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U.S. Federal Census
It's difficult to state with any certainty which data source is the most important for genealogists. Vital Records (birth, marriage, and death records) and Passenger Lists are certainly critical, but few sources are as detailed and as periodic as government census schedules.
Whether you'll be using the U.S. Federal Census or those of another country, state, or locality — census schedules provide a means to track members of a family group over time. This allows you to build a detailed timetable and, in some cases, obtain clues about the lives of your ancestors that may not appear in any other source.
U.S. Census Overview
In 1787, the Constitution of the United States was adopted by a convention of the states and later ratified on 21 June 1788. Among other items, the document called for an enumeration to be made within three years after the first meeting of Congress and then every ten years thereafter.
While many avid genealogists would like to think the U.S. Census was created to fuel our hobby, the reality is much more basic. In the U.S. Constitution, Article I, Section 2 states "Representatives and direct taxes shall be apportioned among th several states which may be included within this Union according to their respective numbers...". Note the wisdom and simplicity of this document that allowed for future growth without a need for modification to the basic principles being set forth. Luckily, the first such census conducted in 1790 not only counted each states' population, but also recorded the names of heads of household, along with information about the age and gender of other persons in the household, and the number of slaves owned.
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No. | |
Census
Year | |
Census
Date | |
Total U.S.
Population | |
No. of
States | |
U.S. President | |
|
| 16 | |
1940 | |
April 1st | |
132,164,569 | |
48 | |
Franklin D. Roosevelt | |
|
| 15 | |
1930 | |
April 1st | |
123,202,624 | |
48 | |
Herbert Hoover | |
|
| 14 | |
1920 | |
Jan 1st | |
106,021,537 | |
48 | |
Woodrow Wilson | |
|
| 13 | |
1910 | |
April 15th | |
92,228,496 | |
46 | |
William Howard Taft | |
|
| 12 | |
1900 | |
June 1st | |
76,212,168 | |
45 | |
William McKinley | |
|
| 11 | |
1890 | |
June 1st | |
62,979,766 | |
44 | |
Benjamin Harrison | |
|
| 10 | |
1880 | |
June 1st | |
50,189,209 | |
38 | |
Rutherford B. Hayes | |
|
| 9 | |
1870 | |
June 1st | |
38,558,371 | |
37 | |
Ulysses S. Grant | |
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| 8 | |
1860 | |
June 1st | |
31,443,321 | |
33 | |
James Buchanan | |
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| 7 | |
1850 | |
June 1st | |
23,191,876 | |
30 | |
Millard Fillmore | |
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| 6 | |
1840 | |
June 1st | |
17,069,453 | |
26 | |
Martin Van Buren | |
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| 5 | |
1830 | |
June 1st | |
12,866,020 | |
24 | |
Andrew Jackson | |
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| 4 | |
1820 | |
Aug 7th | |
9,638,453 | |
23 | |
James Monroe | |
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| 3 | |
1810 | |
Aug 6th | |
7,239,881 | |
17 | |
James Madison | |
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| 2 | |
1800 | |
Aug 4th | |
5,308,483 | |
16 | |
John Adams | |
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| 1 | |
1790 | |
Aug 2nd | |
3,929,214 | |
13 | |
George Washington | |
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 List of 50 U.S. States by Date of Statehood
Source Details: U.S. Census Bureau
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