Marty and Karla Grant
[Home] [What’s New?] [Books for Sale] [Christian] [Genealogy] [Search] [Support] [About] [Contact]
Census Guide
[Genealogy Home] - [Reference Home] - Census Guide
My Book: A Guide to Using Federal Census Records 1790-1930 for Genealogy.
The U. S. Constitution calls for a Federal Census to be taken every ten years. The first one was held in 1790 and the most recent one was in 2020. However, the most recent one available for researchers is the 1950 census.
For genealogists, census records provide a valuable research tool. Although we are not allowed access to the more recent ones, the older ones provide a wonderful window into the world of our ancestors. Refer to my book (link above) for more comprehensive information and examples.
On these web pages I provide a little bit of information on each census. Census records can be found online at Ancestry.com, FamilySearch.org and other sites, as well as in most major libraries either via links to the above sites or on microfilm.
2. Race and ethnicity on the census (“Race Codes”)
3. 1790 Census
4. 1800 Census
5. 1810 Census
6. 1820 Census
7. 1830 Census
8. 1840 Census
9. 1850 Census - First census to list all free persons by name
10. 1860 Census
11. 1870 Census - First census to include former slaves.
12. 1880 Census - First census to include relationship information.
13. 1890 Census - Lost for most of the country
14. 1900 Census - Includes month and year of birth for each person.
15. 1910 Census
16. 1920 Census
17. 1930 Census
18. 1940 Census
19. 1950 Census
20. Enumerator Instructions - The actual instructions used for preparation of the 1850 through 1950 census. (External Link)
Sources for Census Records
Revised: July 23, 2026
Copyright © 1996-2026 Marvin A. Grant, Jr. All Rights Reserved.
[Home] [What’s New?] [Books for Sale] [Christian] [Genealogy] [Search] [Support] [About] [Contact]