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Census Schedules:

A Research Guide

Contents: The Federal Decennial Census Schedules | Soundex Coding Guide | Guides to Microfilm Reels | Schedules for the State of Delaware | Schedules for Other States | State / Colonial Schedules | Enumeration Districts (EDs) | Nonpopulation Census Schedules | DELCAT Examples | For More Information

The Federal Decennial Census Schedules

The federal government has taken a census every ten years since 1790. Of particular importance to genealogists are the original records of the census takers, called "enumeration schedules" or "census schedules," which are the only parts of the census to include the names of people. All surviving census schedules, through 1930, have been microfilmed by the National Archives.

The amount of information included on each household varies from year to year. From 1790 to 1840, for example, only the names of heads of households were provided, not those of the other family members. The 1790-1820 population schedules were nearly all handwritten; printed forms appear in 1830. The 1880 Census was the first to ask about the relationship of each individual to the head of the family. For more information, see Census of Population & Housing Questionnaires.

It is advisable to start with a form showing the information available for the census you are researching. See Printable Census Forms (CyndisList) and Sample Census Forms (Ancestry.com).

In addition to the population schedules, there are also Nonpopulation schedules for some census years.

Ancestry Library Edition.
LOCATION: Library Databases
The University of Delaware Library subscribes to Ancestry Library Edition which provides indexing and digital images of Census enumeration schedules for all censuses and for all states.

Soundex Coding Guide

Beginning with the 1880 Census, the federal government has created Soundex indexes for some states, which have been microfilmed. A Soundex is a phonetic index, not an alphabetical one. A Soundex code consists of a letter followed by a three-digit code. Retain the first letter of the surname. Disregard the next letter if it is A, E, I, O, U, W, Y, and H. Then assign a code:

     The number               Represents the letters
          1                    B, P, F, V
          2                    C, S, K, G, J, Q, X, Z
          3                    D, T
          4                    L
          5                    M, N
          6                    R

Examples

Coleman 	= C455
Lee		= L000
Moore	 	= M600

For more information, see Using Soundex Codes, The Soundex Indexing System (from NARA), or Yet Another Soundex Converter (YASC).

Guides to Microfilm Reels

The enumeration schedules were prepared county by county and are filmed in that arrangement. These guides identify the microfilm reel number(s) corresponding to each county.

Federal Population Censuses, 1790-1890: A Catalog of Microfilm Copies of the Schedules. Washington, DC: National Archives Trust Fund Board, 1979.
LOCATION: Morris Library - Reference (Ref HA201 1790-1890)
LOCATION: Internet (http://www.archives.gov/publications/microfilm-catalogs/census/1790-1890/index.html)
For 1880, the catalog includes information on the reel numbers of the Soundex index. Note: there are no surviving census schedules for Delaware from the 1890 Census.
1900 Federal Population Census: A Catalog of Microfilm Copies of the Schedules. Washington, DC: National Archives Trust Fund Board, 1978.
LOCATION: Morris Library - Reference (Ref HA201 1900)
LOCATION: Internet (http://www.archives.gov/publications/microfilm-catalogs/census/1900/index.html)
The catalog includes information on the reel numbers of the Soundex index.
1910 Federal Population Census: A Catalog of Microfilm Copies of the Schedules. Washington, DC: National Archives Trust Fund Board, 1982.
LOCATION: Morris Library - Reference (Ref HA201 1910)
LOCATION: Internet (http://www.archives.gov/publications/microfilm-catalogs/census/1910/index.html)
The catalog includes information on the reel numbers of the Soundex/Miracode index.
1920 Federal Population Census: A Catalog of Microfilm Copies of the Schedules. Washington, DC: National Archives Trust Fund Board, 1991.
LOCATION: Morris Library - Reference (Ref HA201 1920)
LOCATION: Internet (http://www.archives.gov/publications/microfilm-catalogs/census/1920/index.html)
1930 Federal Population Census: A Catalog of Microfilm Copies of the Schedules. Washington, DC: National Archives Trust Fund Board, 2002.
LOCATION: Morris Library - Reference (Ref HA201 1930)
NARA Geographic Search (1930). (National Archives)
LOCATION: Internet (http://1930census.archives.gov/searchStrategiesGeographic.html)
Brief descriptions of the 1930 EDs. Seachable by place; caution, there are misspellings. Identifies the microfilm roll number.

Census Schedules for the State of Delaware

Ancestry Library Edition.
LOCATION: Library Databases
The University of Delaware Library subscribes to Ancestry Library Edition which provides indexing and digital images of Census enumeration schedules for all censuses and for all states.

1st Census, 1790
NONE EXIST.   The returns for Delaware and some other states were destroyed by fire in 1814. A partial substitute is Delaware 1782 Tax Assessment and Census Lists (Ref F163 .D45x 1994 and Del F163 .D45x 1994).

2nd - 10th Censuses, 1800-1880
LOCATION: Morris Library - Microforms (Microfilm S 550)
Indexes:

11th Census, 1890.
NONE EXIST.  Almost all of the 1890 census schedules were destroyed by fire in the 1920s. None remain for Delaware.

12th-15th Censuses, 1900-1930
LOCATION: Morris Library - Microforms (Microfilm S 550)
Indexes:

Enumeration Schedules for Other States

Ancestry Library Edition.
LOCATION: Library Databases
The University of Delaware Library subscribes to Ancestry Library Edition which provides indexing and digital images of Census enumeration schedules for all censuses and for all states.
1st Census, 1790
Heads of Families at the First Census of the United States Taken in the Year 1790. Reprint ed. Washington, Government Printing Office, 1907-08; Baltimore, Genealogical Pub. Co., 1970.
LOCATION: Morris Library - U.S. Documents (U.S. Doc C 3.11:) Census Area

Additionally, the Library also has some print and microfilm census schedules and indexes for nearby areas, notably Cecil County, Maryland, Lancaster and Chester Counties, Pennsylvania, and the cities of Baltimore and Philadelphia for some years. Consult DELCAT or Micromedia in Morris Library (Ref Z1033 .M5 S68 and Microforms Desk) for the call numbers.

