Perhaps one of the most critical censuses to many of us is the U.S. Federal census of 1890. Yet it is the one that doesn't exist, at least not most of it. For researchers seeking to locate or confirm the location of their families, this loss can create the single largest roadblock in tracing their ancestors. It can literally be the "stopper" in the process.

It is important, as discussed in last week's column, to be creative and investigate alternate research paths in order to locate other types of documentary evidence to fill the gap. In "Along Those Lines . . ." this week, let's look at substitute records that may help bridge the gap of the lost census of 1890.

What Happened to the 1890 Census?
The U.S. Federal government funded and scheduled the eleventh decennial census of the United States to begin on 1 June 1890. The process was slated to last thirty days and, according to all accounts, the process went quite smoothly. The data was collected and the Population Schedules and the Veterans Schedules of Civil War Union veterans and widows were sent to the Federal government.

The 1890 census materials were stored at the Commerce Building in Washington, D.C. In January of 1921, tragedy struck when a fire at the Commerce Building and the resultant water destroyed 99% of these census records. The fragments of the Population Schedules that survived included only about 6,000 individuals of a total of almost 63 million U.S. inhabitants counted. A special enumeration of Union veterans and widows had been compiled on Veterans Schedules forms. Of these, sixteen states' schedules were completely lost and about half of the schedules for Kentucky perished.

The surviving portions of the 1890 census' Population Schedules have been microfilmed by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) and are included on only three rolls of film, reference No. M407. A name index to these schedules exists, too, on two rolls of NARA microfilm, reference No. M496. The Veterans Schedules consist of 118 rolls of film, reference No. M123. For information about the contents of these microfilm resources, there are two excellent reference books:

William Dollarhide's The Census Book, published in 2000 by Heritage Quest, is a guide to the contents of all of the Federal Censuses of 1790 through the 1930 census, which will be issued by NARA on 1 April 2002.

Thomas Jay Kemp's brand new book, The American Census Handbook, published in 2001 by Scholarly Resources, Inc., is a compilation, state-by-state and county-by-county, of what census resources exist. These include microfilm, published transcriptions and indexes, and other references to help the researcher locate everything in print about census records. These, coupled with NARA's Web site listing the surviving contents of the 1890 census, can provide you with the best possible information about what you can still access. Whatever you do, don't ignore the fact that there really are some pieces left that may help your research.

What Substitutes Can Be Used?
Searching for alternative records to be used as substitutes for the 1890 census requires a little imagination and creativity. Keep in mind that the main purpose of using the census is to locate your ancestors' family units in a specific place and time. Other information, such as ages, occupations, places of birth, and other data, can be valuable too, but you are really trying to place them in a location so you can then seek other records in the vicinity. To place your ancestors, consider the fact that you want other records that place them in a location. Ask yourself which other records might do the trick.

• 1890 Census Substitute Records Online – Ancestry.com, with the aid of the National Archives and Records Administration and the Allen County Public Library, is compiling an excellent collection of databases containing key records for use in reconstructing your ancestors' data from this period. These include fragments of the original 1890 census that survived the fire, special veterans schedules, several Native American tribe censuses for years surrounding 1890, state censuses (1885 or 1895), city and county directories, alumni directories, and voter registration documents. You can see what is available so far and Ancestry.com site subscribers can access these materials at: www.ancestry.com/search/rectype/census/1890sub/main.htm

• State Censuses – Between the decennial censuses of 1880 and 1900, there were some state and territorial censuses taken, particularly in 1885, 1892 and 1895. States in which these occurred include Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota and Wisconsin. Ann S. Lainhart's book, State Census Records, published by Genealogical Publishing Company, with an updated edition published in 2000, is the definitive work concerning state censuses and their content.

