FAMILY HISTORY

U.S. FEDERAL CENSUS

Drake Library Resources

 

Indexes and Helps (on top of the file cabinet holding the census microfilm on the lower level of the library)

 

Map Guide to the U.S. Federal Censuses, 1790 – 1920 (MIC 3 HV)

Show county boundary changes for each of the census years.

 

New York in 1800: an index to the Federal census schedules of the state of New York, with other aids to research (MIC Index MIC 3 HA 1 1800)

Name index to the 1800 census for New York.  Also contains examples of early penmanship

 

Federal Population Censuses 1790 – 1890: a catalog of microfilm copies of the schedules (MIC Index MIC 3 HA 1)

Lists census and Soundex records available on microfilm from the National Archives 1790 – 1890. Check marks identify microfilm owned.

 

1900 Federal Population Census: a catalog of microfilm copies of the schedules (MIC Index Mic 3 HA 1)

Lists census and Soundex , and enumeration district descriptions available on microfilm from the National Archives for 1900. Check marks identify microfilm owned.

 

1910 Federal Population Census: a catalog of microfilm copies of the schedules

Lists census, Soundex and enumeration district descriptions available on microfilm from the National Archives for 1910. Check marks identify microfilm owned.

 

1920 Federal Population Census: catalog of National Archives microfilm

Lists census, Soundex, and enumeration district descriptions available on microfilm from the National Archives for 1920. Check marks identify microfilm owned.

 

1930 Federal Population Census: catalog of National Archives microfilm

Lists census, Soundex, and enumeration district descriptions available on microfilm from the National Archives for 1930.  Check marks identify microfilm owned.

 

 

 

Soundex

The Soundex system is a method of indexing names in the 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920 and 1930 US Censuses. This alphanumeric system codes surnames so as to group together names of the same and similar sounds but variant spellings.

Code

Key letters

1

b,p,f,v

2

c,s,k,g,j,q,x,z

3

d,t

4

l

5

m,n

6

r

The first letter of the surname is used but not coded.

The letters a,e,i,o,u,y,w and h are not coded

Every Soundex number must be a 3-digit number.  A name yielding no code numbers such as Lee, would be L000.  One coding only 1 number would have 2 zeros added.  Not more than 3 digits are used, so Ebelson would be coded E142 not E1425.

When 2 key letters appear together, the 2 are coded by a single number: Kelly is K400; Schaefer S160; Buerck B620 or Lloyd L300

Prefixes such as van, Von, Di de le, Di, D’, dela, or du are sometimes disregarded in coding.

 

Examples

Name

Letters Coded

Code No.

Allricht

l,r,c

A462

Engebrethson

n,g,b

E521

Hanselmann

n,s,l

H524

McGee

c

M200

 

Soundex Converter

http://resources.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/soundexconverter

 

Census Enumeration Schedules 1790-1930

Microfilmed reproductions of the record books used by the house to house enumerators who took the federal census.  Information varies with the census year. (MIC 3 HA 1)

 

Year

Holdings

1790

Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Vermont, Virginia. ALL STATES.

1800

New York

1810

New York

1820

Ontario, Essex, Niagara, Genesee, Hamilton, Jefferson Counties,

1830

Monroe, Orleans, Oswego Counties

1840

2 parts of Genesee, Monroe, Orleans Counties

1850

Chicago, Illinois; Boston wards 1-12 and part of Suffolk County, Massachusetts; Erie including Buffalo wards 1-5, Genesee, Monroe including Rochester wards 1-9, Niagara, part of Onondaga including Syracuse, part of Ontario, Orleans, Seneca, Wayne, Wyoming Counties; Allegheny including Pittsburgh wards 1-9, Pennsylvania

1860

Alleghany, Cattaraugus, Cayuga, Chautauqua, Erie including Buffalo wards 1-13, Genesee, Livingston, Monroe including Rochester wards 1-12, Niagara, Onondaga including Syracuse, Ontario, Orleans, Steuben, Wayne, Wyoming Counties, New York

