Genealogical Information

Since census information about specific individuals is not released until 72 years after the census is taken, the latest census data on specific people is from 1930.

HeritageQuest Online, available to the UNT community, is a collection of genealogies, local histories, primary source materials, and the United States federal censuses, 1790-1930. Searchable name indexes are availabe for the 1790 through 1820, 1860, 1870, and 1900 through 1930 censuses.

GeneaSearch’s U.S. and International Census Information page includes links to commercial sites that charge for copies of census records, as well as many free sites containing U.S. Census information and census records from some other countries.

The USGenWeb Census Project is an all-volunteer project to transcribe census records in a standard format in order to make them available to genealogical researchers on the Internet. The USGenWeb Archives provides a searchable genealogical and historical database to the general public free of charge.

The Census Bureau's Availability of Census Record About Individuals (available in Government Documents under Call Number C 3.252 : 2/5/REV.) explains which census materials are available and how to obtain them, and also lists non-census sources for some other useful records about individuals.

The Guide to Genealogical Research in the National Archives (available in General Reference, Willis Library under Call Number Z5313.U5 U54 2000) will tell you what information is available from each census. Depending on the year, data available may include any of the following:

• name
• age
• number of years in the U.S.
• marital status
• whether a convict
• birthplace of father and mother
• number of children born

For additional information, see the U.S. Census Bureau's Genealogy page, as well as the following pages from the National Archives and Records Administration Web site:

• 1790–1890 Federal Population Censuses: Catalog of NARA Microfilm
• 1890 Census
• 1930 Federal Population Census
• 1935 Business Census
• Clues in Census Records, 1850–1930
• Clues in Census Records, 1790–1840
• The Fate of the 1890 Population Census
• Genealogy: Census Records
• How Can I Search the Census Records?
• How to Use NARA’s Census Microfilm Catalogs, 1790–1930
• Indian Census Rolls, 1885–1940
• Myths and Realities About the 1960 Census
• Nonpopulation Census Records
• Order Online! [request reproductions of census records]
• The Soundex Indexing System
• How to Use NARA's Census Microfilm Catalogs