Prairie Roots Genealogy

1900 Census tabulation. U.S. Census Bureau photo.

1900 is a “goodie” year for census research, because several very useful questions were asked for the first time. When combined with the 1910 schedule, you get a good picture of your ancestor’s family:

• Every individual was asked to state the month and year of their birth in addition to their age. Be sure to do the math: does the age correspond to that birth date?
• Each mother was asked how many children were born to her and how many were then living. Not only can this help you identify children who may have died, it may also suggest prior marriages.
• The number of years  of the current marriage was noted for all currently married individuals. Check this against the age of the oldest children; again, you may get a clue to a previous marriage. Number of years can also give you a starting point for the marriage date.
• Date of immigration was asked for the first time in 1900. Be sure to compare this against other sources to verify your immigrant’s arrival.
• Another question, “number of years in the U.S. can be a good clue—subtract that number from 1900 to help confirm the immigration date.
• Naturalization information was requested of all persons not born in the U.S. Responses were noted as Naturalized (Na), Alien (Al), or First Papers (PA).
• Residents were asked if they rent or own their home, and if the home was mortgaged.
• Note the last column corresponds to the agricultural schedule, a non-population schedule that has not survived. Continue reading →

1910 Census Tabulation. U.S. Census Bureau photo.

This is the census that may give you problems—the microfilming process produced many faint to illegible images. Unfortunately, the original schedules were destroyed after filming, so we are left to deal with what’s available. New digital techniques have improved many images, but even so, don’t be surprised if you have problems finding or reading your ancestor’s enumeration.

The “as of” date for the 1910 federal census was 15 April 1910. Interesting to note:

• The column for marital status included a number after the “M” (married) to indicate if this was a first, second, third marriage, etc. This is a good clue for previous marriages.
• More detailed information was collected about occupations.
• The “whether can speak English” column can help you determine your immigrant ancestor’s progress in his new country. An inability to speak English may suggest financial or cultural challenges.
• Be sure to check the “whether a survivor of the Union or Confederate Army or Navy.” The census taker used abbreviations to indicate military service: Union Army (UA), Union Navy (UN), Confederate Army (CA), or Confederate Navy(CN). Continue reading →

Census enumerator, ca. 1920. U.S. Census Bureau photo.

Until 1920, the decennial federal census was usually conducted in the spring or early summer. The “as of” date for 1920, however, was shifted to 1 January 1920, in hopes of better accommodating agricultural activities. Be sure to check the actual date of enumeration that the census taker noted at the top of each sheet.

New questions asked for the first time included:

• If naturalized, date of naturalization. This may lead you to the location of naturalization records.
• Nativity and “mother tongue” for all persons whose date of birth was not the United States. Be sure to compare this with the place of birth; sometimes certain dialects were noted that might narrow down a specific region of birth.

The format and questions on the 1920 census are similar to 1910. Because of some European boundary changes following World War I, enumerators were instructed to report the province (state or region) or city of persons declaring they or their parents had been born in Austria-Hungary, Germany, Russia, or Turkey. Continue reading →