Using/Interpreting 19th Century Census Records
Why are Census Records so important?
The U.S. Census records provide a lot of details about our ancestors beyond the list of names and ages that we see in search results. Additionally, the changes to the census itself tell us something about what information was deemed important. The first U.S. Census was in 1790, and only nine data elements were recorded for a family. Only the head of household was listed by name.
More information was added with each census, and questions about birthplace, literacy, education, profession, marital status and real estate ownership emerged.
Do I need to view the original records?
Yes! Utilize searches, but view the other records on the page, because families lived in close proximity to each other. Census takers generally went from one house to the next, so neighbors would appear in sequence. Here's an example of how that's useful: Fifth Great-Grandfather and wife appear in 1870 census. His death is recorded in 1875, but she disappears. She likely moved to live with another family member after he died, but you have to find them. Using the census records to identify children, grand-children and in-laws will help you locate her on the 1880 census.
Why are the first names spelled so many different ways on the Census?
The census taker recorded what he heard, or what he thought he heard. Americans whose parents had come to the U.S. just 30 or 40 years earlier would have still had the accents of their homeland. He might also be getting information from whoever was available, and that person might not know how to read, so they had to rely on his spelling being accurate.
Why does the age for one person seem to vary so much?
Just like names, the census taker relied on information provided. Imagine you're a 37-year old housewife with 9 living children. A man appears at your door and asks for information about you, your husband and all your children. You have washing to hang out, eggs to gather, dishes to wash so you can prepare a noon meal, and three of those children are under your feet. You know how old the little ones are, but it's hard to pinpoint the exact ages for the oldest 3, because you had some others in between them who died. You don't know how to read, so you don't have birthdays written down. In all likelihood, your answer for at least a couple of those kids will be something like "he's around 15" or "she was born the year we had that really bad ice storm."
But that's why we look at multiple records.