Tuesday's Tip - Inputting Data on the 1930 U.S. Federal Census

1930 U.S. Federal Census

The form was actually done over a week ago, sadly I didn't just want to throw a form up without any good information to go with it and last week was busy.  I mean crazy-busy, but with moving and the end of the school year, I need to accept that this is going to be life for the foreseeable future.  So on to another census which means another form that you can download, input data, and save to your computer!

The 1930 census occurred during the Great Depression so it really gives us a special look into the lives of our ancestors.  There's lots of great information that you can read about regarding the data that was collected for the census, and always remember that there was more than the census for the general population.  You can head on over to the U.S. Census Bureau's website and see lots of great statistics about the information.  There were agriculture reports, reports on mining/quarries, unemployment, etc.  So many different ways that you can look into the lives of your ancestors!

Additionally, there was some drama surrounding the 1930 census because of the Great Depression.  You can read more about it by clicking here, but essentially, the statistics from the census were in high demand to assess just how bad the Depression was, but when the numbers came back they were criticized for being too low and the census was called "unreliable".  An additional census on unemployment was conducted in January 1931 and then another in 1937 (this last one was completely voluntary).

Of course there are lots of great places to look for information on the 1930 census (and all others) and I'm only throwing out a few things, but by far, the U.S. Census Bureau and 1930census.com are two of my favorite places to look.  1930census.com has great maps and historical tidbits to familiarize you with the decade, while the U.S. Census Bureau goes into more detail.

Well, on that note (and with a pretty good thunderstorm starting to hit outside here in Killeen, TX) I'm going to post the form and power-down the electronics.

As always, please let me know if there are any issues with the form.  For some reason the form keeps "tabbing" back to the first row, so until I can stop swearing at Excel and figure out how to fix that, you'll need to click in the row you want to input data.  It has something to do with tabbing through a line that isn't horizontal (the street name line and the notes box).  If anyone has any ideas/knowledge on how to correct this please let me know!

The form has been locked to keep you from accidentally deleting anything on the form.  It also (thank you Google Docs) looks like the document is more than one page sometimes, and sometimes it just looks like things are out of place when viewed on Google Docs, but rest assured that once you download it, it should be just one page!  You can access the form by clicking any of the links for "1930 census" or by clicking here.

Until next time, have fun tending those roots!

Tuesday's Tip - Inputting Data on the 1920 U.S. Federal Census

1920 U.S. Federal Census

Things have been crazy busy with the Easter holiday and de-cluttering the house so we can put it on the market, so I was debating whether or not to put up another census form today.  I hadn't created it yet, and it takes a little bit of time (I'm a perfectionist and like to be as close to exact as possible on these things), but as I woke up this morning thinking that I would simply turn out a quick Tombstone Tuesday with some research thrown in there, I saw a comment from Michelle Goodrum from "Turning of Generations" fame.  Her comment on my 1910 census letting me know that she's enjoying the forms was all it took to get me going.  Up to this point I was really wondering if they were useful to anyone (apart from me, that is)!

Thank you, Michelle, for getting me back on track!  Now on to the 1920 census!

I've been really enjoying the US Census Bureau's website recently.  I love the historical information they give for the decade the census was taken, and I love the fact that they usually have the instructions for the census takers (always a good thing to know!).

An interesting tid-bit I found from the Census Bureau was:

"The results of the 1920 census revealed a major and continuing shift of the population of the United States from rural to urban areas.  No apportionment was carried out following the 1920 census; representatives elected from rural districts worked to derail the process, fearful of losing political power to the cities.  Reapportionment legislation was repeatedly delayed as rural interests tried to come up with mechanisms that would blunt the impact of the population shift.  Congress finally passed a reapportionment bill in 1929.  The bill declared that the House of Representatives would be apportioned base on the results of the 1930 census."

Want to check out the report on Mines and Quarries from the 1920 census?  How about the Agriculture report?  Manufacturing?  Well, you can check out the reports on these and more on the Census Bureau's website here.

There's so much great information out there to help you understand the time period your ancestors lived in, and it's so important to remember not to think of their world as ours is today.  Sometimes we forget that...I know I do.

So now you've got another census form that you can download, input your ancestor's information into and save right to your computer.  Remember that you can access this census form that I created by clicking on any of the "1920 census" links in this blog, or by clicking here.  The form when it opens in Google Docs always appears to have more than one page, but rest assured that when you download the form, it will be in one piece.

The form is locked so that you can tab from one blank to another without accidentally erasing the form itself.  I did notice one quirk in the form.  I placed the "Notes" section at the top in this form.  Each time you tab across and hit the "Notes" section, it spits you back to the first row.  I have no idea why it does this (any suggestions to fix it are greatly appreciated!), but it's something to keep in mind when entering the information in that top set of cells.  The bottom set works fine though!

If you notice any other issues with the form or have trouble accessing it, please let me know and I'll do whatever I can to fix it.  The other input-able forms can be accesses by clicking on the "tag" labeled "FORMS" on the left-hand side of the blog.  Confused?  I think I am too at this point.  I need to stop writing this post while sitting in on my son's Boy Scout meeting!

Until next time, good luck finding your ancestors in the 1940 census and tending those roots!

UPDATE:  The links to the 1920 form were apparently bringing up the 1910 census form I created.  The link has been changed, so you'll get the right form now!  Thanks, Pam, for letting me know!

