Researching the 1880 Census

Research Tips
The 1880 census makes it possible to identify the state or country of birth for parents-especially important for tracing movements of immigrant ancestors. The census may be used to supplement birth or marriage records for the census year or even to partially replace them where vital records are not recorded elsewhere. The census may also be useful in discovering previously unknown surnames of married daughters, mothers-in-law, cousins, and other relatives living with the family. This is the first census to state relationship to the head of household, but the wife may not be the mother of the children. The 1880 census may also provide clues to genetic symptoms and diseases in earlier generations of a family.

Questions asked in the 1880 Census
For each person in every household, the census asked name; whether white, black, mulatto, Indian, or Chinese; sex; age; month of birth if born within the year; relationship to the head of the household; whether single, married, widowed, or divorced; whether married within the year; occupation and months unemployed; name of state, territory, or country of birth; parents’ birthplaces; school attendance within the year; whether unable to read if age ten or older; and whether sick or temporarily disabled on the day of enumeration and the reason therefor. Those who were blind, deaf-mute, “idiotic,” insane, or permanently disabled were also indicated as such.

Research Tips/Questions for Specific Census Years