How do you find US Census information for genealogy research?

Answer 1

The U.S. Census Bureau releases census information to the public after 72 years. So, census forms from 1790 to 1930 are now available.

You can find them on microfilm for research at the United States National Archives in Washington, DC, at some libraries, and at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS/Mormons) Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah, or at other LDS family history centers.

Census indexes and pages are also available online at subscription websites such as Genealogy.com and Ancestry.com.

Most libraries should have at least a few books of transcribed census records, if not microfilm and readers.

You could also try an internet search for census records if you haven't already. Many genealogy pages have transcribed or scanned records freely available for anyone who needs them.

This site claims to have thousands of links to online census records: census-online.com

USGenweb has two online census projects worth checking out at:

us-census.org

and

USGenweb Census Project

While you are there, don't forget to check out their State Pages:

USGenweb State Links

As I mentioned above a lot of people put census info on their web pages.

You can also buy books, microfilm, and CDs of Census data - sometimes you can get lucky and find exactly what you need...used!

Be careful about buying subscriptions to some of the big genealogical sites or databases. An awful lot of the info - not only census data - they provide can be found free on the 'net (don't forget to look for messageboards - they can be invaluable). Then there are book stores, your local library or historical society, state archives, the clerk's office at the county courthouse, state or county health departments, and the list goes on and on.

The money you can save by not giving it to a large subscription site, may even be enough to hire a professional genealogist to do some research for you when you get stuck or have done as much on your own as you possibly can!

And if you haven't done so already, you might want to visit a nearby Family History Center.

To find a Family History Center in your area visit www.familysearch.org and click on the tab for "Library," then click on the link to "Family History Centers." This will take you to a page where you can search for family history center locations all over the world.

Another thing to try is to do a search for genealogists who volunteer their time and resources to help others locate data they need. Some will respond to reasonable requests at no cost to you at all. Others may only ask for postage or to be reimbursed for their expenses like copying fees.

If you decide to ask a volunteer to help you, be sure to read their policy or the website's policy and rules carefully.

ALSO:

>Limit yourself to one request at a time.

>Be courteous. Never forget 'Please' and 'Thank You.' You'd be surprised how many people don't bother. I have *rarely* come across a fellow genealogist who wasn't more than willing to share data, give advice or even help you with your research.

>Keep your requests reasonable.

Examples:

DON'T ask for all the census records they can find for John Doe in Virginia between 1850 and 1900.

DO ask for records from the 1860 Census pertaining to a John Doe, who would have been in his early thirties in 1860, and lived in Henry Co., Virginia, with his wife, Eliza, and three children.

>Provide as much detail as you can, especially if you are researching a common surname. Being as specific as you can regardless of how common or uncommon the surname may be will help make their job easier.

>Remember these people are 'volunteers.' They don't *have* to help you or anyone else. Most of them do it simply because they want to help.

>Whether they ask it of you or not, it's always a great way to 'pay' for the help you've been given by trying to help someone else.

And I almost forgot...you can learn about the NARA Microfilm Rental Program here: NARA Microfilm

Good Luck!