1870

Chicago wards 1-20, Illinois; Boston wards 1-16, Massachusetts; Allegany, Cattaraugus, Cayuga, Chautauqua, Chemung, Erie including Buffalo wards 1-13, Genesee, Brooklyn wards 1-3 only, Livingston, Monroe including Rochester wards 1-14, New York City wards 1-2 only, Niagara, Utica, part of Onondaga including Syracuse wards 1-8, Ontario, Orleans, Schuyler, Suffolk, Wayne, Wyoming Counties, New York; City of Allegheny wards 1-8, Pittsburgh wards 1-23, Pennsylvania

1880

The entire census is available for searching at http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/Search/frameset_search.asp?PAGE=census/search_census.asp

Cumberland County including Chicago wards 1-18, Illinois; Suffolk County including Boston wards 1-25, Massachusetts; Allegheny, Broome, Cattaraugus, Cayuga, Chautauqua, Chemung, Chenango, Erie including Buffalo wards 1-13, Genesee, Brooklyn part of ward 2, 3-4, Livingston, Monroe, part of New York City ward 1, 23,24, Niagara, Oneida including Utica wards 1-12, Onondaga including Syracuse wards 1-8, Ontario, Orleans, Oswego including Oswego wards 1-8, Schuyler, Steuben, Suffolk, Tioga, Tompkins, Wayne, Wyoming Counties, New York; Allegheny including City of Allegheny wards 1-13, Pittsburgh wards 1-36, Union Counties, Pennsylvania

1890

Special Schedule Enumerating Union Veterans and Widows of Union Veterans of the Civil War in Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Ontario, Orleans, Seneca, Wayne, Wyoming, Yates Counties, New York

1900

Census Enumeration District Descriptions for Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio alphabetically arranged by place name;

New York counties including: Allegany, Cattaraugus, Cayuga, Chautauqua, Chemung, Chenango, Clinton, Cortland, Erie including Buffalo, Genesee, Brooklyn E.D. 1-55, Livingston, Madison, Monroe including Rochester, Montgomery, Nassau, Manhattan E.D. 1-44, Niagara, Onondaga including Syracuse, Ontario, Orleans, Oswego, Richmond, Schoharie, Schuyler, Seneca, Steuben, Suffolk, Sullivan, Tioga, Tompkins, Wayne, Wyoming, Yates; Pennsylvania counties including Union.

1910

Census Enumeration District Descriptions for New York alphabetically arranged by place name;

New York counties including: Mercer County, New Jersey; Albany, Allegany, Chenango, Broome, Cattaraugus, Cayuga, Chautauqua, Chemung, Clinton, Columbia, Essex, Cortland, Delaware, Hamilton, Dutchess, Franklin, Erie, Fulton, Otsego, Greene, Genesee, Herkimer, Rockland, Jefferson, Lewis, Livingston, Madison, Monroe, Montgomery, Nassau, Niagara, Putnam, Oneida, Oneida, Onondaga, Ontario, Orange, Orleans, Oswego, Queens, Rensselaer, Sullivan, Richmond, St. Lawrence, Yates, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, Steuben, Seneca, Suffolk, Tioga, Ulster, Warren, Wyoming, Washington, Westchester, Wayne, Yates; Pennsylvania counties including: Delaware, Union.

1920

Census Enumeration District Descriptions for New York alphabetically arranged by place name;

New York counties including: Allegany, Broome, Cattaraugus, Cayuga, Chautauqua, Chemung, Chenango, Clinton, Columbia, Cortland, Delaware, Dutchess, Erie, Essex, Franklin, Hamilton, Fulton, Genesee, Herkimer, Jefferson, Livingston, Madison, Monroe, part of Bronx including Bronx part of Kings including Brooklyn Borough, part of New York County Manhattan Borough, part of Queens including Queens Borough, Niagara, Oneida, Onondaga, Ontario, Orange, Oswego, Orleans, Schuyler, Tompkins, Seneca, Steuben, Tioga, Wayne, part of Westchester.

1930

Geographic search of the 1930 census to locate roll and ED numbers for a geographic place or a Soundex search to locate name (Soundex) indexes of the 12 southern states at http://1930census.archives.gov

New York counties including: Allegany, Cayuga, Chautauqua, Erie (not Buffalo city), Genesee, Monroe, Niagara, Onondaga, Ontario, Orange, Orleans, Oswego, Otsego, Steuben, Wayne, Wyoming