Tuesday's Tip - Inputting Data on the 1910 U.S. Federal Census

1910 U.S. Federal Census

No you didn't read that wrong.  I'm still living in the 1910 census.  My intentions of getting the 1910, 1920, and 1930 census sheets up before the 1940 census was released, just did not happen.  One of those times when life gets in the way and then a cold just tops it all off...but I'll get into that on Thursday (unless life gets in the way)!

So, since my states/counties haven't made it up yet, I figured I'd get a post out.  And even though this is the 1910 census, that information is still relevant and potentially useful in tracking down where your ancestors may have lived or lived near for future censuses.  So onward to some details about this census...

The United States Census Bureau has some great information including the history of the decade, the various schedules and instructions to enumerators.

I particularly enjoyed reading this bit:

"The change of 'census day' from June 1 to April 15 was made up on the suggestion of the Census Bureau.  It was believed that the April 15 date would be more desirable, since a large number of people are away from their homes in June."

That cracked me up.  I mean, it certainly makes sense, but I did get a kick out of the census being rescheduled because of family vacations.

The census form that we deal with most frequently (and that I've created the sheet for) is Schedule (also called Volume) 1 - Population.  You can check out a complete list of the Schedules/Volumes for the 1910 census by clicking here.  Don't forget to check the information at the top and bottom of the page.  Lots of great information there to include the instructions to enumerators.

I'd normally put more in this post about the census, but I'll admit.  My butt's been kicked and this genealogist is heading to the bedroom soon with a good bowl of chicken broth.  Too much to do leads to icky colds, so until next time have fun tending those roots and good luck with the 1940 census!

[As always if there are any problems with the census form I posted, please contact me and I'll see what can be done to fix them!  You can get to this form by clicking any of the "1910 census" links above.  When the form is viewed as a Google document it will be 2 pages long and not look quite right, but once you download it to your computer it will be 1 page]

Tuesday's Tip - Inputting Data on the 1890 U.S. Census

1890 U.S. Federal Census

Holy cow!  I haven't posted one of my U.S. Census forms since September 5th!  I knew that I had been distracted, but I didn't realize how distracted until seeing that!  Well, I should have been done by now, but still, we're a month away from the 1940 census is released and I should be able to get them all up easily by then.  The last census I posted was the 1880, so onward...

For most of us the 1890 U.S. Federal Census isn't available.  The majority was damage by a fire in the U.S. Commerce Building in 1921.  The records of just over 6,000 people survive.  Why is the loss of the 1890 census so significant to us in our research?  Here's a perfect example...

You are trying to figure out the parents of Melanie Beaty (made up name).  Melanie was born in 1881 and by the 1900 census she is married to George Quirk (another fake name).  You think that her parents were William and Dorris Beaty, but the only census you could check to see if she's with William and Dorris would be the 1890 census...and it's gone.

It doesn't matter if you're researching backward in time or forward (researching collateral lines, perhaps), the problem still exists.  Does this mean that you can't find out more about Melanie?  Does this mean that you'll never figure out if she is the daughter of William and Dorris?  No, but you obviously won't be finding it out from the 1890 census.  We love the U.S. Federal Census.  It's like a warm, cozy blanket and we love keeping it handy, but just because the majority of us can't find our ancestors in it doesn't mean we're at a genealogical brick wall.  We use other sources all the time (or at least we're supposed to be) so why wouldn't we now?  Even if we did find Melanie in a census it's our job to ensure we've got the right Melanie by seeking out other sources and discovering if our theory makes sense.

Ancestry.com has a 1890 Census Substitute that you can check through if you are looking for someone and, like most of us, don't have them in the surviving 1890 census.  Check it out.  You can see the various sources that compile their "census substitute".  But keep in mind that there are so many other places to check besides the 1890 Census or the Census substitute.  Yes, 1890 was before mandatory records were set by the federal government for registering births, marriages and deaths, but that doesn't mean that your state or county didn't have those records.  Know the church your ancestors went to?  That's gold waiting to be mined!  Everything non-census related that we would normally look in is fair game as a replacement.  It doesn't mean that we won't sadly reflect on the 1890 census and wish that we still had it, but it's not the end of days either.

I haven't really referred back to Ancestry.com for many of the posts that I've done, but they do have some very good tutorials about getting around the loss of the 1890 census, so I'll break from tradition and refer you there now!

-Blazing New Trails: Reconstruction of the 1890 Census
-A Fire Destroyed the 1890 Census, but it Doesn't Have to Destroy Your Search
-1890 Census:  Your Next Steps and Alternate Sources

FamilySearch.org has tons of tutorials that can pretty much help you with anything in your research.  While I didn't find anything dealing with only the 1890 census that doesn't mean that I didn't miss something in my cursory search.  Here's the link to the Family Search Learning Center.

Now for those of you that have won the figurative jack-pot and do have someone in the 1890 census, well, I'm incredibly jealous, but this post is for you.  I've never used this census and I can tell you it really made my mouth water.  As usual, I've kept the spreadsheet I've created as close to the original as I could while still making it visually useful.  Also, when you view the spreadsheet in Google Docs it's not going to look quite right, but once you download it, the sheet will be 2 pages and look very close to the original.  The sheet has been protected to you can only make changes in the open boxes.  This means that you just need to hit the "tab" key to move to the next box and you won't have to worry about accidentally erasing the worksheet! If you've got any suggestions to make the form more functional, please let me know!

