14-Day U. S. Census Database Free Trial

Someone once stated that
'statistics are like a bikini:
what they reveal is suggestive,
but what they conceal is vital.'

At the time of the Revolutionary War, there were approximately 1,500 to 2,500 Jews living in the United States.  Today, there are over 5,600,000 in a general population of over 270,000,000.  The 1890 Census was almost completely wiped out in a fire and Southern City courthouses were burned in the Civil war.

The U.S. Constitution requires the government to take a census of the population of the U.S. every 10 years.  Since this law was established in 1790, every census is/was taken in a year ending in "0".  And by law, all information relating to specific individuals is held in confidence for 72 years from the date of the census.

"The census is only as accurate as the information given.  Many people lied about their birth dates, places of birth, whether they were single, widowed or divorced and so forth.  Some folks made genuine errors, but some made deliberate ones, for whatever psychological needs they may have had at the time.  Just like the absence of a record is information, so is a fudged one!"

"And there are the errors of the census taker who often could not understand accents, made mistakes in gender - for instance, for male German names like Sally or Hebrew names.  And sometimes, they forgot to ask someone a question and rather than go back and 'go through That again," they would fake the answer.  All of it adds a little bit of 'pilpel' to our task!"  From a posting by Martha Lev-Zion martha@bgumail.bgu.ac.il on JewishGen 11/21/02.  Martha also stated "take all "facts" on the various censuses with a large portion of salt!"

"Getting census data for 1890 bedevils anyone who is doing research on that decade.  The national census records were lost in a fire and are only fragmentary.  One way to fill in the gap is to use the Manhattan city directory.  Forerunner to the telephone directory, it lists the name and occupation of every person at a particular address, and it was published yearly or every other year.  You would be able to see any address changes or changes in marital status.  The directories are readily available in NYC area libraries and through the LDS Family History centers on microfilm".  From a posting by Sabra Waldfogel

"United States federal census undercounts have been taken seriously enough
over the years that several second enumerations have been done In 1870,
there were enough complaints about undercounting that the following
localities had a second census taken: Manhattan, Indianapolis, Philadelphia and Liberty County, Georgia (This list may not be complete It was what I found on a Google search) In 1880, St Louis had a second enumeration  In 1890, complaints about the federal census for parts of New York City were voiced A special census was undertaken by the police for Manhattan and parts of the Bronx It was determined that the original census had a 13% undercount

In an article entitled "Perspectives on Historical US Census Undercounts" by King & Magnuson, published in the journal "Social Science History" (Vol 19, No 4, Winter 1995, pp 455-466), the authors state that the 1880 census had a 64% undercount I do not have access to this journal If anyone can locate a copy, I would love to know the authors estimates for other US censuses.  From a posting by Randy Stehle
                                     -------------------------

All censuses (before 1920) are public records and are available from a number of sources, both inside and outside the U.S., but are not available to date, in an easily useable form from the Internet.  The United States Census Bureau has developed a web site to help access information it has compiled on population trends.  There is plenty of information that you can glean from this site which is rich in content if this kind of information is of value to your research
http://www.nara.gov/ 

http://www.census.gov  
The Community Profiles section provides a great way to find information about your city or town or any other U.S. city or  country.

To find a profile:

1. Select the type of region you want (for example, Metropolitan Statistical Area -- the Census bureau term for what most just call 'cities')

2. Click the radio button beside the specific area and click 'Select Profile'.

3. Select the particular report you would like and click 'View Profile'.

Other information available through the site includes business and economic data and special thematic maps that graphically display population trends.  The site also has a basic search engine that allow you to search by keyword. 
http://factfinder.census.gov

Another link that may prove to be valuable in your search is the JewishGen FAQ on the JewishGen website at
http://www.jewishgen.org/infofiles/faq.html 

Census Microfilm Rental Program
PO Box 30
Annapolis Junction, MD 20701
Phone: 301 604 3699

Form to use:

Dear Sir or Madam:

Enclosed is a check for $7.50 ($3.50 for rental fee and $4.00 for shipping) for the 30-day rental of the following microfilms.
State/Territory: <your state>
Microfilm Publication: < your #>
Microfilm Roll Number: < your #>

Please send the microfilm to the following address:

< your address>
Thank You,

See NARA's 1930 Census Microfilm Locator (1930 CML)
http://1930census.archives.gov/

http://1930census.archives.gov/stateSearch.asp

How to Research the 1930 Census Microfilm
http://1930census.archives.gov/beginSearch.asp

First Name Last Name

Enumeration
Districts

Enumeration District (E.D.) - .to find the Enumeration District numbers for the 1910 Census for most major U.S. cities, consult the National Archives microfiche publication Cross Index to Selected City Streets and Enumeration Districts, 1910 Census, National Archives Micro Publication No. M1283, on 50 microfiche cards.  

