So far we have discussed the United States Census 1790-1840, United States Census 1850-1930, Slave Schedules,State Censuses and Where to find Census Records in your Area. Now we’re going to talk about where to find the census information online.
Finding Census Records Online
There are many sources you can turn to on the internet when .
1) Ancestry.com – On June 22, 2006 Ancestry.com announced that it had completed digitizing and indexing the entire United States Federal Census 1790 to 1930. Imagine being able to find your ancestor in the census by typing their name into a search bar. That is what Ancestry.com has made possible. You can also see the original census images. Ancestry.com also provides millions of other genealogical records. Ancestry.com is not a free service however. But they do offer a 14 day free trial so you can see how you like it. I can’t imagine anyone not wanting a subscription once they’ve tried it.
2) Census Online – Census Online claims to be the Web’s largest directory of links to online census transcriptions, including federal, state and territorial censuses and tax, voter and military pensioner lists. Links are organized by Country (Canada, England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, U.S.A.) and then state, province, territory or county within that country. This service is free.
3) Census Finder – Census Finder is another directory of links to online census transcriptions that is indexed along the same lines as Census Online. This service is free
4) Family Search.com offers a census search for the 1880 United States Federal Census, 1881 British Isles Census and the 1881 Canadian Census. This service is free.
5) FreeCen – In it’s own words, “This project aims to provide a “free-to-view” online searchable database of the 19th century UK census returns”. Go to the bottom of the web page and click on, Search the Database.
Important Points to Remember
When searching online records through the use of a search bar or other search options, remember that the information is only as good as the person who transcribed it. The person who transcribed the information may have had a difficult time reading the handwriting. Certain letters in old handwriting may have been mistaken for others.
Play around with your search. If you’re having a hard time finding your ancestor, try changing the spelling. Ask yourself if the capital K at the beginning of their name may have been read as an R in cursive handwriting, by the transcriber. Or perhaps your Wagner ancestors might be listed as Vagner, since they were originally German and pronounced the W as a V.
Remember too, that census information given by your ancestors may have been slightly off if they were trying to avoid taxation, military duties or for whatever other reason. I found one ancestor in the census who was listed as being 20 years old in both 1850 and 1860. Also, sometimes if a family wasn’t home when the census taker arrived, neighbors might have supplied the information for that family, making it a bit off. No matter what the reason for incorrect information, keep these things in mind when search any online genealogical index.
