Making Sense of the Census
February 21, 2011
Making Sense of the Census
By Cheri Hinchman Widzowski
2010 is a big year for the genealogists of the future – our children, grandchildren, and perhaps our great-great-great-great-grandchildren. That is because the 2010 census will let our future generations know important facts about us – their ancestors. Hard to think that way sometimes, but we, the current generation of genealogists and family researchers, are the subjects of future genealogical research. So when you are asked next year to complete all that paperwork, remember, you’re doing your current and future descendants a favor by making information about yourselves available to them.
What exactly is the census? The census is a count held every 10 years, mandated by the U.S. Constitution, of everyone living in the United States. The last U.S. census was in 2000. Participation in the census is required by U.S. law. According to the official government census website, www.census.gov, the census form takes less than 10 minutes to complete.
Setting up a system for counting the residents of our country was one of the first acts of our young nation, and dictated by Clause 3 of Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution. According to an article on the Wikipedia encyclopedic website (www.wikipedia.org):
‘Representatives and direct Taxes shall be apportioned among the several States which may be included within this Union, according to their respective Numbers, which shall be determined by adding to the whole Number of free Persons, including those bound to Service for a Term of Years, and excluding Indians not taxed, three fifths of all other Persons. The actual Enumeration shall be made within three Years after the first Meeting of the Congress of the United States, and within every subsequent Term of ten Years, in such Manner as they shall by Law direct.’
As you may be aware, the federal census is politically a very controversial event. As part of the U.S. census, every ten years, the government collects data that is used to determine our representation in Congress. Population changes (growth and/or decline) establish the basis for everything from where congressional district lines are drawn to how much funding local schools and municipalities receive. Census data are used to distribute Congressional seats to states, to make decisions about what community services to provide, and to distribute $300 billion in federal funds to local, state and tribal governments each year.
For family history and genealogical research, the U.S. Census records are a treasure-trove of information. Taking a census was one of the very first things our young nation did, with the first census conducted in 1790. This census collected the following information: head of family; the number of free white males 16 and over and those under 16; all free white females; all other persons (slaves) and the county and state of residence. With each succeeding census, more detailed information was collected. For example, in 1850, the census takers recorded the names of each person in the household, as well as their age, sex, color, occupation, value of real estate, and birthplace. In addition, information on marriage or schooling occurring within the year and whether or not a person could not read or write was recorded. The most dramatic change to the census was in 1900 when personal description, nativity, citizenship, occupation, education and residence information was added to the official census records.
With the fantastic research tool we know as the Internet, one can track down family information from past U.S. censuses quite easily. You don’t have to travel to dusty, musty government offices – instead, you can surf from the comfort of your own home or local public library. In addition to the official U.S. Census website, www.census.gov, one can find census data on genealogical websites such as www.ancestry.com. What is really amazing, is that you can find (and print for your own records) scanned copies of the original census forms, handwritten 200 years ago by the earliest census workers. If those are too difficult to interpret, you can also view and print tabulated data. Data from one census, however, is very difficult to track down. Nearly all of the records from the 1890 census were destroyed in a fire. However, some census data from that year is available in special records that counted Union veterans of the Civil War and their widows. These are sometimes used as a substitute for the missing 1890 population records.
For those concerned about privacy, rest assured that any current information about you and your family is not publicly available. In fact, the government only makes records 70 or more years old available for research. So when you dig through the U.S. census records to find information about your families, you won’t find any records older than the 1930 census. So do your future descendants a favor and be a good citizen – complete your 2010 census when it (or an official U.S. government Census worker) arrives at your home.
