How to Find Census Data for Ancestors
With the technology of the Internet, searching for census information for your ancestors is quicker and less difficult. Having as much information beforehand can help simplify your search. Start with a notebook and write down everything you know about the family members you want to look up. If you're not sure about exact dates, try to estimate within about five years. Patience is important as the older the census records are, the harder they may be to read.
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Instructions
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Join a website that will facilitate your search for census information. See Resources for some examples.
Gather as much information on your relatives as you can get. First and last names, dates of birth and death, and city or state they lived in are invaluable pieces of information. The more you have, the easier your search will be.
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Search by surname to cast a wide net at first. Keep in mind that before 1850, census information only recorded the name of the head of household and number and age of other occupants. Remember that babies and children didn't always live a long time, so don't discount a person just because they have more children than you thought they did.
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Don't be discouraged by the records. Early census records were handwritten and sometimes hard to read. Make notes of where people lived to use to gain more information. If you have a city and state, you can now use court documents, newspapers and voting information to learn more about your ancestors.
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Tips & Warnings
Talk to as many living relatives as you can to get information on your ancestors to help facilitate your search.
Use the resources available. Many websites also have photo galleries with old yearbook and newspaper photos. If you have enough information you can find something of interest there.
Sometimes the census took a year or more to take since people had to go door to door. Keep that in mind while searching.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit family image by Mat Hayward from Fotolia.com