• City Directories – One of the most overlooked resources for placing people in specific locations may be city directories. Most cities and many, many towns published directories of their citizens and the local businesses. Many places published their directories annually, others bi-annually. These directories are invaluable for many reasons. First, they verify the presence of a head of household in a location. Second, they provide the residential address, which can point you to other records. Third, some directories provided more details about the size of the family, size of property, and other data. Fourth, African-Americans were also included in the directories, sometimes listed in a separate section. Fifth, business listings often include the name of the proprietor/owner and other members of the staff. Finally, they often list the occupation of the person, which can potentially lead you to employment and pension records.

  City directories are typically found in the main public library in the municipality. Larger facilities with genealogy collections, including libraries, state archives, historical societies, and genealogical societies, also may have city directories. In addition, many city directories have been published electronically. For example, Ancestry.com has amassed an impressive collection of city directories in its subscription area, most of which are from this critical period between 1880 and 1900. These can be directly accessed at the Ancestry.com site at: www.ancestry.com/search/rectype/directories/main.htm (Go to this Web page and select from the databases in the pull-down box at the bottom of the page.) They are also available through the 1890 Census Reconstruction project at the URL mentioned above.

  Also, Ancestry has published six CD-ROMs of city directories: Massachusetts 1885-97; New England States 1881-1902; New York 1886-94; Northern Midwest 1894-98; Southern Midwest 1882-98; and Pennsylvania 1887-93. These can be purchased in the Shops @ Ancestry.com. (Editor's Note: For more detailed coverage information, see the links under Product Specials from the Shops @ Ancestry at the end of this newsletter.)

• Voter Rolls – Another source of information are voter registration rolls. While not available for all places and all years, you may find these records at the county level and they will provide name, address, birth date and place, and possibly other information for naturalized citizens. Some lists may also indicate the number of years the voter has been registered.

• Land and Property Records – These records are the most underutilized records by genealogists. They can be used to determine that an ancestor was, in fact, a resident of an area. Annual property tax rolls are an excellent means of verifying residence at a location.

• Native American Records – Census rolls were required to be compiled by an act of Congress on 4 July 1895. As a result, the person responsible for the reservation was required to compile an annual roll of residents including Indian name, English name, date of birth, and other data. While these records are inconsistent in content and quality, they do comprise an important compilation of data. A copy of these is help by the Bureau of Indian Affairs in Washington, DC.

In addition, the Ancestry.com library contains some excellent articles accessible free for your reading. They include:

Blazing New Trails: Reconstruction of the 1890 Census, by Curt B. Witcher (from Ancestry Magazine)

On the Frontier: Ancestry's 1890 Census Substitute, by Suzanne Russo

Other excellent books for locating alternate records to use as a substitute for the 1890 census include Ancestry's The Source: A Guidebook of American Genealogy, edited by Loretto D. Szucs and Sandra H. Luebking, and Hidden Sources: Family History in Unlikely Places, by Laura Szucs Pfeiffer.

Use your imagination to determine what other records may have been created for your ancestors that might be good substitutes for the lost 1890 census. After all, 1890 was only one year of the twenty between the 1880 and 1900 censuses. You can certainly find other evidence for other years.

Happy Hunting!
George

Bibliography

Carter, Kent. The Dawes Commission and the Allotment of the Five Civilized Tribes, 1893-1914 Salt Lake City, UT: Ancestry, 1999.

Dollarhide, William. The Census Book: A Genealogist's Guide to Federal Census Facts, Schedules and Indexes. Bountiful, UT: Heritage Quest. 2000.

Kemp, Thomas Jay. The American Census Handbook. Wilmington, DE: Scholarly Resources, Inc. 2001.

Lainhart, Ann S. State Census Records. Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc. 2000.

Pfeiffer, Laura Szucs. Hidden Sources: Family History in Unlikely Places. Orem, UT: Ancestry/MyFamily.com. 2000.

Szucs, Loretto Dennis and Sandra Hargreaves Luebking, ed. The Source: A Guidebook of American Genealogy. Salt Lake City, UT: Ancestry Incorporated 1997.