Every 10 years the United States Government takes a census used to allocate Congressional seats ("congressional apportionment"), electoral votes, and government program funding. The census is mandated by the Constitution.
Start with the 1930 census and follow your ancestors back in time through the censuses. Ancestry.com has the censuses online with the option to view the original page and copy it for your records (highly recommend taking a copy of the information and placing it in your filing system; also highly recommend using a research record that records where, when, and all the information needed to find the record again).
The first census was taken in 1790. The records for Delaware, Georgia, Kentucky, New Jersey, and Virginia went missing sometime before 1830. Below is a list of the information available in this census.
Columns - left to right
1. Name of head of family
2. # of free white males 16 & up including heads of families
3. # of free white males under 16
4. # of free white females including heads of families
5. # of all other free persons except Indians not taxed
6. # of slaves
The 1800 census isn't complete as well. The records for Georgia, Kentucky, New Jersey, Tennessee, and Virginia were destroyed.
Columns - left to right
1. Name of the head of family
2. # of free white males under age 10
3. # of free white males age 10-16
4. # of free white males age 16-26
5. # of free white males age 26-45
6. # of free white males over age 45
7. # of free white females under age 10
8. # of free white females age 10-16
9. # of free white females age 16-26
10. # of free white females age 26-45
11. # of free white females over age 45
12. # of all other free persons
13. # of slaves
The 1810 census included Louisiana, but the records for the District of Columbia, Georgia, and New Jersey were destroyed. This census gives the same information as the 1800 census. The census for 1820 through 1840 gives the same information. The article, Clues in Census Records, 1790-1840, outlines what you can learn from these censuses with examples. The article, Clues in Census Records, 1850-1930, outlines what you can learn from these censuses. They also have articles on Nonpopulation Census Records, 1935 Census of Business Roll Lists, Indian Census Rolls, 1885-1940, and more.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:
The 1890 census was the first to be compiled on a tabulating machine, developed by Herman Hollerith. This introduction of technology reduced the time taken to tabulate the census from seven years for the 1880 census to two and a half years for the 1890 census.
The logistical difficulties in compiling the census drove computing technology for the next fifty years until computers became widespread in industry. IBM's first electronic computer was created primarily to deal with the needs of the census in addition to military and academic uses.
This census is one of the three for which the original data is no longer available. Almost all the population schedules were destroyed in a fire in 1921. The Other Censuses that have lost almost all information were the 1800 and 1810 enumerations.
The census is a great tool, but the information can have errors. The information given to the census taker might be wrong either by mistake or intentionally. The census taker could misunderstand what was said and enter misinformation. My husband's great grandfather on his father's mother's side is a case in point. He went by the name Perry and in one of the censuses they had him listed as Harry. Investigate different spellings of the surname, too. I've seen the same person listed as Slater, Slafter, and Slaughter.
Happy hunting
Dale L. Edwards
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Blog for Money
You can make money online. Blogitive.com will pay you to write in your blog. Sounds too good to be true, doesn't it, but it is true. Blogitive.com will pay you each week, through Pay Pal, to write in your blog.
The popularity of your Blog is important. Qualify for Blogitive’s program by submitting your blog into RSS Syndication sites like FeedBurner.com, commenting on other people's blogs, submitting to blog directories, and asking friends to add you to their blogroll. Once your Blog qualifies, you can participate in Blogitive’s web release program and start making money online. You will usually make $5 per post. There are people who are making $1000 a week with Blogitive, but they have multiple blogs. You can submit as many blogs as you want to as long as they meet Blogitive's requirements.
This is just one way to make money with Blogitive.com. Two new programs will launch soon - NewsNerve and Ghost Writing. NewsNerve is a service that will display relevant syndicated news headlines and allow you to earn money from every click that your visitors make. Ghost Writing doesn't require a blog, just good writing.
Blogitive will roll out more ways to make money as they come off the drawing board and implemented.
The popularity of your Blog is important. Qualify for Blogitive’s program by submitting your blog into RSS Syndication sites like FeedBurner.com, commenting on other people's blogs, submitting to blog directories, and asking friends to add you to their blogroll. Once your Blog qualifies, you can participate in Blogitive’s web release program and start making money online. You will usually make $5 per post. There are people who are making $1000 a week with Blogitive, but they have multiple blogs. You can submit as many blogs as you want to as long as they meet Blogitive's requirements.
This is just one way to make money with Blogitive.com. Two new programs will launch soon - NewsNerve and Ghost Writing. NewsNerve is a service that will display relevant syndicated news headlines and allow you to earn money from every click that your visitors make. Ghost Writing doesn't require a blog, just good writing.
Blogitive will roll out more ways to make money as they come off the drawing board and implemented.
Filing Systems
I think there are as many ways to set up your filing system as there are people doing genealogy. I'm going to detail just a couple.
1. The one I started out with used file folders, numbered documents, a master sheet, and family group sheets in a binder. This was a very awkward system that took up a lot of time to keep it current. I don't recommend it, but it is one that many people use.
2. Another method uses manila envelopes, one for each direct ancestor family, or in other words, John Doe's family envelope would include all the information you have on his children and their descendents except for your direct ancestor and their family would be in another envelope with all the children and their descendents except your direct ancestor. In these envelopes you keep not only the family group sheets for the married couple, but for their children that married except for your direct ancestor. Also in these envelopes you would keep the documents that deal directly with that family. You could end up with several envelopes with John Doe's name numbered 1-whatever. There is also the problem that sometimes you have information that should be in more than one envelope. When that happens put a page in the envelope that directs you to the envelope containing the document.
3. Another method requires 3 ring binders and page protectors. Everything goes in the binders except your research logs. Start with 4 binders and expand as the binders become over crowded.
I would look into other methods you can find on the internet and decide which one will work best for you. I am still deciding how I want to organize my stuff. I lost most of my documentation when we moved and I've got to go back and try to reconstruct it.
Dale L. Edwards
1. The one I started out with used file folders, numbered documents, a master sheet, and family group sheets in a binder. This was a very awkward system that took up a lot of time to keep it current. I don't recommend it, but it is one that many people use.
2. Another method uses manila envelopes, one for each direct ancestor family, or in other words, John Doe's family envelope would include all the information you have on his children and their descendents except for your direct ancestor and their family would be in another envelope with all the children and their descendents except your direct ancestor. In these envelopes you keep not only the family group sheets for the married couple, but for their children that married except for your direct ancestor. Also in these envelopes you would keep the documents that deal directly with that family. You could end up with several envelopes with John Doe's name numbered 1-whatever. There is also the problem that sometimes you have information that should be in more than one envelope. When that happens put a page in the envelope that directs you to the envelope containing the document.
3. Another method requires 3 ring binders and page protectors. Everything goes in the binders except your research logs. Start with 4 binders and expand as the binders become over crowded.
I would look into other methods you can find on the internet and decide which one will work best for you. I am still deciding how I want to organize my stuff. I lost most of my documentation when we moved and I've got to go back and try to reconstruct it.
Dale L. Edwards
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