Let’s discuss the censuses and
then answer a few questions proposed here. The federal
census began in 1790 as a way to allocate the number of
seats in the House proportionally according to our
Constitution. This is conducted every ten years. We are the
only country to have such detailed population and
demographic information.
The census findings affect the
allocation of federal funding for educational programs,
health and welfare, law enforcement, federal highway
projects, farmers’ aid, etc.
The early censuses before 1850
did not give the names of those in the household, only the
numbers in an age range for both sexes. Nevertheless, these
censuses are important.
Before the 1880 census, we did
not know the relationship of those living in the household.
We had only to assume the female listed below the male of
household was his wife and the children living in the
household were this couple’s children. In reality, this is
not always the truth.
The fire of 1921 mostly destroyed
the 1890 census. There are only a few roles in existence,
mostly for the latter half of the alphabet. Texas has only a
handful of extant that census year. The closest county to
survive near Collin County is Rockwall. Are any of your
counties available for 1890? Do you know how to find out?
Now, are you ready for a little
census quiz? At the end, I will tell you where to find the
answers. Through hunting, you will find many more answers to
questions relating to your family research. In addition, by
bookmarking the site, you will know where to find this
information for later searches.
Question:
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Where were they in 1900?
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How many children did they have?
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Were there any stillborn children?
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How many children were living at the date of enumeration?
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Did they live in the country or living in an urban area?
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If they lived in the city, do you know their house number and street address?
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How long had they been married?
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How can I find out their age when they got married?
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Find out where they and their parents were born.
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How old were they when they immigrated if they were not born here and what year did they come?
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Do they speak English?
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Are they citizens or aliens?
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What was the occupation of everyone over ten years of age and how many months did they not work during the year?
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Were they either literate or in school?
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If they lived on a farm, did they mainly have livestock or farm machinery?
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Did they own their residence?
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The above answers are all
available on the 1900 Federal Census. It and all the other
censuses are located on the following link. While you are
there, find out what survives of the 1890 census, what are
non-population censuses, and which censuses are the military
censuses. The answers are here,
http://home.att.net/~wee-monster/census.html.
The census soundex code is at
http://www.census-online.com/tools/soundex/.
Blank census forms and charts are
available at
http://www.ancestry.com/charts/census.aspx.
Brenda Kellow has a
bachelor's degree in history, teaches, and lectures on
genealogy. Before retiring to publish her family’s histories
in 2007, Brenda held certification as a Certified
Genealogist and as a Certified
Genealogical Instructor. Send reunions announcements, books
to review, and genealogy queries to:
TracingOurRoots@gmail.com.