Until next time have fun tending those roots!

You can check out the other census forms I've posted by clicking on the following links:
   -1790
   -1800
   -1810
   -1820
   -1830
   -1840
   -1850, Schedule 1
   -1850, Schedule 2
   -1860, Schedule 1
   -1860, Schedule 2
   -1870
   -1880

And now you've got census forms that you can input data into and save to your computer!

Tuesday's Tip - Inputting Data on the 1880 U.S. Census

1880 U.S. Federal Census

Last week's inputtable census form was for 1870.  Now I'll move on to the 1880 U.S. Federal Census.  Just click on the image or text referring to this census and you'll be taken to the Google Document I created for it!

Sadly the U.S. Census Bureau's website didn't post the instructions for this census on their site (always a good place to look for great information).  There are, however, lots of links to documents regarding the statistics gathered on various schedules.  For instance there are statistics on:

-Population (of course!)
-Manufacturing
-Agriculture
-Transportation
-Cotton Production
-Valuation, Taxation, & Public Indebtedness
-Newspapers/Periodicals
-Forests of North America
-Production technology (petroleum, coke, stone)
-Mortality
-Precious Metals
-Mining Laws
-Mining Industries
-Water Power
-Social Statistics of Cities
-Report on the statistics of wages in manufacturing industries; with supplementary reports on the average retail prices of necessaries of life, and on trades societies, and strikes and lockouts (very cool!)
-Defective, Dependent, and Delinquent classes
-Power and machinery used in steel/iron works
-Fisheries

There are more that they list, but aren't available online.  Remember that these links are for a statistical summary or report and will not be the exact schedule that people/businesses were enumerated on.  It will however give you information that may be of value to your family history.  Clues to life in the 1880s!

The people at 1930census.com have the decade's history up for the 1880s!  Plenty of interesting facts (National Geographic magazine was first published in 1888!) too!  They also have working links to the questions asked and the map of the country at that time.

Again, I took a page from Ancestry.com's playbook and made the spreadsheet in landscape form rather than portrait, so it was easier to read, but I tried to be as true to the original as possible.  As a result there are only 6 lines to input the family data for an ancestor.  I know...many of our ancestors had more than 6 people in their family, but you can easily continue on another sheet.  The goal is digitization and not so much paper (at least for me).

The spreadsheet is still locked so you can't accidentally type over the form data, but I left the section on the far left unlocked so you can change the numbers to correspond with the numbers for your ancestors.  They are currently numbered 1 through 6 but can easily be changed.

As always, just let me know if there are any problems with the spreadsheet and I'll get them fixed.  The spreadsheet still looks like it's multiple pages in Google Documents, but will be one page once it's downloaded.

Next Tuesday I'll get an inputtable spreadsheet up for the 1890 census for those of you lucky enough to actually be able to find anyone in the surviving records.  Until then, have fun tending those roots!

Tuesday's Tip - Inputting Data on the 1870 U.S. Census

1870 U.S. Federal Census

Last time I posted the inputtable census form for the 1860 Schedule 2 (Slave Schedule).  Today, I've got the form up so you can download, input your data and save to your computer information from the 1870 U.S. Federal Census!

No more slavery!  Remember this census was taken a mere 5 years after the Civil War concluded and one of the most noticeable changes (apart from not needing another schedule and not having "Free inhabitants" written at the top) is that last question...good ol' #20, "Male Citizens of the U.S. of 21 years of age and upwards, whose right to vote is denied or abridged on other grounds than rebellion or other crime."

Why was this needed?  Here's the excerpt from the Instructions to Assistant Marshals:

1870 Instructions to Assistant Marshals - U.S. Census Bureau

Since the Civil War had been concluded, what a perfect time for the Federal Government to ensure that those former slaves are not being denied the right to vote via illegal laws (that should have been repealed and are null and void).

The entire 26 pages of Instructions to Assistant Marshals are actually quite interesting, and truthfully all instructions should be read so that you can fully understand the intent of the questions asked as well as the enumerators' responsibilities.  You'll most likely get more out of the census if you do!

These instructions as well as other great information on the 1870 census can be found on the U.S. Census Bureau's website.

Again, 1930census.com gives us the map of the U.S. at the time of the census and a historical chronology for the decade of the census to help put it all in perspective.  Their link for questions asked is empty (bummer!), but we can easily get that information by looking at the census.

The census form I created is in landscape view as opposed to portrait like the original.  I did take a tip from Ancestry.com's sheet (which is also in landscape) when creating this spreadsheet.  It was possible to create one just like the original census, but my concern was that the questions would be too difficult to read and defeat the purpose of the form.  As a result there are only 6 lines to input the family data for an ancestor.  I know...many of our ancestors had more than 6 people in their family, but you can easily continue on another sheet.  The goal is digitization and not so much paper (at least for me).

The spreadsheet is still locked so you can't accidentally type over the form data, but I left the section on the far left unlocked so you can change the numbers to correspond with the numbers for your ancestors.  They are currently numbered 1 through 6 but can easily be changed.

