State Census Records in The Genealogy Center at the Allen County Public Library

by Timothy Dougherty

The Genealogy Department collection includes many of the state and territorial census records available on microfilm. These are special censuses that were conducted by the states themselves, and are separate from the more widely known Federal census records. The reasons for having taken these censuses varied. Territories and states took them to qualify for statehood, to try to gain additional representation in Congress, and to qualify for special funding projects, among other reasons. A researcher may find clues in these records that are not available anywhere else.

The state censuses are valuable for several reasons. For one, they were conducted in years other than the federal censuses, often in mid-decade (e.g. 1875, 1885), affording a researcher the hope of filling in gaps existing in the federal censuses. By examining an 1885 or 1895 state census, for example, a researcher may pinpoint someone lost because of the destroyed 1890 federal schedules, or checking the 1852 California state census may yield an ancestor in one of the “lost” counties of the 1850 federal census.

Secondly, state censuses often contain questions that the federal censuses do not. For example, the 1895 Minnesota state census asks how long the individual has been a resident of Minnesota, and how long he/she has been a resident of that particular enumeration district. The 1855, 1865, and 1875 New York state censuses list county of birth for natives of New York, and the 1865 Rhode Island census lists town of origin for those born in Rhode Island. Finally, the state census records can help further develop the stories of our ancestors, and may help solve genealogical problems.

Although the Allen County Public library does not house all of the existing state and territorial censuses, it does maintain at least some of the available records for Alabama, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington state and Wisconsin. Not all states conducted their own censuses, and not all counties were recorded or are extant for the ones that did.

Most of the state census material is not indexed, but the Genealogy Department does have indexes for a few states or for individual counties. The vast majority of the state census records, however, will need to be scrutinized line by line. The schedules are generally arranged by county and then by township or ward, so that may make the quest a little easier.

Article taken from the Genealogy Gems[1]: News from the Fort Wayne Library
No. 16, June 30, 2005