This guide is available at all 13 of the National Archives regional branches and through all LDS Family History Centers.  For ordering number at a Family History Center, see the FHLC Locality Catalog under the heading "United States - Census - 1910 - Indexes".

"Enumeration District Maps for the 12th through 16th Censuses of the U.S. 1900-1940".
https://eservices.archives.gov/orderonline/start.swe?SWECmd=Start

Enter A3378 in the right side under "Search"  Press search and get to the publication. Click on the publication name to get to its description page Click on the "View Important Publication Details" to see a PDF file for the series.

Akron, Ohio; Atlanta, GA; Baltimore, MD; Canton, OH; Charlotte, NC;  Chicago, IL; Cleveland, OH; Dayton, OH;  Denver, CO: Detroit, MI; District of Columbia; Elizabeth, NJ; Erie, PA; Ft. Wayne, IN; Gary, IN; Grand Rapids, MI; Indianapolis, IN; Kansas City, KS; Long Beach, CA; Los Angeles (and country), CA; Newark, NJ; New York, City (Brooklyn, Manhattan & Bronx, Richmond) Oklahoma City, OK; Omaha, NE; Paterson, NJ; Peoria, IL; Philadelphia, PA; Phoenix, AZ; Reading, PA; Richmond, VA; San Antonio, TX; San Diego, CA; San Francisco, CA; Seattle, WA; South Bend, IN; Tampa, FL; Tulsa, OK; Wichita, KS; Youngstown, OH

Enumeration District Descriptions and Maps - researchers who cannot find a name in Soundex or in a commercial index may want to consult enumeration district (ED) descriptions and maps before undertaking the time-consuming task of examining all the schedules for a county or locality. 
http://www.genealogy.org/census/intro-7.html

For Boston, use the book "A Research Aid for the Massachusetts 1910 Federal Census"  - authored by Mary Lou Craver Mariner and Patricia Roughan Bellows (Sudbury, MA., 1988

Cross Index to Selected City Streets and Enumeration Districts, 1930 Census, NARA M1931 microfilm series includes both New York city and Bronx and the other boroughs.  If you have a census subscription at Ancestry.com you can use a program that will get you within a few pages at the site when you input the information from the index CD
http://erosenbaum.netfirms.com/ 

Also on M1931 are 'most populated places in North Carolina.

United States. Bureau of the Census. Cross Index to Selected City Streets and Enumeration Districts, 1910 Census. Washington, D.C.: National Archives, [1984]. (51 FHL fiche 6331481; computer number 258163.) Lists street addresses of Erie (after Elizabeth, New Jersey) on fiche 19, Philadelphia on fiche 38-42, and Reading on fiche 43 (after Phoenix, Arizona) with corresponding census enumeration districts.

Enumeration District - census geography maps, available on film, will locate the Enumeration Districts of various cities.  Once you have found the proper ED, you can then search for street and addresses.

Enumeration District Descriptions and Maps -
http://www.us-census.org/research/ed-maps.htm

Discover the U.S. Federal Census - an outstanding tutorial http://www.amberskyline.com/treasuremaps/ 
and follow the link

County-wide indexes to federal censuses sometimes help locate names
overlooked in statewide indexes. A few county-wide indexes are listed in the
Locality Search of the Family History Library Catalog under PENNSYLVANIA,
[COUNTY] - CENSUS.

When indexes are not available or omit a name, you can still look for the
name in the census. In large cities it helps to first learn the person's
address by searching the city directory for the same year (or the year before
and after) as the census (see the “Directories” section of this outline).
Then look for that address on the original census schedules. If the address
is not on the census, as is the case in the earlier censuses, look for the
address on a ward map to identify the ward and search every name on the
census for that ward.

Most census records are indexed or Soundexed and those indices are available either on microfilm or in book form.  An alternative would be to research city directories which list, among other information, the head of household's occupations.  See Police Census information below on this page for further information.