As always, just let me know if there are any problems with the spreadsheet and I'll get them fixed.  The spreadsheet still looks like it's multiple pages in Google Documents, but will be one page once it's downloaded.

Until next week, when I hope to get the 1880 U.S. Federal Census up, have fun tending those roots!

Tuesday's Tip - Inputting Data on the 1860 Census, Schedule 2

1860 U.S. Federal Census, Schedule 2

Last week I posted the 1860 U.S. Federal Census, Schedule 1.  This week I've posted the form for the Slave Schedule for this 1860 (Schedule 2).

This Schedule is almost identical to the one I posted previously, so rather than a long rambling about it all, I will direct you to the former post here for the details.

There were only 2 federal censuses that had the Slave Schedule.  Emancipation was on it's way, although I'm sure it still seem so far away to those living through 1860.

The only difference on this Schedule 2 from the last (aside from the year) is the tally section at the bottom of the sheet.

As always, if you have any difficulties with the form (downloading, inputting, saving, etc) just let me know and we'll figure out how to fix it.  So far, there haven't been any issues since the very first census form.  Let's hope my luck holds out!  The forms still appear to be 3 pages long when viewed through Google Docs, but rest assured that when you download it, it will be one page!

Next week we move on to one of the first censuses that we genealogists/family historians love...the 1870 U.S. Federal Census.  Finally, lots more info to make our little hearts happy! 

Until next time, have fun tending those roots!

Tuesday's Tip - Inputting Data on the 1860 U.S. Census, Schedule 1

1860 U.S. Federal Census, Schedule 1

Sorry for the delay in the next census form, but I couldn't get it created before the long drive from Pennsylvania back to Texas!  So the last form I posted was the Schedule 2 for the 1850 census.  Onward to the 1860 census, Schedule 1 this week.

Very few changes in the 1860, Schedule 1.  In fact I only noticed 2.  The first being in the value of a person's estate.  This time it is broken down into both real estate and personal estate value.  The other difference was they finally did a little acknowledging of women holding jobs.  Instead of asking "Profession, Occupation, or Trade of each male person over 15 years of age" it's been altered slightly to "...each person, male or female, over 15 years of age."  Ah the subtle advancements.

As before the U.S. Census Bureau has some great information on their site for the census to include the instructions for U.S. Marshals and Assistants.

At 1930census.com we've again got the map of the U.S. at the time of the census, as well as a history of the decade to place your research in historic perspective.

As always, if you have any trouble viewing or downloading the spreadsheet, just comment or send me an email and I'll see what I can do to fix it.  So far there hasn't been any trouble since the very first sheet I posted.  I'll cross my fingers!

When you view the census through Google documents it does appear as if it were 3 pages, but rest assured that when downloaded it looks like the image at the top of the blog and in one simple page.

Let me know if there are any mistakes as well.  I'm sure you can imagine my eyes were starting to go crossed by the time I was done with this form!  Corrections and suggestions are always welcome!

Next week I'll post an inputtable Slave Schedule for 1860.  Until next time, have fun tending those roots!

Tuesday's Tip - Inputting Data on the 1850 Census, Schedule 2

1850 U.S. Federal Census, Schedule 2

Last week I posted the Schedule 1 for the 1850 census which for the first time only collected data on free inhabitants of the United States.  This is the first census where slaves were counted in a completely separate schedule, so we've got to have a separate inputtable form to go with it right here!

Whether we are researching our own genealogy as descendants of slaves or slave owners or researching someone else's, it is certainly convenient to have a form that you can transcribe to and save!

At this point in my blog post, I would normal start directing you to websites such as www.1930census.com or the site for the U.S. Census Bureau.  While those sites are worth checking out as I mentioned in last week's census post, they are rather lacking with details on the Slave Schedules.  Perhaps I missed something.

I have previously glossed over the information on Ancestry's website, not because there isn't information worth sharing, but it's like beating a dead horse.  Been there, done that, everyone's used their site before.  In this instance, however, I do defer to quite a well-written source explanation that they posted from William Dollarhide's, The Census Book: A Genealogist's Guide to Federal Census Facts, Schedules and Indexes (affiliate link) and Loretto Dennis Szucs', "Research in Census Records." in The Source: A Guidebook of American Genealogy (affiliate link). Check out the excerpt on Ancestry's 1850 Slave Schedule census page for some great information before diving in.

Some good general information on census research on FreedomCenter.org.  One page of stuff that we pretty much already know, but it's always a good to be reminded of some things!

Netplaces.com has a sweet little article written by Kimberly Powell on jewels we can find in all the special census schedules.  If you haven't worked with any of the special schedules yet, this article will get you ready to jump in.

Perhaps my favorite site so far for Schedule 2 is an essay written by David E. Paterson on Afrigeneas which points out that the schedules were controversial and rewritten specifically to exclude the names of the individual slaves, places of birth, etc.  It's really a very interesting essay, but be warned it may get your blood going when you have to read through the prejudice of the past.

As always, if you have any trouble viewing or downloading the spreadsheet, just comment or send me an email and I'll see what I can do to fix it.  So far there hasn't been any trouble since the very first sheet I posted.

When you view the census through Google documents it does appear as if it were 3 pages, but rest assured that when downloaded it looks like the image at the top of the blog and in one simple page.  The sheet is locked so you can't accidentally erase the headers and you can only input in the blanks.

