Historical Records

The U.S. federal census wasn’t designed with genealogists in mind; it was created to meet the changing needs of a growing nation. This session takes you beyond the names and numbers, exploring the historical context behind each census from 1790 to 1950. We’ll examine how shifting questions, enumeration methods, and national priorities have shaped the records we rely on today. By understanding the “why” behind the census, you’ll gain tools to interpret your ancestors’ entries with greater accuracy and uncover richer stories hidden in the data.

Census records often contradict one another. Ages change, names vary, and places of birth are inconsistent. This session demonstrates how to analyze and reconcile those conflicts through timelines, correlation with other records, and case studies that show how to draw conclusions from imperfect evidence.

Most researchers stop at the population schedule, but census records also include valuable schedules that document farms, businesses, deaths, and community life. This session explores agricultural, mortality, and industry schedules, showing how they can be used to add depth to family history.

The census is one of our basic research tools, but basic doesn’t equal simple. Often a census record can raise as many questions as it answers, and some of those questions may seem unanswerable. Learn how an understanding of who the enumerators were, what their instructions prescribed, and some of the many ways they deviated from the instructions can answer many of the questions raised by census research.

Was your ancestor listed in a School Census? Count yourself lucky if they were because you may just find their full names, birthdates, and the answers to family mysteries that have eluded you. Learn what they covered and the purpose, when they were made, and where to find those that still exist.

This video introduces the important supplemental U.S. federal census non-population schedules and how they can help put your farming ancestor into context. This webinar was first released 12 August 2019 on the Genealogy Guys Learn website.

After years of using census records, genealogists may take for granted that they’re using them fully and correctly. But as they learn about genealogy standards and best practices, do they go back and re-think their census practices? What does it even mean to evaluate a census record? Let’s learn a bit more about the U.S. census and the specific ways that standards can help us to maximize its usefulness.

It is frustrating to search for people in digitized census records and not to find them, even when you just know they were there at the time. Drew Smith understands and shares his strategies for locating the “missing” people in this video, Not In the Census? Try Again! Learn new techniques to help ensure success.

Follow a case study where a 1770 brick wall was solved using the 1880 census. Learn tips and tricks to use sources creatively.

Take a closer look at the 1850 to 1950 U.S. Census records as vital genealogy resources, while looking into details you may have missed, along with benefits to and tips in using these records and a little extra help from MyHeritage!

Census records are the most used—and yet the most underused—of all genealogical resources. Every major provider offers them, along with an index so we can easily find our people. Aside from a year here or there, when a pesky ancestor seems to have eluded the census taker, the use of censuses seems fairly straightforward: We use a search engine to find our person and we copy down the data. There, done! No. Not at all! Censuses provide “facts,” but in between those “facts” there are a wealth of clues we can mine to solve our worst problems with identity, origin, and parentage. This session is for advanced researchers who think they “already know all about census records” and for newer researchers who want to avoid the mistakes most researchers make. ** This is a members-only webinar **

With the 1931 Canada census finally released to the public on June 1, 2023, a new window into the lives of ancestors who lived in Canada in the early 20th century is being thrown open! This census offers a snapshot of Canada at a fascinating and difficult historical period, a few years into the Great Depression. Join us for a deep dive into this long-awaited collection and discover what you can learn about your ancestors living in Canada during this time.