"State Census Records" - authored by Ann S. Lainhart in 1992
ISBN 0-8063-1362-5

There are two commercial companies that are offering (or will be shortly offering) the entire 1900 census and/or the 1910 census on-line: Genealogy.com at http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/1900census.html?
Welcome-984927794  

(Cost is $79.95 a year (limited time offer) for the census database of over 31 million names covering nearly 600 counties in 10 states* only).  There are now 43 states and nearly 73 million people on their site. 

There is a Soundex index for all states in the 1900 census.  There is such an index for most censuses 1880-1930.  However, 1880 is only indexed for families with children 10 and younger; 1910 has index for only 21 states (no NY, NJ, or Mass.), and 1930 has Soundex index for just 12 southern states (2 of which - KY and WV - include only a few counties).  From a posting by Elizabeth S. Lourie 

Census4all at
http://www.census4all.com
has free on-line indexes to the 1910 Census for  selected states (RI, VT, HH).  Other 1910 census indexes available on-line for those states not indexed by the U.S. government.  The 1910 census is not indexed for 29 states which include Maryland, Massachusetts, New York and New Jersey.  Census pages can be purchased for a nominal fee.

*Illinois, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Vermont

Another possibility is Ancestry.com which offers the 1900 and 1920 census at
http://www.ancestry.com/search/io/main.htm  

U S Census Bureau Maps and Cartographic Resources
http://www.census.gov/geo/www/maps/

Prior to  
1880 Census

Statewide indexes are available for the 1790, 1800, 1810, 1820, 1830, 1840, and 1850 censuses in book and microfiche format. The 1860 and 1870 indexes are available in book and compact disc formats. The 1860 book indexes are divided into five sets: East, Central, West, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh (Butler and Allegheny counties).

The column headings for the 1880 U.S. Federal Census are as follows:

The first two columns were only "required" to be filled out in cities, but you may find them elsewhere:

Name of street; House number: Families numbered in order of visitation; The Name of each person whose place of abode on 1st day of June 1880, was in this family; Personal Description -Color-White, W, Black, B: Mulatto, Mu, Chinese, C; Indian, I.; Sex - Male, M; Female, F; Age at last birthday prior to June 1, 1980.  If under 1 year, give months in fractions, thus 8/12; If born within the Census year, give the month; Relationship of each person to the head of the family - whether wife, son,  daughter, servant, boarder, or other; Civil Condition; single, Married, Widowed, Married during Census year;  Occupation - Profession, Occupation or Trade of each person, male or female - Number of months this person has been unemployed during the Census year; Is the person (on the day of the enumerator's visit) sick, or temporarily; disabled, so as to be unable to attend to ordinary business or duties; If  so, what is the sickness or disability? Health - Blind, Deaf and dumb, Idiotic, Insane, Married, crippled, bedridden or otherwise disabled; Education - Attended school within the Census year, Cannot Read, Cannot write; Nativity - Place of Birth of this person, naming State or Territory of United States, or the Country if of foreign birth; Place of Birth of the father of this person, naming State or Territory of United States, or the Country if of foreign birth; Place of Birth of the mother of this person, naming State or Territory of United States, or the Country if of Foreign birth.

The 1870 indexes are divided into Pennsylvania East, Central, West, and Philadelphia. Soundex (phonetic) indexes are available for part of the 1880 census and all of the 1900, 1910, and 1920 censuses. Philadelphia County is indexed separately in 1910. An alphabetical transcript of Pittsburgh and Allegheny City is on microfilm for the 1850, 1860, and 1870 censuses (listed in the Locality Search of the Family History Library Catalog under PENNSYLVANIA, ALLEGHENY, PITTSBURGH - CENSUS).

 "A Handy Guide to Record- Searching in the Larger Cities of the United States".- authored by  Kirkham, E. Kay. Logan, Utah: Everton, 1974. (FHL book 973 D27kc; fiche 6010059-60; computer number 55656.) Includes ward maps and street indexes for: Harrisburg 1878; Philadelphia 1850-1855, 1860, and 1878; Scranton 1878; and Williamsport 1878.

Shortcut to the Ancestry.com United States federal Census images, available as census plug-ins for Connecticut, Indiana, New Jersey, New York (City and State), Pennsylvania are available for a nominal cost at
http://erosenbaum.netfirms.com/census_plugin.php 

1860 US Federal Census
http://go.footnote.com/1860census?xid=271

1880 Census

My alma mater, the University of Minnesota, provides enumerator instructions for the Federal census on-line.  This site will explain how the census was to be filled out 
http://www.ipums.umn.edu/usa/voliii/inst1930.html
To use this site, just change the '1930' to the year for which you want instructions.

