Filling in the Gaps: Alternatives to the 1890 U.S. Federal Census - State Censuses

The missing 1890 Federal Census is an often insurmountable research brick wall for many American family historians. Inevitably, there are ancestors that disappear between the 1880 and 1900 census, leaving you with questions about whether they died or if they went somewhere else. It gets even more challenging when you’re dealing with both a move and death during that twenty-year gap. After all, if you don’t know that they’ve moved, then you don’t know where you should look for a death record either.

State Census records are just one of the available alternatives to the 1890 U.S. Census that can help you fill in gaps, answer questions, and even expand your ancestral knowledge, in many cases. These records are often overlooked by hobbyist researchers and professional genealogists alike. It’s also worth noting that these state enumerations frequently contain details not found in other records, including the federal census.

Like most record sets, state census records are not complete. Some have been lost or destroyed over the years. Many were never thoroughly completed in the first place.

In Indiana, for example, there were territorial and state censuses conducted in 1807, 1853, 1857, 1871, 1877, 1883, 1889, 1901, 1913, 1919, and 1931. Many of these enumerations were completed only for statistical purposes however, which means they didn’t contain personal information, like names and addresses. Instead, they were simply accountings of various sections of the population, like the number of males or people of voting age in certain counties.

Many of these Indiana enumerations don’t survive, at least not with the state archives or state library, though copies can sometimes be found among the holdings of county auditors’ offices. Thankfully though, some of the more “genealogically helpful” Indiana state census records do survive, including the 1883 enumeration of U.S. military pensioners residing in the State of Indiana.

Pensioners included in these records aren’t just former military personnel, but in some cases, their widows and children, too. Even this census isn’t complete though, as there are a few counties from which no records exist. Despite the gaps, pension records can sometimes help answer the most pressing questions created by the missing 1890 Federal Census, like where did my ancestor move? Or, did he die before or after 1890?

Pictured at left: Sample Pensioners list from Henry County, Indiana, 1883.

Image Source: https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc1796458/m1/89/

State Census Schedules

Every state had its own schedule for conducting censuses. State-defined goals determined the information collected, too, so the discoverable details on ancestors vary based upon the state – and sometimes the county – in which they lived.   

There are, unfortunately, some states for which no state-level census records are known to exist, including Connecticut, Kentucky, Montana, New Hampshire, Ohio, and Vermont. There are also states in which very few state-level enumerations were ever conducted, like Maine, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Utah, among others.

Other states were prolific in their collection of data. For instance, there were nearly two dozen enumerations conducted in the territory (and later the state) of Mississippi, between 1792 and 1866. These, like other territorial and state censuses, contain varying information, and many only detail the populations of certain counties, but the wealth of information for researchers with ancestors in Mississippi is undeniable.

If you’re lucky enough to have ancestors that lived in a state that counted its people more regularly, there’s a strong chance there’s still new information out there for you to discover, if you haven’t yet consulted state census records, that is.  

Pictured at right: Mississippi State Flag

Image Source: https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/Mississippi_Census

Sources:

“State Censuses,” retrieved Feb 22, 2022, from https://www.census.gov/history/www/genealogy/other_resources/state_censuses.html

“Indiana Census Records,” retrieved Feb 22, 2020, from https://www.myfreecensus.com/indiana-census-records.htm

“Indiana State Census Records and Alternative Enumerations” retrieved Feb 22, 2022, from https://www.in.gov/library/files/State-Censuses-and-Enumerations-rev-02-17.pdf

“Mississippi Census",” retrieved Feb 22, 2022, from https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/Mississippi_Census