It has been suggested that genealogists copy their 2000 census form as a way of preserving information for their descendants. It is a good idea, but don't stop there. Researchers should remember there is much more they can do to assist future generations pursuing their ancestors in the twenty-second century.

For those who received the short form, their census records will not provide the kinds of genealogical detail one would obtain from a 1900 or 1920 census entry. Even recipients of the long form do not have to answer questions about parental birthplaces, number of years married, or number of children born. It is important to remember that the census serves the government in the collection of information, not the future needs of genealogists. Your completed year 2000 census form may leave your descendants wanting to know more.

My long census form completed for the members of our household contained over thirty pages. If I'm only going to leave behind thirty pages of information for my descendants, I'd like for it to be something a little more than how long it took me to drive to work and how many bedrooms my house had.

Maybe I should leave behind some more personal details about my life--how my wife and I met, what I thought when my first daughter was born, how I felt the day my youngest child went to kindergarten. There are many details about my life that will provide my descendants a much better glimpse of me than the amount of my monthly mortgage payment. There's a lot I could do with my thirty pages.

I could include the census form's information and still have room for more. The form itself was likely designed for ease of use in data compilation and computerization. This does not necessarily mean that preserving the information by copying the form is the best way to ensure it's available for future generations. My thirty pages of long form census data could most likely be condensed to one page--leaving me twenty-nine pieces of paper for numerous other details about my life.

There is genealogical information on the census form, but other records may provide information as well. My birth certificate and my marriage license (and record) contain significant information. Copies of these records should also be maintained and preserved in addition to the census record. Access to these vital records may change between now and the late twenty-first century. Did I marry in a jurisdiction where marriage records will be under open access in one hundred years?

The financial details listed on the census form are interesting and will provide future generations some information about our lifestyle. Similarly it is enlightening to learn about my ancestor's farm by reading the 1880 agricultural census, but I would much rather have one page he had written about himself. One page. While I know earlier generations were not inclined to spend great amounts of time on introspection, one page, even if strictly biographical in nature, would be treasured more than all the census forms I could ever locate.

When I'm finished with the pages on myself, I could easily turn to the generations before me, both the living and the dead. I've spent countless hours documenting as best I can information on those who have lived before me. I should do what I can to organize and preserve that information for future generations as well.

Preserving that information, and the conclusions I have drawn from it, is an integral part of genealogy. Publish your genealogy in some form and donate copies to relevant libraries, archives, and institutions. Take time to prepare your work as carefully and accurately as possible. Don't just throw something together for the sake of "throwing it together." But seriously consider preserving more than just your census record.

Try and leave enough behind so that future generations are not so desperate that all they have to use is your census form. Do your best not to leave them empty-handed.

Am I going to copy my census form? Yes.
Am I going to keep the copy around? Yes.
Am I going to consider preserving and recording, in a permanent form, information about myself and my ancestors? Absolutely.

After all, if I do thirty pages on each one, I've got a lot of work ahead of me!

Copyright 2000, Michael John Neill. Michael John Neill, is the Course I Coordinator at the Genealogical Institute of Mid America (GIMA) held annually in Springfield, Illinois, and is also on the faculty of Carl Sandburg College in Galesburg, Illinois. Michael is the Web columnist for the FGS FORUM and is on the editorial board of the Illinois State Genealogical Society Quarterly. He conducts seminars and lectures on a wide variety of genealogical and computer topics and contributes to several genealogical publications, including Ancestry and Genealogical Computing. You can e-mail him at: mneill@asc.csc.cc.il.us or visit his website at: http://www.rootdig.com/