The complete transcription of the 1880 US Census can now be ordered on CDs from the LDS website for $49.00  From the home page, just click on "Order/Download products"; on the next screen click on "Software products"  Of the options that appear on the next page, click on "Census and Vital records."  On the second page of the resulting list, the last item is #50168000, the 1880 US Census, complete record.  Click on it for information.  The set of CD's contains approximately 50 million names divided into seven regions and accompanied with a National Index. Written by Rose Ingram rosedon@sageserve.com  Previously published by GEN DOBRY!, Vol. 2, No. 5, 31 May 2001. PolishRoots™:
http://PolishRoots.org/

The 1880 is the first ever U.S. Census published in its complete format, including information on 50,476,366 individuals.  These census records include the population of the United States as it existed in 1880, including 38 states, nine territories, and the Indian territory of present-day Oklahoma.

The database contains the individual's full name, relationship to the heard of the house, age, gender, race, marital status, occupation, birthplace, and the birthplace of the individual's parents.  The 1880 U.S. Census allows individuals to view the names of neighboring families.

The entire database of more than 50 million people will be available through the Family Search Internet Genealogy Service at
http://www.familysearch.org

The 1880 Federal Census for the Ladies Deborah Nursery - located at 95 East Broadway, New York City, consists of 73 names; 58 orphan children and 16 names of the caretaker family and staff at
http://www.scruz.net/~elias/hnoh

Shortcut to the Ancestry.com United States federal Census images, available as census plug-ins for Connecticut, New Jersey, New York (City and State), Pennsylvania are available for a nominal cost at
http://erosenbaum.netfirms.com/census_plugin.php 

In 1880, the cities of New York and Brooklyn were two completely separate
cities.  The area that is now downtown Brooklyn became a city in 1838, but
annexed the surrounding towns in Kings County, such as Flatbush and
Gravesend, piecemeal over the next several decades, encompassing the
entire county only in 1894.  Then, in 1898, the five boroughs of what is
now New York City joined to form the city of "greater New York". 

The 1880 U.S. Federal Census is available online.  These images will be browseable by U.S. state, county and township/enumeration district.
http://www.ancestry.com/search/io/main.htm

1890 Census

My alma mater, the University of Minnesota, provides enumerator instructions for the Federal census on-line.  This site will explain how the census was to be filled out  http://www.ipums.umn.edu/usa/voliii/inst1930.html
To use this site, just change the '1930' to the year for which you want instructions.

The 1890 United States Census was mostly destroyed by a fire in 1921, before it could be preserved.  Only fragments still exist.  The Fate of the 1890 Census - http://www.nara.gov/publications/prologue/1890cen1.html

As a result of the loss of the 1890 Census, the 1900 U.S. Census is considered especially important as a 'bridging' resource; an essential collection for those seeking to locate their ancestors during the transition from the 19th to 20th centuries.

These actual images of the original 1900 census records offer hand-written documentation of an individual's age, citizenship, ethnic background, and more -- often revealing clues that help locate other records such as births, marriages and deaths.

Military Service Personnel - in the 1900 census, information may be found at the University of Minnesota's web site - a coherent national census database spanning 1850 to 1990. .
www.ipums.umn.edu

The 1900 through 1920 Censuses contains citizenship status for all foreign born residents

The column is left blank for native-born, who are all automatically U.S. citizens. Genealogy.com has the entire 1900 census on the Internet at
http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/1900census.html?Welcome=984927794

For those who have to key in the long address, you can also access the site from the company's home page at
http://www.genealogy.com

The cost for access is high compared to its competitors.

1905 New York City Census

Indexed by address for Manhattan. There are also 1905, 1915 and 1925 NYS and 1910 US Censuses.  They are available at the NYPL at Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street which is closed on Mondays.

1910 Census

For most of the States, 1910 is not indexed and you will have to know the person's address to find the census.

My alma mater, the University of Minnesota, provides enumerator instructions for the Federal census on-line.  This site will explain how the census was to be filled out  http://www.ipums.umn.edu/usa/voliii/inst1930.html
To use this site, just change the '1930' to the year for which you want instructions.

When Jews immigrated to the US during the 20th century, many settled in New York.  This makes the 1910 census a valuable genealogical resource that includes information about age; relationship to head of household; number of years married; year of immigration; naturalization status; and for women, number of children born and number now living. 