One word of warning.  I couldn't figure out how to wrap the text so the cells would fill in the entire left side of the form and then start again in the right column.  So right now when you hit "tab" it will move across the entire row before wrapping around.  I've been trying to look up ways to assign cell order, but so far, no good.  Just keep your eyes on where you're typing!

Let me know if there are any mistakes as well.  I'm sure you can imagine my eyes were starting to go crossed by the time I was done with this form!  Corrections and suggestions are always welcome!

Next week I'll be traveling back home to Texas so we'll see if I can get the next schedule out and ready to go before then!  Until next time, have fun tending those roots!

Tuesday's Tip - Inputting Data on the 1850 U.S. Census, Schedule 1

1850 U.S. Federal Census, Schedule 1

A little break from census forms as I drove from Texas to Pennsylvania, but time has now permitted me to continue with another form to share.  This week I created an inputtable form for the 1850 census.  It was easier than in some of the past censuses I did.  It's not that there's not a lot of good information on the form, there is.  Rather they became a little smarter with how they recorded that information, leaving room for more detail (in my opinion).  Still it's not all the information we data-hungry genealogists would like to have, but it's better than a sharp stick in the eye!

For the first time we've got the names of everyone in the household and not just the head of the household.  Major improvement.  No relationships are listed, but we know if they lived under the same roof and what their names were.  Make sure you don't go into making hard and fast conclusions just because they lived in the same household.  You need to verify relationships.  Sometimes people brought in lodgers and there was no relationship!

Also recording people by age range rather than putting their exact age.  Gone.  We've got a spot for occupation, but only recorded for those aged 15 and up.  I don't know about you, but I've got plenty of ancestors that were working in the coal mines well before the age of 15!

Sadly, no marital status, but if they were married within the past year, ya got lucky...there'll be notice of that!  There's also a column to be marked if the person was, "Deaf and dumb, blind, insane, idiotic, pauper, or convict."  So obviously we'll know the name of the unfortunate person, however my smart-aleck side says that there's a huge difference between all of those groups and we won't even go into political correctness!

This is also the first census I can use in my family tree.  Experience level.  Still low.  Only one ancestor came over by 1850 on my side of the family and a couple on my hubby's side.

As before the people who bring you 1930census.com have some good information.  A map of the US at the time and the US is certainly starting to look a bit more like what we know today.  The western states are still fewer, but there more boundary lines.  A good history for the decade is included.  California became a state in September 1850.  Even though the census date was set for June 1, 1850 they were included in it.

The US Census Bureau's website has lots of yummy information as well.  For example:

"The Seventh Census of the United States: 1850. Embracing a statistical view of each of the States and Territories, arranged by counties, towns, etc...with an introduction, embracing the aggregate tables for the United States compared with every previous census since 1790..."

There are also mortality statistics as well for you to check out.  All of this can be reached through their 1850 census page.

Remember that there were 6 schedules of data collected for this census and the form is only for Schedule 1:

Schedule 1 - Population
Schedule 2 - Slaves
Schedule 3 - Mortality
Schedule 4 - Agriculture
Schedule 5 - Industrial
Schedule 6 - Social Statistics

As always, if you have any trouble viewing or downloading the spreadsheet, just comment or send me an email and I'll see what I can do to fix it.  So far there hasn't been any trouble since the very first sheet I posted.  I'll cross my fingers!

When you view the census through Google documents it does appear as if it were 3 pages, but rest assured that when downloaded it looks like the image at the top of the blog and in one simple page.

Let me know if there are any mistakes as well.  I'm sure you can imagine my eyes were starting to go crossed by the time I was done with this form!  Corrections and suggestions are always welcome!

To access the form simply click on the image at the top of the page or click on anywhere it says "1850 census".


Next week I'll post an inputtable Slave Schedule for 1850.  Until next time, have fun tending those roots!

Tuesday's Tip - Inputting Data on the 1840 U.S. Census

1840 U.S. Federal Census

It's that time again.  Time for another census form!  If you thought that the 1830 census was looking a bit cramped, well creating a one-page spreadsheet for the 1840 census was very challenging, but it's done and legible, even when printed.

The information is getting better.  At least we're asking for pensioners this time and asking about jobs even if it's a generalization of occupations...it's something.  Also, there are questions about education and this group is broken down into various degrees/types of education which is quite nice.  Finally, we've got the old "cannot read and write" block to mark which we're all familiar with other later censuses.

The same discriminatory features still persist in that white people have more age brackets to assign members of the household which is very helpful in narrowing people down or excluding them from our branches.  Slaves and Free Colored People are treated the same as far as there are fewer brackets which gives the researcher a more general view, making things potentially more difficult to narrow down or eliminate erroneous branches in our family trees.  Again, we must take it in historical context.  That's the way of things back then.  I don't have to like it, but I can't change it.

The U.S. Census Bureau acknowledges that the 1840 census closely mirrored that of the 1830 census with some adjustments:

"No population questionnaire was prescribed by the Congress—the design of the questionnaire was left to the discretion of the Secretary of State, and closely followed that used in1830. The law did specify the inquiries to be made of each household."

You can view the "Compendium of Enumeration" as well as the "Census of Pensioners" on their webpage via a .pdf listed as Volume 3 and 4 respectively by clicking here.

