6.2 Executing a Census Survey
It may be helpful to make a “shopping list” with the name of each individual and what census years you expect to find them in the records. As the record is identified and entered into the log and family group record, check off that census year for each person listed on the document. Besides being a good organizational tool, this is also motivating during the census survey process.
Begin by opening the research log and software or family group record. Pull up an internet browser and log into the website of choice for searching census records. If the research project focuses on a certain family, the researcher begins with one member of the family and works backwards from the most recent available census to find all the federal census records during his or her lifetime. A good strategy is to start by searching for the name of the head of the household; oftentimes this is a man. For instance, if this Juniper family was part of a research project, the family historian would begin census research by focusing on the head of household, Guy Juniper. A quick list should be made of all the years there should be federal census records for Guy. If possible, the researcher would begin at the most recent census that took place during Guy’s lifetime and identify the record collection tied to that census. The collection would be searched to identify his record within that collection. Once the record is identified, or a thorough search proves “NIL,” the researcher moves to a collection covering the previous census and continues to work backwards in time to cover all possible federal census data that was taken during the life of Guy Juniper.
A census is an event. The date of the census is listed on the record at the top; it is the day the census was taken. The place of the census is written from smallest jurisdiction to largest. When a matching record is discovered a source citation should be created in the research log. Copy and paste the citation from the log to create a citation on the family group record or in the software program. Besides the census event, there may be a previous residence, occupation, or other facts and events listed on the record that can be recorded and then sourced with the same citation. The citation can also be used for birth. Some researchers like to list citations for the individual’s name if they are using genealogy software to produce family group records but others feel that becomes difficult when using a fillable family group record. If a whole family is listed on the census, the same citation can be pasted in for every fact and event for each individual on that record.
While completing the Juniper family census survey, the researcher should see Guy living with his wife and children. His wife, Lena, will appear with him on some censuses and his children will also be listed on several records with him. Those details need to be recorded, and the census used as a source for each person and for each fact or event documented on the census. If Guy, Lena, and their children are all on a census, that record’s source should be listed for each of them on the family group record.
Because Guy Juniper was once part of another family, as the researcher works back in time, his parents and siblings might be identified. He lived with them before he married Lena. Those early census records are listed as sources for his facts and events and also for each one of those other individuals listed on the record. Thus, during the census survey for Guy Juniper information and sources will be added to two family group records. One for Guy and Lena's family and one for Guy's parent’s family. The individuals listed on those two family group records represent the three generations of the required 3-generation research project.
The process is then repeated for Guy’s wife Lena; taking the searches back to her family of origin. If census records are found documenting her childhood or the years before she married Guy, the process would usually be to create another family group record for her family of origin. That is not within the scope of this course so continuing the census survey to include her parents and siblings might be an item to note for “future research.”
Going backwards could be difficult because the researcher may not know Lena’s maiden name. Any information identified about Lena’s early years should be listed under her name on the family group record for the Guy and Lena Juniper household.
The 1920 U.S. Census for Guy and Lena Juniper's household lists a daughter named Elizabeth. Since Elizabeth most likely grew up and moved on, seeking her census records during adulthood is also part of the survey. As with her mother, Elizabeth's census record information would be documented on the Guy and Lena Juniper family group record. Expanding to her spouses and children is also beyond the scope of this course but following those lines are candidates for “future research.” Taking the step of seeking Elizabeth in adulthood brings up difficulties, for instance not knowing her married surname, but that should be overcome with vital records. Once that information is found, then future census records will be easier to identify.
There may be some census years where a record cannot be found during the initial survey. At this stage of the project, not finding the record is disappointing, but the genealogist has not failed. No points will be deducted if the research log documents the search has been thorough and thoughtful. Some records just do not exist, and some hide in unexpected places, so consider the missing record a challenge and not a defeat.