The 1910 census records for New York City, has recently been indexed.  They are not on microfilm, but on a CD.  The indices are not on index cards, but in digital form, which allows you to do sorts and print out lists of names, complete with the E.D.s and census page numbers you need to look up the record, in various forms.  Of course, these records are only as good as the handwriting of the enumerator.  Some names will be missing or wrong if the folks who did the indexing had trouble reading the original record.  As a last resort, if you know the address you are looking for, you might want to hunt for the census page on microfilm with the address you are looking for.  The folks at the regional archives office can certainly show you how to do this.  From a posting by Robert Corwin rcorwin@ucwphilly.rr.com on 4/3/02

Heritage Quest offers an index to the 1910 New York city census which includes 1.78 million entries that includes all heads of households and persons living in the household with a surname different from the head.  Included in the index is the person's name, age, sex, race and birthplace. 
www.HeritageQuest.com  Also see 'Nu What's New' - issue Volume 2, No. 23 of November 18, 2001 for additional search information http://www.avotaynu.com/1910censusNY.htm

Ancestry.com has a name index for the 1910 census. This lets you search the census by name.  But when you find a person, there  is no link to get to the census image for that person.  Same problem  exists if you search for a person using the Heritage Quest CDs for 1910.
 
Steve Morse, Joel Weintraub, and Dave Kehs offers a helpful webpage.  It's a form on which you enter the information found from the Ancestry or Heritage name search, and the census image will be displayed.  You can get to Steve's form by going to his homepage
http://stevemorse.org
clicking on the link for "1910 Census Images" in the census section.

Brooklyn ed (Enumeration Wards*) - the following web site gives the boundaries for each Brooklyn 1910 ed (Enumeration Wards). http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~blkyn/Ward/ed.wd.html 

Brooklyn was composed of wards.  When it became a city in 1837, it was divided into nine wards, and by the time of consolidation with NYC in 1898 it had 32 wards.

CD  of 1910 Census - this is only an index of 'head of household' and the only information for a given person is: surname, given name, ward #, City, Roll #, part #, page # and sub page #.  No wives, no addresses, no birth information, etc.

Connecticut, Indiana and New York census information has been aided by Edward Rosenbaum who offers shareware to allow one to locate census images at the Ancestry.com site from indexes made available on CD-ROM by Heritage Quest
http://erosenbaum.netfirms.com/1910census.shtml 

'With this index and Avotaynu' s compilation of NARA reel numbers and their equivalent FHL film number, the Enumeration District is not needed.  The page number is tamped near the middle of the heading for the page http://www.avotaynu.com/1910censusny.htm 
Posted by Carol Skydell JewishGen Discussion Group 1/03/2002 

For a listing of which census records are available in the NY State Library, http://www.nysl.nysed.gov/genealogy/nyscens.htm
These records do not circulate, but it will give you some idea whether
records for a specific county exist in the state library.
 

Pennsylvania 1910 Census - on the census index cards, in the upper right hand corner, there are numbers; the first is the volume number; the second is the enumeration district (ED); the third is the family enumeration number (aka 'visitation number').  These are known as Miracodes.

Pennsylvania Miracode Census Index - 1910  is now available for searching free from Ancestry.com
http://www.ancestry.com/search/rectype/inddbs/5103.htm 
To find the census record, go to the films that have the county's census records (or use the volume number).  Next, find the ED (enumeration District) in the county records, then look for the indexed 'head of household' by the family visitation number, which will be the number in the fourth column on the census sheet.  An example is available at
http://www.geocities.org/Broadway/1954/sdx.jpg

1920 Census

My alma mater, the University of Minnesota, provides enumerator instructions for the Federal census on-line.  This site will explain how the census was to be filled out  http://www.ipums.umn.edu/usa/voliii/inst1930.html
To use this site, just change the '1930' to the year for which you want instructions.

The complete 1920 collection is browseable by State, county and township and/or enumeration district
http://www.ancestry.com/search/io/main.htm   

The 1920 census for Manhattan  and Brooklyn (New York) is indexed and is available at
http://www.ancestry.com/search/io/choosest.asp?lfl=bod&c=3 
Information available includes: name, country of birth and age.

These New York counties are available on the Ancestry.Com site: Erie; Broome; Nassau; Bronx; Kings; Oneida and Dutchess.  for a complete list of available images, browse the 1920 census at
http://www.ancestry.com/search/io/main.htm   

For a complete list of available images, browse the 1920 census
http://www.ancestry.com/search/io/main.htm

Census Index: Mid-Atlantic States (DC, DE, MD, OH, PA, VA, WV), 1900 - available on a CD from
www.UltimateFamilyTree.com/online

Column Headings in Ancestry's 1920 Census Image pages.

