How to Find Your Ancestry From 1870
If you are looking to trace your ancestry from the 1870's, a great place to start is the United States Census. On June 1, 1870 Ulysses S. Grant was the President of the United States and after the Civil War the census questionnaire was reordered and redesigned to account for the end of slavery. Schedules for the census included; general population, mortality, products of industry, social statistics and agriculture. The 1870 enumeration was completed by August 23, 1871. African Americans can search slave trade records and research slave owner property records using their last names. Slaves were forced to take their owner's last name.
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Instructions
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Gather all the information you can about your family. Call relatives and ask for names, dates, locations and written documentation they may have kept about your ancestors. Census records list families in each household. Pinpoint the correct household and location by finding two or more ancestors in one household.
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Check the census of population and housing taken in 1870. Narrow your search down by choosing a state and county that your family populated in the 1870's. The more information you have about your family, the easier your search will be to locate their records. If you don't have such information, start with the state your family most populates today and begin your search from there
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Look at old family bibles and religious documents that are saved in your family. In the 1870's births were assisted by midwives and babies were born in family homes. This is especially true for African American families. Birth records and death records were kept in family bibles that were handed down from generation to generation. Search old family bibles to trace your ancestry to the 1870's.
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Research reliable websites such as Ancestry. These family history websites are updated daily with information. Find census records, death records, pictures, land records and locate your ancestors by submitting surnames. Use the site free for a limited time. A fee is charged monthly to keep the service.
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Use your library's national archives records to assist you in tracing your family history from the 1870's. The National Archives has detailed information as well as free assistance and classes you can take to help you search your ancestry. Scan local newspapers for that time period to check for events that your ancestor's may have been apart of.
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Review immigrant ship passenger lists. Check lists by country of arrival, state of arrival or by ethnic group. In the 1870's, the U.S. began to put restrictions on immigrants, such as how many could enter the U.S. In the 1870's most immigrants were from Germany, Ireland and England. Immigrants settled near ports of entry when possible.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit archive image by Victor M. from Fotolia.com
