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Samuel Anderson
Middlesex Genealogical Society
Darien, CT

Getting Started

See also Family History Research Wiki, NYG&B, and Getting Started by Virginia Banerjee

  1. Define your goals. A family tree? A family history? Your family? Your spouse's family? A book? A Website?
  2. Start with your family. Then work backward, one branch at a time.
  3. Interview family members. Get their input. Ask for records: birthplaces, marriage, ancestors, and immigration. Record what you learn.
  4. Gather readily available information. Family trees, birth certificates, marriage certificates, death certificates, obituaries, and photographs. Google your ancestors.
  5. Make a family tree. There are several different ways:
  6. Ask for help.
  7. Search census (see below) and other historical records.
  8. Search city directories. The New York Public Library has directories for cities across the country.
  9. Use social networking. Facebook groups and pages related to genealogy and history
  10. Read about genealogy. MGS Newsletters, books, and Internet links.
  11. Attend meetings. MGS presentation Meetings. Organizations mentioned in the MGS Newsletters.
  12. Make field trips. Visit libraries, archives, historical societies, town halls, churches, cemeteries.
  13. Put results on-line. Consider putting your results on-line to attract input from distant cousins. See Member Pages

Beware of ready-made family histories and coats of arms, usually worthless.

U.S. Census

Article I, Section 2 of the the U. S. Constituion requires that a census be taken every 10 years in order to apportion the members of the House of Representatives. According to Public Law 95-416, enacted in 1978, census information is made public 72 years after the census year.

Most of the original 1890 census was destroyed in 1921 by a fire in the Commerce Department.

Searching the Census

There are two main ways to search for ancestors in the U.S. Census:

  • Ancestry.com, which is available at some libraries as Ancestry Library Edition or can be viewed at home by paying a fee.
  • Family Search, which can be viewed at home without a fee. Provided by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
These services have indexed the names in the census and allow you to search for a name in a state for a census year. They also allow advanced searches with more criteria. Sometimes, the name is not available because the original form is difficult to read or it has been misread by the indexer. This problem often can be circumvented with extra effort by searching (1) the first name and adding criteria to narrow the search, (2) the name of a neighbor, or (3) page by page in a certain geographic area.

U.S. Census Items, 1790-1950

The table below shows the key items available in the U. S. census from 1790 to 1950. For more information on the content of each census.

Item 1790 1800/10 1820 1830 1840 1850 1860 1870 1880 1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950
Address City City City City City City City City City and street City and street City and street City and street City and street City and street City and street
Name Head only Head only Head only Head only Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Relationship No No No No No No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Age Male bracket Bracket Bracket Bracket Bracket Yes Yes Yes Yes Month and year born Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Sex Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Marital status No No No No No No No No Yes Years married and number of children Years married and number of children Yes Age first married Yes Yes
Birthplace No No No No No Self Self Self Self, parents Self, parents Self, parents Self, parents Self, parents Self Self
Occupation No No Yes No Industry Males Males Males Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Income No No No No No No No No No No No No No Yes No
Literacy No No No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No No
Education No No No No No No No No No No No No No Yes No
Immigration No No No No No No No No No Year Year Year Year No No

History of the Census

For the history of the Census and instructions to census takers, see History of the Census and Its Samples.