State
County
Town/Township/City and Ward

Microfilm roll number
Enumeration date
Supervisor's district number
Enumeration district number
Sheet number
Page number

Place of abode
Street
House number
Dwelling number
Family visit number

Name
Name of each person whose place of abode on January 1, 1920, was in this family

Relation to head of family

Tenure
Home owned or rented
Owned free or mortgaged

Personal description
Sex
Color or race
Age
Marital status

Citizenship
Year of immigration to US
Naturalized or alien
Year of naturalization

Education
Attending school
Can read and write

Nativity and mother tongue
Person
Place of birth
Mother Tongue

Father
Place of birth
Mother tongue

Mother
Place of birth 
Mother tongue

Can speak English

Occupation

Ancestry.com offers indexes for the States of New Hampshire, New Jersey and New Mexico in addition to indexes for Chicago, New York State, Pennsylvania, Utah, Vermont and Washington State.
http://www.ancestry.com/rd/census.htm

1930 Census

The 1930 Census was taken just months after the stock market crash in 1929, the dawn of the Great Depression.  Herbert Hoover was president that census year when the immigrant population in the United States peaked, a record that stood until 1990.  The 15th census was taken in April, not January as in previous years, an attempt to avoid weather-related difficulties. It was the last time every person was asked the same set of questions; the next survey introduced additional questions to a sampling of the population.

Government workers had finished indexing only some of the South when the Soundex program was canceled decades ago.  That means most people seeking their ancestors must know specific street addresses.  Those addresses help determine the enumeration district -- the physical area covered by an enumerator on census day.  The 1930 Census is categorized by enumeration districts.

My alma mater, the University of Minnesota, provides enumerator instructions for the 1930 Federal census on-line.  This site will explain how the census was to be filled out 
http://www.ipums.umn.edu/usa/voliii/inst1930.html 

The 1930 US Census, available since April 1, 2002, is mostly un-indexed as
to names.  To find target people one must have a 1930 address.  There are
two main websites that help determine, from an address, the correct census district to search.  They are the National Archive Website and the One Step Website (Morse/Weintraub/Kehs sites.

The 1930 Census has been released to the public  (72 years after the census date.) Some parts are available now, if you need specific information about an ancestor.  See NARA's 1930 Census Microfilm Locator (1930 CML)
http://1930census.archives.gov/

In order to use the information for most states, you must know the Enumeration District in which the family resided.  Various finding aids have been developed to assist in determining the ED.  One of the best was developed by Stephen Morse and is located at
http://www.stevemorse.org/census/

Information about Enumeration Districts in Hennepin County, Minnesota, there are 14 rolls of Microfilm and 328 Enumeration Districts
http://1930census.archives.gov/default.asp

Ancestry.com has added New York (12,259,683 names) to its every-name index to the 1930 Federal Census.  Also included are Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Georgia, Idaho, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Utah.  All members of each household are indexed so you can search for relatives whose husbands' or parents' names you don't know or to try alternative searches when the name you do know doesn't produce results.  Take though, in consideration, that there were mistakes and misreporting at the time of the census and misinterpretation by indexers.  Many libraries offer free access to Ancestry.com, newspaper indexes, biographical databases, and other sources of value.

Information on how to research the 1930 Census microfilm - found at http://1930census.archives.gov/   

This web site will help you begin your family history research in the 1930 census.  It will tell you what questions were asked by the census, which states had name indexes prepared, how to search those states and the ones without indexes, where to view, rent, or buy the microfilm containing the original records.  Note that the locator is an on-line database listing every roll of microfilm in the 1930 census, searchable by over 120,000 plus geographic locations (census districts).  It is NOT a family or individual name index or a digital version of the microfilm.

In the 1930s, the WPA (Works Progress Administration) prepared Soundex indexes of names for only 12 southern states.  If you are looking for someone in those states, you can use this locator to find the roll of microfilm you need.

This locator also supports searching enumeration district (ED) descriptions by state; county; city and place names to determine the ED and schedule microfilm roll number.  Places include names of town, streets, post offices, rural townships, election precinct and ward numbers, and rivers and lakes.  You can also search for institution names, such as prisons, sanitariums and schools.