On www.1930census.com you can again watch our nation expanding, by viewing a map of the changing states' boundaries, and a timeline-history of that decade.  Sadly, the tab for "Census Questions Asked" and big blank.  Ah well!  You can't have everything!

As always, if you have any trouble viewing or downloading the spreadsheet, just comment or send me an email and I'll see what I can do to fix it.  So far there hasn't been any trouble since the very first sheet I posted.  I'll cross my fingers!

Let me know if there are any mistakes as well.  I'm sure you can imagine my eyes were starting to go crossed by the time I was done with this form!  Corrections and suggestions are always welcome!

To access the form simply click on the image at the top of the page or click on anywhere it says "1840 census."

Good luck and have fun tending those roots!

Tuesday's Tip - Inputting Data on the 1830 U.S. Census

1830 U.S. Federal Census

Last week was the 1820 census.  This week it's time to topple the 1830 census!  More cells to input data although that doesn't necessarily mean more usable information.  I'll make my point on that in a moment.  The U.S. Census Bureau sums up this census by stating:

"Prior to the passage of the census act authorizing the fifth census in 1830, President Adams, in his fourth address to the U.S. Congress on December 28, 1828, suggested the census commence earlier in the year than August 1. He also proposed that the collection of age data should be extended from infancy, in intervals of 10 years, to the “utmost boundaries of life”. These changes were incorporated into the census act of March 23, 1830. As in the previous census, the enumeration was made by an actual inquiry by the marshals or assistants at every dwelling house, or, as the law stated, by “personal” inquiry of the head of every family, and began on June 1."

So the data is better for you in that it gives more age groups (still only the heads of households though).  More age groups means it's easier for you to better analyze who is in the household and perhaps rule out or confirm that they are your ancestors.  Not more information on those people.  There is a column to mark if any were "Deaf and Dumb," blind or not naturalized, but it doesn't give you any indicators as to who those people are.  Still, it's better than nothing and they are improving.

I also found it interesting that for the whites they had 13 categories where age was broken down for the men and the women.  For slaves and free colored persons it was less than half that at 6 categories for each gender.  It does give us an insight into the minds of the people at that time.  I will stop there or may become too critical.  Historical context, I know.  I must detach myself emotionally from that.

Sadly, no attempt to collect data on business/agriculture/industry was made. The Bureau didn't state why, but I'm sure there were reasons.

Again, more good information at www.1930census.com with their overview of the census, the map of the United States in 1830, and the historical facts for that time period are back!  It's always a great idea to check out what was going on in the country and world at that time so you can put the data into better context.

As I've mentioned before the spreadsheet will appear to have more than one page when viewed through Google Docs, but when you download it there will only be one page.  Again, the cells where there are test are locked so you can't accidentally type over the text.  It also makes it easier going from cell to cell without having to avoid the text cells.  It will just jump to the next empty cell.

Sorry, not "Notes" block on this form.  Too much information to squeeze in and the font was already too small.  Didn't want to push my luck there.  The rows for data input are numbered so it's easier when moving to the bottom group.

If you have any trouble viewing or downloading the spreadsheet, just comment or send me an email and I'll see what I can do to fix it.  So far there hasn't been any trouble since the very first sheet I posted.  I'll cross my fingers!

Let me know if there are any mistakes as well.  I'm sure you can imagine my eyes were starting to go crossed by the time I was done with this form!  Corrections and suggestions are always welcome!

To access the form simply click on the image at the top of the page or click on anywhere it says "1830 census".

Good luck and have fun tending those roots!

Tuesday's Tip - Inputting Data on the 1820 Census

1820 U.S. Federal Census

Last week I talked about the 1810 census and how similar it was to the 1800 census.  This week we'll take a look at the 1820 census...and what a census!  We started getting our act together here!  More data than in the last three and by the looks of it a fair bit more organized!  Still not as much data here as we genealogists enjoy in the later censuses, but we can now see at least the type of work the people were engaged in and the number of people of foreign birth that were not naturalized.  It still only gives the names of the heads of household, but you can at least tell a bit more about citizenship/birth and that may lead you to documents!

The census form each person spreads over 2 pages, so make sure you check out both sides or you'll be wondering where the rest of the information is!

The people at the U.S. Census Bureau have not only posted on their site a copy of the legislation enacting the 4th U.S. Census, a.k.a. the 1820 census, but the statistics from that census, the oaths sworn by the census takers and their version of the census form!

The 4th U.S. Census was conducted under the direction of the Secretary of State.  The legislation was enacted in March of 1820 and the census began in August 1820, concluding in September 1821.

The people at www.1930census.com have once again provided a map to what our country looked like at the time the census was taken.  Sadly, their timeline/historic data for this decade is down,  for the count.  Hopefully we'll see some great historical context in there soon!

I've got to say that creating these inputtable forms is really helping me understand that you can get more out of the older censuses than we may realize.  Next week I'll have the 1830 census ready to post and then the week after the 1840 census (and the first one that I really have any family in America to use!).  

As for the inputtable form, the same applies as before:

1)  The Google document claims to be more than one page, but rest assured that once you download the form it will be one page only

2)  The form is locked so you don't have to worry about typing in the wrong fields and erasing the census questions.  You can only make changes to the blank fields.

3)  If there is any trouble downloading the form please let me know and I'll see what can be done to fix it.

