A fascinating way to learn about the history of your family is to build a family tree, and census records are a great place to start gathering information.
The Federal Population Census is an accounting of individuals in the United States that has been conducted since 1790 and repeated every 10 years. Initially, the only names recorded were those who were the Head of Household for the family, although other family members were listed as numbers within specific age groups. Beginning in 1850, however, the Census requested details for every family member; including names, ages, the country of birth, the state of birth, year of immigration, occupations, marriage statistics, addresses and parent birthplace. Having this data can provide invaluable information to begin building your family tree.
To begin, start with the most recent census record available. It is important to realize that the US government imposes a 72 year restriction for access on the census records, so the earliest record year available would be 72 years prior to the year you begin your search. This means that in 2010 the earliest accessible census records would be 1938. While this might sound as though it would be prohibitive, the family history from the past 72 years is, in most cases, known by family members. It is the older ancestors that are the enigma in most families. Starting with the oldest family member known, it is possible to probe further and further back into the family genealogy with the information provided in the census records.
It is crucial to know the name of the ancestor and where they lived to get started. Once that individual is located, it will be possible to obtain names and ages of siblings and parents. This provides a catalyst to even deeper research into your family’s past. The information about the location of the individual’s last residence may take you into different areas of the United States, or even into different countries. Many countries have records of births, marriages and deaths that can be accessed on line, although not all information is the result of census records. Don’t become discouraged; though it may become more difficult to find this data in other countries, it is not impossible.
In early Biblical days, knowing your heritage was crucial; in current day, learning about family history is more a subject of fascination. There is valuable information to be obtained from these long gone ancestors, such an ethnicity, health and longevity that can be passed along to future generations.
State censuses rank with federal censuses as a major genealogical resource, but, because they were taken randomly, remain a much under-utilized resource in American genealogy. State censuses not only stand as substitutes for some of the missing 1790, 1800, 1810, and 1890 censuses (as well as many county and statewide enumerations lost or destroyed between 1790 and 1890) but also as valuable population enumerations in their own right...
State Census Records
List Price: $21.00
Sale Price: $8.99
You save: $12.01 (57%)
Description
Features