Census Research Tips and Caveats
Census enumerations are by no means the most reliable of records. At the time the census was recorded, the enumerator may have missed someone, written a name down wrong, or received inaccurate information. It's not uncommon to find someone who has aged less than five years in the decade between censuses, or whose birthplace changed with each successive decade. Throw in bad handwriting, changing county borders, and missing or illegible records, and there are plenty of opportunities for research frustration.
Because genealogists researching online typically use indexes to locate people in the census, there also exists the extra challenge of dealing with the misinterpretations, typographical errors, and other inaccuracies that often creep in during the census indexing process. This second opportunity for error means that a name could actually have been butchered twice. Perhaps the census taker, tired at the end of a long, hot day, didn't take the time to ask Robert Stuart how his name was spelled, and recorded Stewart instead of Stuart. The individual later responsible for indexing the data was unable to accurately decipher the sloppy handwriting of that tired census taker and interpreted Stewart as Steward. Now, Robert Stuart is Robert Steward and much more difficult to find.
Don't let these caveats scare you away from census records. Census data provides a valuable look at your ancestors in a particular place and time. Census records are also easy to find and use, and can yield a lot of information in a little time. Just keep in mind that census records and indexes are prone to inaccuracy, and the clues found within should always be corroborated with other records when possible.
Learn Creativity and Patience
When you're having trouble finding your ancestor in the census index, it's time to get creative. Her name may have been misspelled in the census enumeration, or misread when it was indexed. Think about how the name might look instead of how it should look, considering some of the following suggestions:
Try alternate spellings for both the first name and last name.
Search with just a first name and location.
Don't count solely on Soundex; it doesn't pick up all spelling options for a surname.
Try a nickname and/or middle name in the first name field.
Substitute an initial for the first name.
Search for other family members or even neighbors when you can't find your ancestor.
Old handwriting is often a challenge to read, so it's no wonder census indexes are prone to inaccuracies. The surname CARTER, for example, might have been read as GARTER, or the name CRISP might be spelled as CHRISP or CRIPS. Create a list of alternative spellings for your ancestor's surnames and then try these name variations in every database you search.
Expect Little from the 1890 Federal Census
More than 99 percent of the 1890 census population schedules were damaged in a fire, and their remains later destroyed by government order. The few fragments that survive include only about 6,000 names out of an original count of more than 62 million. Although most census sites allow you to search the 1890 census, and some have beefed up those names with alternative records from the time period, your chances of finding the person you're looking for are slim.
Explore the Community
A census enumeration is much more than a record of an individual family. It also tells the story of an entire community. After you get over the excitement of discovering your ancestor, take time to become familiar with the people living nearby. Neighbors could turn out to be related, even if they don't share the same name. It's not uncommon to find a wife's parents living nearby, or an uncle, or married sister. This is especially true in more rural communities. Becoming familiar with the neighbors also allows you to use their names as a search tool to help locate your ancestor in other census records. For best results, look at several households, if not several pages, on either side of your ancestor and add their names to your research log as well.
Pay Attention to Penmanship
While you're exploring the community, it is also useful to spend time familiarizing yourself with the enumerator's handwriting. Each census taker will have a particular way of styling certain letters, such as a, f, h, j, p, and s. Scan the pages on either side of your ancestor for easily recognizable names to learn how the enumerator wrote certain letters and letter combinations. This will help you to better judge the spelling of your own ancestor's name, as well as those of his family members.
Go to the Original Record When Possible
Census indexes and transcriptions can provide the information many genealogists want most to find — names, dates, and locations. The original census record, however, will almost always include more. By checking the original census image, you will often discover information that may have been misread or was left out of the transcription. And yes, digitized census images are generally considered an acceptable alternative to the original record.
