Decoding the Codes in US Census Records
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- Опубліковано 16 січ 2025
- US census records give a lot of detail for genealogy research, but some of the info is in code. Learn what these codes mean - and why some don't mean what you think they do! Learning these codes can give you so much more insight into your family history.
#genealogy #familyhistory #ancestry
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It's funny, no matter how many times we have looked at the censuses, we still miss things. Thanks for the heads up, Amy!!
Great tips!! I had no idea!! Thanks
This video has been very resourceful. Thank you.
Glad it was helpful!
Great info thanks for sharing
This just became my new favorite channel! I now need to go back and look at ALL THE RECORDS!
Thank you! I’m so glad you’re enjoying the channel! (And look for new videos coming out soon 😊)
How informative! I’ve often wondered who in the family was providing info on many census records from late 1800s and early 1900s because of a mysterious difference in ages or birth locations.
Glad it was helpful!
OMG, I’ve been looking at censuses (sp) for years and never knew this! You’ve just shown me where I can find so much more info on my family, thank you for such an informative video!
Good information. Thank you.
You're welcome!
Thank you so much for more wonderful tips. I find something new every time I look at one of your pages.
Wow! This video was just brimming with helpful info! Now I need to revisit a few past census entries and look for these added details. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
I'm glad you liked the video! I hope you find some neat things when you're reviewing those census records!
Thank you for this short but highly informative video!
Great information! I need to go back and take a closer look at the Census
In the 1940 census (maybe also 1930, I'm not sure), you will sometimes find the numeral "7" in a man's marriage status block. This means he was married, but not living with the family. Often found in the records for CCC or WPA workers.
It was just 1940, as far as I know. The 7 was added later by the Census Bureau when they were compiling statistics. It isn't just men; anyone who gave their marital status as "married," but the spouse wasn't in that household were noted with the "7."
This was very helpful. Thank you
Great information! Thank you.
Thanks you Amy for providing such helpful information!
Great reminders to thoroughly mine the Census for information about our ancestors!
Great info
Thank you! I hope it helps!
In the 1940 Census my dad's father is listed as Head of Household, but he died in an accident in 1929!
Wow! Someone didn't quite understand the instructions! Take a look at who is marked with the X inside of a circle to see who gave the information... and then wonder why they said that ;-)
@@AmyJohnsonCrow The x in a circle is next to his name. Lol The lawsuit is on Google Books where his wife sued the company he worked for and received a settlement so I have the exact date of his death. Maybe another family member was there and they mistook him for her husband. I have no idea. That's funny though. We were joking about how he came back from the dead.
That’s really weird!
Thanks for that information. I have found federal census records to be a wealth of information on my ancestors. I had seen some of the codes but didn't know what all of them were. In some cases I need to go back to see if those codes are on ancestors where I have hit a brick wall and see if there might be other places I can look.
I hope this helps!
Super helpful - thank you!! I know what I am doing this afternoon, checking census records. lol
Way cool!
Aren't minor, trivial indexing errors frustrating? I find them about 80% of the time. Thank you for the neat video!
😳😳😳😳😳😳😳
I've got thousands of census records saved. I've seen all these little footnotes. But It looks alien to me. 😵💫 These rabbit holes videos are spectacular! 🥰
Thank you. That is very helpful. Once upon a time I watched something that claimed that the medical code for what they died of would be on their death certificate. I have not found that to be the case in most instances. Information about that would be very helpful, too.
Interesting. This is a great video. I know I had someone somewhere in that crippled category... but never knew there was more information to it! I was wondering what exactly was wrong with that individual. Now... to figure out who that was... 🤔 lol
I never even noticed the notation about supplemental questions. But then, we have fewer ancestors in the 1940 Census. It's not like 1850, where we have sooo many folks to find. Lol
I'll have to watch this again and make notes so I can figure out where to go to find more info on those certain points you mentioned! Thank you!
Also, thinking of all these extra pages... I can't imagine being an enumerator back then. I was an enumerator for the 2010 decennial, and work now for the Census Bureau on the Current Population Survey (CPS), where we get our unemployment statistics. We have it easy with everything contained in a laptop. Although, the Decennial I participated in was by hand. They had to carry around how many ledgers with supplemental sheets back then to get all their detailed info?? Ugh.
What about Canadian records? Other than dealing with translation? I have a relative that the census taker seems to say she is born wherever she was living at the time.
What does the 1 or 2 next to the head of household on the 1920 census mean?
If you're referring to the 1 or 2 that's written in the same column as the relation to head of household, that was something added later by the Census Bureau as they were tabulating statistics. I haven't been able to find what the distinction was between them.
@@AmyJohnsonCrowOk ty I was thinking it might denote someone living on the same property but in different houses becasue I think I have an ancestor who is listed right underneath the family as a seperate head of household in a house while the family is listed as being on a farm. Shes a single female and it was listed as 2 next to the head while the family was listed as 1. Thanks for the clarification.
Can you do a version of this for 19th century Canadian Census please?
My aunt was listed in the supplemental question portion of the 1940s census. She was 4 years old. Was that common?
Yes. The supplemental questions were asked of the people who happened to fall on one of the “Suppl. Quest.” lines in the top part of the page. That was so it would be a random sample. You’ll find people of all ages being asked those questions.
Good morning. What does xov2 in 1940
In the 1910 census for my gggrandma she is Indian and her husband has a sheet # in the left hand margin do you think that means there’s an special inquiry somewhere every Indian in the county has a sheet number but I can’t find them :(
In the 1870 census I have an ancestor who has a box on the right hand side checked that says a male citizen of U.S., 21 yrs. of age and upwards, whose right to vote is denied or abridged on other grounds than rebellion or other crime. Any comments on what that means? He did not sere in the Civil War.
That’s a great question, Gary. It’s important to understand the question being asked: Was he a citizen who was denied the vote for something *other than* rebellion or other crime. Those would be the federal reasons for losing the vote. This means that he lost his right to vote because of a state law. Because those varied from state to state, you’d have to explore the laws in that state. Contacting the state library or state archives might be a good first step. You might get lucky and they already have the answer!
Look for his name and state on Google Books. There might be some information that explains it.
Not the same for us territories
So... that female ancestor of yours with all the marriages is merely "M2" in 1910?
You mean Matilda Debolt Skinner Crossen Brown McFillen? 😂 She died in 1899 😞 But if she had been alive in 1910, yes, she should have been listed as M2.
Can anyone tell me what “son (NH)” would mean under relation? 1910 census