begin to see patterns in occupations, residences, and many other characteristics that can help you discover the story of your ancestors. Previous experience working with census records is recommended for this class.

This session has limited seating.