Remember to get to the Google Form just click on the image at the top of the blog post or the 1820 link in the first paragraph.

Until next week I hope you enjoy the forms and enjoy tending those roots!

Tuesday's Tip - Inputting Data on the 1810 U.S. Census

1810 U.S. Federal Census

Another in the series of inputtable census forms!  It’s time for the 3^rd U.S. Federal Census, a.k.a. – the 1810 census.  Sounds a bit like a broken record right now, but I haven’t really used the 1810 census much as my earliest ancestors arrived in America in 1835 and later.  

It’s quite nice to be able to go and learn about each census as I go through and create these forms.  Not much of a difference between the 1810 and 1800 census.  The “Totals” column found at the end of some of the 1800 census sheets is found immediately following the name of the head of the household and before they tallied each age group.  Of course I haven’t gone through every copy of the census for 1810 so there may be some that match the old form identically.  I would not be surprised.

A few websites if you’re looking for information on the various censuses:

The U.S. Census Bureau - Again, not tons of information here, but it certainly gives an insight into what the census takers were instructed to do.  The outline for the 3rd U.S. census was enacted on March 26, 1810 and instructed the census taker to perform, "an actual inquiry at every dwelling house, or of the head of every family within each district, and not otherwise" and commenced on the first Monday of August that year.  The Bureau also points out that in 1812 a type of census occurred where data was collected on manufacturers and their businesses.  For more information check out their website under "Volume 2".

www.1930census.com - I don't know how I missed this site when collecting data for my other forms.  Most likely I had tunnel vision and ignored it when I saw the URL and simply assumed that Google was giving me a bad result.  Whatever the reason, this site is pretty awesome.  Not only do they give much of the same information that the Bureau gives but they've sweetened it up by providing links to historical items of interest that occurred around the period of the census, and there are maps that show what the U.S. looked like at the time of the census.  The site does claim that it's "The #1 Census Source for Genealogy & Family History".  I can't vouch for that, but I can say that I'll be using it in the future!

Lastly, Ancestry.com - Not much to say here.  We all know that they give an explanation on their site regarding the various censuses and even have printable sheets to write in the census data...of course, the inability to type your transcription in the form is the main reason I started creating my own census forms to use since most of us type faster than we write and I like having digital copies!

Once again, I've locked the form, so you don't have to worry about inputting data into the header.  You'll only be able to input into the appropriate blank fields. If you encounter any problems downloading or accessing the forms, please let me know and I will try to resolve them.  As I mentioned in previous posts, the form appears to have more pages than it actually does when you view it as a Google Document, but rest assured that when you download it to your computer it will be on page.

Next Tuesday should bring the 1820 census!  To check out the previous forms, just check out my "Tuesday's Tips" posts.  

Enjoy tending those roots!

Tuesday's Tip - Inputting Data on the 1800 U.S. Census

1800 U.S. Federal Census

The next in the series of inputtable census forms!  This time the 2nd US Federal Census, a.k.a. the 1800 US Federal Census.  Again, I don't have tons of experience using the 1800 census since all of my known ancestors came over around potato-famine-time, or later.  A positive aspect with creating these forms (aside from the obvious, being able to actually input and save your data on a copy of the form) is that it forces me to become a bit more familiar with a resource that I have not really dealt with.  I'm still no where near being an expert, but a bit less of a novice!

Again, I've tried to keep the form as close to the original as possible.  Not entirely easy since the forms still varied slightly by region and by census taker.  Not all forms have the header at the top either, so using this form will at least help to remind you what each column is referring to!

The last column on the census varies from district to district, but refers to the total number of persons enumerated for that household.  For lack of a better term (and lack of a term given on the form) I've titled it simply "Totals".  You won't see this column on all census forms, but occasionally it pops up.

I love the fact the the US Census Bureau had information for the various Federal Censuses, and while they didn't give overwhelming details about the 1800 census on their page, they did give some important details:

"A February 28, 1800, act provided for the taking of the second census of the United States, which included the states and territories northwest of the Ohio River and Mississippi Territory. The guidelines for the 1800 enumeration followed those of the first enumeration, except that the work was to be carried on under the direction of the Secretary of State....The enumeration was to begin, as in 1790, on the first Monday in August, and conclude in 9 calendar months."

So the administration of this census was more centralized under the direction of the Secretary of State as opposed to the 1790 census which was carried out under the direction of the U.S. Marshals of the various judicial districts.

Once again, I've locked the form, so you don't have to worry about inputting data into the header.  You'll only be able to input into the appropriate blank fields.  I'm still a novice with Google Docs (looking forward to Thomas MacEntee's webinar on Legacy Family Tree "Google Forms for Genealogists"  this Wednesday), so if you have any problems downloading the spreadsheet or encounter any other problems with it, please let me know and I'll do my best to fix it. 

When you click on the census in Google Docs to view it, for some odd reason (yet again) it appears to be 3 pages long and in landscape format.  It will be one page and in portrait when you download it.  I have no idea why this happens, I'm just happy that it seems to download correctly!

Next week, I hope to have the 1810 census ready to post, but Cub Scout Day Camp is all next week in the evenings so I'll have to play it by ear.  I may be forced to post somewhat less time-intensive posts!  We'll see!

