Census records

In 2010, as the census forms were sent out, a few congressional representatives made a fuss about the census being an invasion of privacy, and a few political radio entertainers urged citizens not to participate in this exercise, which was first established in our Constitution. Yet, in addition to the importance of the census to appropriate representation in Congress and so  many other important functions of government,  the census is invaluable to another group of people: genealogists. 

First, let me reassure everyone that genealogists are unable to access census records after 1930, so the privacy of most living citizens is protected in that respect.  In a year, we will be able to finally access the records from the 1940 census, but it will be another ten years before the 1950 census report is available. 

I would never have been able to put together a family tree without census records.  They are the second on-line source of information for me after other family trees posted on ancestry.com.  I usually look up records in this order:

1. Ancestry.com family trees with the name of my ancestor.  Frequently these have misinformation which is why the next six sources are necessary.
2. Census records
3. Military records
4. Birth and Death records and obituaries
5. Newspaper stories from my hometown and the hometown of many of my relatives
6. Biographical sketches regarding early American ancestors
7. Genealogical data on specific families located other places on the internet

The census is one of my most valued sources of information.  Not only can I find (or confirm) names of ancestors, their spouses and children, I can find or estimate their birthdates as well.  Some census records give me the occupations of my ancestors.  Most give me the birthplaces of the ancestor and the birthplaces of their parents.  So if there are several census reports on women named "Margaret Brennan," for instance, I can find out if the report I am looking at is the one for my ancestor by checking the city of residence, the birthdate, the spouse and children's names, and then the birthplace of her parents.  As long as I have a pretty good idea of what these are, I can be fairly sure I have the right person.  Then, if there is a piece of information I am missing, like the name of a child, or her occupation, or her spouse's full name, I may be able to find it.

Census records, however, can contain confusing or incorrect information and the researcher must keep this in mind.  Early census reports were filled out by hand, and some are difficult to read. Often names are misspelled so you have to examine the report carefully.  But after reading hundreds of these reports you can get the hang of it and know how to look past mistakes and find the information you need. 

One thing that makes searching census records even more tedious is the number of names that are the same.  I have often laughed at the number of people who have the same name in the Irish side of my family as well as the Croatian side of my husband's family.  These families stuck to the same names and used them over and over again.  Among my Irish ancestors, the most common names are Edward, Robert, John, Michael, Mary, Sally, Bridget, Rose and Nora.  In my husband's family, the most frequently used names are Anton or Anthony, Mate or Mike, Nicholas, Thomas, Magdalena, Maria, Anna, and Antoinette. Often there will be half a dozen people in the family with the same first and last name, so finding the correct census can be a tedious process.  When the ancestors got a little creative and gave an unusual name to a child - like Cletus, my grandfather's name -  it makes the search much easier. (If the name is too unusual, however, the census worker is likely to misspell it.)

So census records are valuable sources of information for much more than just dates.  They bring people into sharper focus and round out the picture of thousands of people I have never met. 

I can't wait for the release of the 1940 census.