One of the first things I do with every family line is to (try to) locate them in every census during their lifetime. As most researchers know, depending upon the time and place, this is much easier said than done.

I “track” the families using census trackers that I created with Microsoft Word. They are easy to make using the “Insert Table” command. There are blank forms available online, but I prefer to create one tailored to my needs. These are essentially part of my personal notes, and they help me in many ways.

The Value of a Census Tracker

There is so much value in using census trackers. These are the items I include in my tracker:

  • I include everyone in the census household, with the county and state noted for each year.
  • I include age, relationships, birthplace if notable, how long the couple was married, and the number of children the wife birthed and how many are living.
  • I often color code family lines for easier visual tracking.
  • I have notes that contain the source citation for each census, and mention occupations, literacy, landownership, address, and anomalies, as well as vital records I’ve found for family members on subsequent pages.

Census trackers aid my research in two primary ways:

  • I can discard the physical print-outs of census records. I digitally store the census images on my computer. This means I have less clutter and am better able to focus on research problems.
  • I can better analyze the census information. The tracker allows me to see patterns or information gaps. It’s obvious when I am missing a family in any census year and I can see migration patterns of family members.
  • I can see quickly who I am missing from a household and try to find them, or find their death certificate.
  • I did an entire post on how the census taker often mislabeled relationships.

This is just so much better (for me) than having a stack of census records for the family. Additionally, I include state census records when available. You may also want to include those found in the non-population census records.

Also, make sure you understand how to pull all of the information from every census column; don’t just look at the names and ages. There is so much there.

Don’t forget: never just rely on the census alone to reconstruct a family. Use it alongside probate, vital records, obituaries, newspapers, military records, and other sources.

Example Census Tracker

Below you’ll find my census tracker for the family and descendants of John Mike Fendricks, of Lawrence County, Alabama through 1940(click to enlarge):

Fendricks Census Tracker

Closing Thoughts

Take a look around the internet. There are many other tools that genealogists have devised to help interpret these records. For example, this site has a creative tool for analyzing pre-1850 census records. 

Try creating a census tracker for one of your family lines. I will bet a small stash of cash you’ll find it helpful to your research!

 

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