Tuesday's Tip - Inputting Data on the 1790 US Census

1790 U.S. Federal Census

To continue on with last week's post, I created an "inputable" 1790 census form.  Why 1790 after last week's 1900 form?  Well, honestly it's the end of the school year so everything with my boys is coming to a head at once and the earlier censuses are a bit less complex. I figured that I'd start from the beginning and continue on.

A bit of a disclaimer...none of my ancestors were in the United States for the first 3 or 4 censuses.  We are all relatively new (no D.A.R. applications here!).  My father's side came over during the very late 19th century and my mom's came during the Potato Famine or just after.  So I suppose my point is, I haven't used the earliest censuses much.  I created the form to be as close to the original census as possible, but with the earlier censuses they were not on pre-printed forms.

In the 1790 census (and others I would expect, although I won't find out until I create and/or use the forms!) the census takers were "assistants to the Marshal" and wrote their headings/instructions out at the top of the forms themselves.  In fact in some of the forms you will come across there are no instructions so you may be unable to complete the top portion of the form apart from the page number (partly due to the fact that not all of the 1790 censuses are still in existence).

I checked out several different locales in the 1790 census and some were enumerated in different years so at the top portion you will see that the sheet is "subscribed by me this _____ day of_____ Domini 1790/91/92" to cover the years that your census may have been enumerated.  Just delete the numbers that don't apply!

If you see any improvements that could be made on the form, or if you've come across another 1790 form that has something this one does not, please send me the link and I will do my best to adjust the spreadsheet!  Again, the cells are locked with the exception of the ones you would be looking to input data into so the form doesn't get erased, so type away and save to your heart's content!

Let me know if there are any problems viewing and/or downloading the file so I can repair it for others to use (the download works from my computers at home and I'm still feeling my way around Google Docs).  If you prefer I can also email the from to you.  As with the last form when you view it in Google Docs it has more pages than it will when you download it.  This one looks like a three page form with the first page being essentially blank, but when you download it, it will be a one page form.  Go figure!

Tuesday's Tip - Inputting Data on a Census Form - 1900

1900 U.S. Federal Census

Pet Peeve time...with a solution...

I love that Ancestry.com (and other sites) have blank copies of U.S. Census forms that you can print out and transcribe the results of your search in.  What I don't like is that I've found very few where you can actually type in the information and save it to your computer.

I was trolling the National Archives site checking out the info on the 1940 census last week and saw that they had a .pdf that you could input data into...but only for the 1940 census.  I checked a couple other years and found no others like this.  The down-side (apart from the 1940 census still being just under a year away)?  You can't save the data on the form.  So I conducted a quick Google search on blank census forms, got loads of hits, but nothing I found was what I wanted so I decided to make my own.

Sunday was my birthday and we have a tradition in our family.  Whoever's birthday it is gets to be "king" or "queen" for the day.  We adjust and take the Saturday closest to our birthday so we can make the most of that day.  You can have cake and ice cream for breakfast, sleep in, stay up late and pretty much do whatever you want as long as it's not dangerous or outrageously expensive.  As a mom who adores her children, what I wanted to do was have time to myself with a computer and coffee...so I went to Barnes and Noble.  This is where I started working on my version of the 1900 U.S. Census form that you can input and save your data to.  Yes, I know...this is what I chose to do on my birthday, but it's not all I did! :)

You can download the Excel spreadsheet, save it and use it as many times as your heart's content (as long as you rename the file, but we all knew that, right?).  Remember that if you save the spreadsheet and image of the census as the same name they'll be right next to each other in the folder you save them to...convenient!

You can print them out or not.  It doesn't matter because now that you can save the transcribed data on the form, you've got it on your computer for when you need it.  As long as you make sure to back up your data and ensure that you change/convert file-types with the times!

This is my first form and while it is very similar to the one on Ancestry.com I made sure that the information on the form is what the census asks, not what may have been abbreviated on the form or on their website (although they really didn't change too much).  The top of the form, is exactly (or as close to exact as I could get) to what is on the census as well.  I really don't like how the top of the Ancestry.com form looks at all.  I want to know the data at the top of the original census...period.

There's enough room on one form for 10 inhabitants.  I know that some families were larger than that, but most weren't and I didn't want to make the lines too small.  You can just fill in another form and specify in the "Comments" section of the sheet if it's not the only page.  Don't worry about accidentally typing into the header boxes either.  I've locked the sheet so you can only input in areas that you need to.

One drawback that I could not figure out...when typing in the data for an individual, when you hit the "tab" key to advance to the next box it won't go from #15 on the top of the form to #16 on the bottom so you can continue to input for that person.  You have to manually go there.  If anyone knows how to link the boxes on an Excel spreadsheet so that it will jump to that top box on the bottom set of data, please let me know!

NOTE:  When you open up the spreadsheet in Google Documents it has a blank page #1.  This will not be there when you download it.  No idea why this happens, but perhaps I'll figure it out when I work with Google Docs more.

DOWNLOADING ISSUES? 

There were some readers experiencing issues downloading the census form and were getting an error message while others aren't having any problems.  I made some changes, i.e. - reconnected the link, opened permissions more, and changed the file to an older version of Excel.  If you still can't get the document to download, just send me an email and I'll be more than happy to send you a copy!

Cheryl Cayemberg
HaveYouSeenMyRoots@gmail.com