Use the step-by-step instructions prepared by NARA census experts and the 1930 Census Microfilm Locator on this web site to begin your research.  You also will find detailed search strategies as well as specific tips and hints throughout the site.  You can search by either Soundex or geographic methods.

The information on the 1930 questionnaire is about the same as the 1920 census.  There is no index for the 1930 census (limited index for some states) but some genealogy groups are working on trying to get the census indexed.  A descriptive catalog will be made available that includes descriptions of each enumeration district (E.D.).  Microfilm will be made available that reproduces the Census Bureau's 1930 E.D. maps.  Unless an index is produced (most of the Census is un-indexed), one would need to know the street address of the person being researched.  
http://www.nara.gov/genealogy/1930cen.html

The 1930 census will be indexed (Soundexed) for 10 Southern states
(Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North and
South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. It is partially indexed for
Kentucky and West Virginia. Most of the states in the 1930 census will NOT be Soundexed, therefore, the use of finding aides will be essential.

The 1930 census microfilm original includes inherent defects that affect the legibility of some frames.  The original paper schedules no longer exist.  

Depending on what you are looking for, Genealogical researchers need to be aware that the 1930 census does not provide an accurate "snapshot" of the family structure at that time.  The census attempted to count every person living in the nation on April 1, 1930.  It lists such details as where they stayed and with whom, their age and place of birth.

Stephen Morse has developed a search engine to help you obtain the Enumeration District (E.D.) for large cities in one step at
www.stevemorse.org/census 

Ancestry.Com has begun making images of this 1930 census available on-line.  It is a slow process that will take time, but the first state to be completed is Delaware
http://ancestry.com/search/io/choosest.asp?c=16  
There have been some problems surfing this site, but be patient.

The database at NARA does not contain census images or information about specific people.  The limitation of the on-line database, however, is that for all 120,000 plus census districts that are on-line, only the boundary features/streets of each census district are in the database.  If you look for an internal street that is not one of the streets that define the edge of the census district, you will not find it on the NARA website
http://1930census.archives.gov/

Although it is not yet listed on the National Archives web site, the 1930 Federal Population Census microfilm catalog is now available.  Copies are $3.50 each plus shipping.  For details on ordering by phone or mail, shipping charges, etc.,
www.nara.gov/publications/order.html 

  Books

Most books, CDs, etc. can be ordered through my link to Amazon.com by clicking here > Jewish Genealogy

"They Became Americans: Finding Naturalization Records & Ethnic Origins"

General  
Census Information

Ancestry.com offers all images of U.S. censuses from 1790-1930. The indexing of the 1790-1940 censuses with a link from the index to the proper census page is also available along with the 1850-1880 indexes.  The 1900-1920 is to be added.  All are available as a fee-based service by this site
http://www.ancestry.com

AIS Census Index Contents - by State
http://www.ancestry.com/census/censuslist.htm

Bronx - The Bronx stood alone as a borough beginning in 1898; but as a county, the Bronx had to wait some 16 years until 1914.  From 1683 until 1873, the Bronx was part of Westchester County.  In 1898, after the consolidation with the City of Brooklyn (Kings County), Richmond County and the western third of Queens County (Long Island City, the Towns of Newtown, Flushing and Jamaica, and the Rockaway peninsula of the Town of Hempstead), New York City was administratively divided into 5 boroughs (Manhattan, the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island) but consisted of only 4 counties (New York, Kings, Queens and Richmond).  The Bronx, while a separate borough, remained part of New York County.  In 1914, the Bronx County -- the 62nd and last county in New York State -- seceded from New York Count.  New York City then had 5 boroughs and 5 counties.

In 1899, the eastern two thirds of Queens County -- the portion not in New York City -- seceded and formed Nassau County http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~blkyn/Ward/ed.wd.html 

Census Finder - A directory of links to free census records, census indexes, census transcriptions, tax lists, and city directories online, categorized by state and county. Included are county formation and vital statistic data for each state along with, census notes and genealogy resources. There is also  a growing section devoted to free United Kingdom census records on-line.
http://www.censusfinder.com

Census Lookup Web Site -
http://www.rootsweb.com/~uslookup/

Note: Not everyone who has, or had, a Social Security card will appear.  Many other enrolled individuals are not listed.

Census
Publications

"I have recently been in email correspondence with the Census Bureau
finding out what the actual "Census Day" was for every census.  The
person who helped me told me that the information and much more is in
the new edition of "Measuring America - The Decennial Censuses from
1790 - 2000."