The National Archives branch library in Philadelphia has microfilm Federal population censuses for all states, 1790-1930. Local branches of Family History Centers (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) have small collections of genealogical resources. They will also borrow materials by request from the extensive collections of the Family History Library for a small fee. There are FHC branches in Newark, Wilmington, and Dover. The Family History Center web site includes a search feature To find a Family History Center in your area. The Newark FHC is located at 500 West Chestnut Hill Road, Newark, DE, (302) 456-9301.

State / Colonial Census Schedules

Remember that Delaware was part of the Pennsylvania colony and that places now in Delaware may have been in Pennsylvania or Maryland due to boundary changes.

Jackson, Ronald Vern. Early Delaware Census Records, 1665-1697. Bountiful, UT: Accelerated Indexing Systems, 1977.
LOCATION: Morris Library - Reference (Ref F163 .J32)
Also includes, as front-matter, a reprint of the Delaware Tercentenary Almanack & Historical Repository, originally published in 1938.

Enumeration Districts (EDs)

Enumeration district (ED) refers to the area assigned to a single census-taker. EDs, strictly defined, were not used until the 1880 census. The earlier censuses used the term subdivision to refer to part of a supervisor's or marshal's division or district. Most ED numbers are changed for each census. EDs tend to follow ward or election boundaries within urban areas. EDs in rural areas may be quite large. The National Archives has published ED descriptions and and for some years, ED maps. For more information, see the Introduction to Federal Population Censuses, 1790-1890: A Catalog of Microfilm Copies of the Schedules (Ref HA201 1790-1890).

Census Descriptions of Geographic Subdivisions and Enumeration Districts, 1830--1890 and 1910-1950. Washington: National Archives of the United States, 1978.
LOCATION: Morris Library - Microforms (Microfilm S550.5)
Use the Enumeration District descriptions to locate information for the Censuses which have no index or soundex, such as 1910, or for Censuses with only partial indexing, such as 1880. The microfilm comprises several series of National Archives microfilm publications. T nos. 1210, 1224, 1227, 1228, 1229, 1230, 1231, 1232, 1233.
Description of the Enumeration Districts of the ... Twelfth Census, June 1, 1900. Washington: National Archives of the United States, 1977.
LOCATION: Morris Library - Microforms (Microfilm S550.4)
NARA Geographic Search (1930).
LOCATION: Internet (http://1930census.archives.gov/searchStrategiesGeographic.html)
Brief descriptions of the 1930 EDs. Seachable by place; caution, there are misspellings. Identifies the microfilm roll number.

Nonpopulation Census Schedules

In some census years, detailed information was gathered for these topics: agriculture (1850-1880), manufacturing (1820, 1850, 1860, 1870, and 1880), and mortality.

Nonpopulation Census Records.
LOCATION: Internet (http://www.archives.gov/genealogy/census/nonpopulation/)

DELCAT Examples

Browse by subject:
[name of state]--census
[name of state]--population
Swedish americans--genealogy
[name of nationality]--[name of colony or state]
Note: not all microform and U.S. government publications are in DELCAT

For More Information

The Source: A Guidebook of American Genealogy. Rev. ed. Salt Lake City: Ancestry Publishing Company, 1997.
LOCATION: Morris Library - Reference (Ref CS49 .S65 1997)
Delaware Tercentenary Commission. The Delaware Tercentenary Almanack and Historical Repository, 1938. Wilmington, DE: Delaware Tercentenary Commission, 1938.
LOCATION: Morris Library (F164 .D455)
LOCATION: Morris Library - Special Collections (Del F164 .D455)
Census Records. (National Archives)
LOCATION: Internet (http://www.archives.gov/genealogy/census/)
National Archives and Records Administration page giving helpful information for genealogists.
Geographic Names Information System.
LOCATION: Internet (http://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnispublic/)
Useful for verifying place names and identifying the county where a place is located.
Delaware Maps, Atlases, and Gazetteers: A Research Guide. (University of Delaware Library)
LOCATION: Internet (http://www2.lib.udel.edu/subj/genealogy/resguide/maps.htm)
Goyer, Doreen S. Handbook of National Population Censuses: Latin America and the Caribbean, North America, and Oceania. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1983.
LOCATION: Morris Library - Reference (Ref HA36 .G67 1983)
Microfilm Catalog. (National Archives)
LOCATION: Internet (http://www.archives.gov/research/order/orderonline.html?microfilm)
Thorndale, William. Map Guide to the U.S. Federal Censuses, 1790-1920. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1987.
LOCATION: Morris Library - Reference (Ref G1201 .F7 T5 1987)
Tom Nunamaker's Census Age Calculator.
LOCATION: Internet (http://toshop.com/censuscalc.cfm)
United States Bureau of the Census. Twenty Censuses: Population and Housing Questions, 1790-1980. Washington: U.S. Dept. of Commerce, Bureau of the Census; U.S. Government Printing Office, 1979.
LOCATION: Morris Library - U.S. Documents (US Doc C 3.2: C 33/33)
This page is maintained by Rebecca Knight, Reference Department.
Questions or comments?
Version: 3/2003
Last modified: 03/10/06
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