Genealogy Articles

It is well known that census records hold many clues for your ancestors. Many of those clues are easy to pick out. It may be worth taking another look to see if you missed something important.

Each time a census came out, the government changed the questions a little. So it depends on when your ancestor was alive and which census you have located them in. Remember that the census is only as good as the person giving the answers. It depended on who answered the door and what they knew about each family member in the house.

Ownership of Home and Farm: Did your ancestor list that they owned their own farm? If so, this gives you another place to look for records. Land records also contain a wealth of information. You can find out when exactly they purchased the land to give you a clearer picture of  when they migrated. Often times you can pick up clues in land records regarding who they were buying and selling the land to. All of this is helpful in putting the pieces of the puzzle together.

Citizenship: Depending on which census your ancestor was in, there may be more clues on their immigration other than just an arrival date. For instance, the 1920 census asks everyone when they arrived, if they were naturalized, and if so, when were they naturalized. This is a huge help in finding the naturalization record. Of course the dates may be inaccurate, but if they are correct, you know exactly when to look for that record. Be mindful of exactly how they answered the question of whether they were naturalized. The abbreviation PA means that at the time of the census, your ancestor had filed his paperwork to become naturalized but the process was not complete yet. The abbreviation NA means of course that they had become fully naturalized citizens by the time of the census.

Age at First Marriage: You may not have looked closely at this answer before. Many times this answer can help straighten out your ancestors lives and even break through a brick wall. If your ancestor was married more than once, this may give you something you couldn’t find before. The question is Age at First Marriage? Depending on how your ancestor interpreted the question, they may answer when they married their first spouse and not their present one. If you didn’t have this information before, you have it now.

Veterans: The 1930 census asks if your ancestor was a veteran. This is an often overlooked category that is tucked away towards the far right side of the page. You may have the person’s draft card but of course that does not tell you whether they ended up serving or not. You may be surprised at the answer.

Cluster Genealogy: This is a term that refers to examining one’s family, friends and neighbors in order to gain a better understanding of the ancestor you are researching. You may have located your ancestor in a census months or years ago. What have you found out since then? It is worth digging up and reviewing the information. Did you since discover a maiden name of an ancestor? Then it would be worth searching to see if her parent’s are living on the same page or at least in the same town. Was there a daughter that married? If you found her married name, then search to see if she is living close by with her new family. Many times those neighbors are related in some way. They are all worth taking a look at.

Additional Census Records: There are more than the National census records. Depending on what State they lived in and what the time period was, you may search for other types of census. One is a non-population census. This will give you a breakdown of exactly what your ancestors owned, what type of farm they ran, and how much it was all worth. This is all useful and interesting information. Also, some State census records are more informative than the National ones. The 1925 Iowa State census asks who everyone’s parents are and where they got married. This is something that we would love to see on every census, both State and National.

1940 Census: There are three questions on the 1940 census that were not asked previously. The first is where the ancestor lived five years prior to the census. This is vital in being able to track the movements of your elusive ancestor. The census only comes out once every ten years. This question allows us to see where they were just five years earlier. The second question is the ancestors highest educational grade achieved. This is more interesting to all of us rather than informative. The last question is their detailed income and occupation. It would be nice if this was listed on previous census, but we have it here.

Every line of the census record you find should be gone over time and time again. You will be surprised what new information you overlooked previously. Maybe it was a middle initial, or a new way to interpret a name. The smallest details can add up to a huge breakthrough.

It may be time to revisit that old document.

Todd White

Founder and Principle Researcher at Family History Detective