This is a glossy 150 page soft back publication, which goes into great
detail about every census. There are also examples of every census
form right up to and including 2000.

There is a chart which details all the censuses with their National Archive number, including the Soundex if there was one. The roll numbers are also given.

It is published by the U.S. Department of Commerce, Economics and Statistics Administration. This edition was published in September, 2002, and the publication number is POL/02-MA(RV). The ISBN is 0-16-051209-3. An earlier edition (April, 2002) is also available as a downloadable PDF document. Jeremy Frankel Oakland, CA, USA" This information was obtained from a posting by Jeremy Frankel jfrankel@lmi.net on Tue, 14 Jan 2003 

Census Web Site -
www.census.gov 

opher.census.gov 

ftp://ftp.census.gov/ 
It is necessary to 'drill down' to get information: i.e. Agriculture;  Census-BBS; Construction; Economic; Geography; Governments; international; Population and more.

United States Census on-line research - a site where you can access all the available online United States census images directly from your computer at 
http://www.accessgenealogy.com/census/ 

Census Bureau -
http://www.refdesk.com

Death Index -
http://www.refdesk.com

Enumeration Districts* - New York City used to have political designations called wards, which were the smallest political units in New York City.  Each ward elected an alderman and an assistant alderman to the City Council.  According to The Encyclopedia of New York City published in 1995 by Yale University Press, the system goes all the way back to 1686, when Governor Thomas Dongan divided the city, then entirely in Manhattan, into six wards.  In 1791, wards were given numerical designations. http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~blkyn/Ward/ed.wd.html 

The First Ward was the tip of Manhattan, and districts were given consecutive numbers the further north you went in Manhattan.  New wards were added as the city expanded northward, and increasing population of the older wards required subdivisions.  Wards were formally abolished in 1938.

Brooklyn was also composed of wards.  When it became a city in 1837, it was divided into nine wards, and by the time of consolidation with NYC in 1898 it had 32 wards.

Bronx; Queens; Richmond (Staten Island) Enumeration Ward information can be found at
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~blkyn/Ward/ed.wd.html  

Federal and State Census Information with Lists of Children residing in Jewish Orphanages
http://www.scruz.net/~elias/hnoh/CENSUSINFOMRATION6C.html

On this web site, Jewish Orphanages in the US
http://shell4.bayarea.net/~elias/hnoh/
you will find the following orphanages
 

E-mail HNOHalumni@aol.com

Maps - Electronic Map Library site (California State University, Northridge) collection of digital atlases based on census data
http://130.166.124.2/library.html

National Archives
201 Varick Street,
12th Floor in New York
The #1 or #9 train takes you to Houston Street.

New York State Census - available on film through the LDS.  First determine what Enumeration District the address would have been in.  The LDS has a film for this information.  Once you know the ED, you can order the film through them
http://www.familysearch.org 

1915 Census for Brooklyn, New York City, Kings County is available at numerous places in New York including the LDS.

New York Vital Statistic Records - at the Family History Center, you may be able to find birth records yourself.  They have, on microfilm, NYC birth records and indexes prior to and including 1909 for all five boroughs.  The indexes are organized by year and then by borough.  If you find the name in the index, you can order the roll with that birth record you are looking for.

Passenger Lists, Census, etc.
http://www.nara.gov/publications/pubindex.html 

http://www.ancestry.com/search/rectype/vital/ssdi/main.htm

http://www.ancestry.com/ssdi/advanced.htm   
(If you use this site and click on the last column, it will automatically create a FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) letter to Social Security) and http://emh.everton.com/ssmdi.html 

http://www.familytreemaker.com/fto_ssdisearch.html

http://www.ancestry.com/search/rectype/vital/ssdi/main.htm 

www.uftree.com 

http://ssdi.genealogy.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/ssdi.cgi

Police Census records of 1890, though not as thorough as the U.S. Census of that year, is accessible through the New York City Archives and the New York City Public Library.

US Census Map - SHG Resource Network - information available by State by clicking on the state of interest from the map
http://www.statehousegirls.net/

Vital Records: Social Security Death Index, 1937 - 1999 - extracted from the Social Security Administration's Master Dearth File, now on two - CD Indexes.  Available from Family Tree Maker as item #00110
http://www.familytreemaker.com

White Pages

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Please let me know if there is a favorite link of yours that is not included in my site and I will be happy to add it to Jewish Web Index

Email JWebindex@global.com

more to come ...