Using the Federal Census, Part II

The Soundex
The Soundex system was the indexing method created by the National Archives to index the U.S. censuses (beginning with 1880). It codes together surnames that sound similar but have various spellings (for example, Nivin-Niven-Nivan). Soundexes are arranged by state, the surname's Soundex code, and given name. Soundex codes start with the initial letter of the surname followed by a three-digit code that represents the first three remaining consonants. So how do you figure out a Soundex code for a particular surname in which you are interested? There are several steps and rules for this code, but an easier way is to use an online Soundex Converter. All you have to do is type in the surname you are researching, and it will figure out the appropriate Soundex code. Once you have obtained a soundex code, you can order the soundex microfilm for the 1880, 1900, 1910 (for a handful of states) and 1920 US census. The soundex microfilm is an index to the actual census where you will find a great deal more information than is on the census soundex.

Census abstracts are forms that you can use when you are performing census research. They let you to copy information from the census records in a systematic way. You can download free forms at LDS Family Search.

If you are intimidated about searching through census records, do not despair! There may be someone who will look up the information for you. Rootsweb's Census Lookup site may prove helpful to you.

Finding Federal census data may be an intimidating process at first, but once you get the hang of how and where to look, you'll find it very useful in your family history research.

For more detailed information about the U.S. Census, see The Source--A Guidebook of American Genealogy, edited by Arlene Eakle & Johni Cerny.

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