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I was a census taker in 1960. I was a sociology major at the Rogers Park campus of Loyola University in Chicago, Illiinois. In April that year, I went to the local census headquarters at the Edgewater Beach Hotel and picked up a census kit containing census forms, instructions, and the addresses assigned to me in Rogers Park. I took the census where I was told, signed the forms, and submitted them to headquarters back at the Edgewater Beach Hotel.
I had no idea that some day I might become an amateur genealogist and look at images of the original census sheets as my single most important source of infomation.
In 2032, when I am 92 years old, the pages for Rogers Park with my name on them will be made public.
U.S. Constitution
Article I, Section 2 of the the U. S. Constituion requires that a census be taken every 10 years in order to apportion the members of the House of Representatives. Census information is not made public until 72 years after the census year. The 1940 census will not be made public until 2012.
1890 Census Destroyed by Fire
Most of the original 1890 census was destroyed in 1921 by a fire in the Commerce Department.
Searching the Census
There are three ways to search for ancestors in the U.S. Census:
- HeritageQuest, which is available at many libraries and can be viewed at home as well as at the library. Not available: for searching: 1830, 1840, 1850, 1930 (partial).
- Ancestry.com, which is available at some libraries as Ancestry Library Edition or can be viewed at home by paying a fee.
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Family Search On-Line, which can be viewed at home without a fee. For 1850, 1860, 1870. Provided by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
- Family Search, which can be viewed at home without a fee. For 1880. No images. Provided by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
These services have indexed the names in the census and allow you to search for a name in a state for a census year. They also allow advanced searches with more criteria. Sometimes, the name is not available because the original form is difficult to read or it has been misread by the indexer. This problem often can be circumvented with extra effort by searching the first name and adding criteria to narrow the search or searching page by page in a certain geographic area.
History of the Census
For the history of the Census and instructions to census takers, see History of the Census and Its Samples. Ancestry.com allows you to download census forms at US Census Forms.
U.S. Census Items, 1840-1930
| Item | 1840 | 1850 | 1860 | 1870 | 1880 | 1900 | 1910 | 1920 | 1930 |
|---|
| Address |
City |
City |
City |
City |
City and street |
City and street |
City and street |
City and street |
City and street |
| Name |
Head only |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Relationship |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Age |
Bracket |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Month and year born |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Marital status |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
Years married and number of children |
Years married and number of children |
Yes |
Age first married |
| Birthplace |
No |
Self |
Self |
Self |
Self and parents |
Self and parents |
Self and parents |
Self and parents |
Self and parents |
| Occupation |
Industry |
Males over 15 |
Males over 15 |
Males over 15 |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Literacy |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Immigration year |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
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About the U.S. Census