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1890 Census

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Introduction

The 1890 census was the 11th Census of the United States. There is a tragic story to this one for almost all of it was destroyed is no longer available for researchers. A fire broke out where this census was kept, and though the census wasn't burned up, the water used to put out the fire damaged the census very badly. Most of it was eventually thrown away though some fragments survive.

This census was uniquely different from the 1880 and 1900 census in layout. Instead of listing every person family by family one after another, it changed the format to include only one family per page in a table format across two pages. This was not a very attractive or useful format.

The Columns of Data

The 1890 Census was a slight improvement over the 1880 census. Each person was listed by household including name, ages and other information for each person. I will explain what each column represents in detail below.

The census was as of 1 Jun 1890, meaning all data collected (even if collected months after that date) was supposed to reflect the families condition on 1 Jun 1890, meaning all ages were to be listed how they were back on June 1st, even if it was three months later when the census taker asked. It isn't know if the census taker adhered to this rule or not, but that is what they were supposed to do. The actual date he visited the households was included at the top of each page, so you can use that to determine whether the data was as of 1 June or a later date.

The 1890 census had a header at the top of each page with information on the county, the district, the date and other information.

Supervisor’s District No. This is a number showing the Census Supervisor’s District Number.

Enumeration District No. This is the E.D. number that normally corresponds to a township or other county or city division.

Name of city, town, township, precinct, district or other minor civil divisions This is the name of the City, Town, Village, etc. if applicable.

County: This is the County name or Parish name (Louisiana).

State: This is the State name or Territory name.

Street and No. The street name and house number (if applicable).

Ward: If the city is divided into wards, the ward number or designation would be listed here.

Name of Institution: This is for Schools, Prisons, Hospitals, Mental Institutions and other such places where numerous people would be living for extended periods.

Enumerated by me on the __ day of June, 1890. This is the date the census taker actually visited the households listed on this page. You can see that this date can be months after 1 June 1890 when the census was "as of."

Enumerator. This is the name of the person who took the census.

There were five columns on each page for up to five people. The rows for the 1890 census follows:

Christian name in full, and initial of middle name. Surname. The given name and initial on row 1(a) and the surname on row 1(b).

Whether a soldier, sailor, or marine during the civil war (U.S. or Conf.) or widow of such person.

Relationship to head of the family. This gives the relationship of each person to the primary person (head of household). You will see Wife, Son, Daughter, Grandson, Granddaughter, Niece, Nephew, etc. If a person isn't related, it will either say None, or Hired, or Servant, or something like that. Sometimes it is left blank for those not related.

Whether white, black, mulatto, quadroon, octoroon, Chinese, Japanese, or Indian. The "race" or "color" of the person. "Quadroon" was someone who was 1/4 "black" and an "Octoroon" was someone who was 1/8 "black." (In this instance, a "Mulatto" was someone who was ½ "black").

Sex. Male or Female.

Age at nearest birthday. If under one year, give age in months. The age in years of each person as of June 1, 1890. If under 1, it is given in fractions of 12, as in 4/12, meaning 4 months.

Whether single, married, widowed, or divorced.

Whether married during the census year (June 1, 1889 to May 31, 1890).

Mother of how many children, and number of these children living.

Place of Birth. Place of birth of each person, usually just the state or country.

Place of Birth of Father. Place of birth of each person's father, usually just the state or country.

Place of Birth of Mother. Place of birth of each person's mother, usually just the state or country.

Number of years in the United States. How many years has the person been in the United States, if an immigrant.

Whether Naturalized. Is this person a naturalized citizen?

Whether naturalization papers have been taken out. If not a citizen or naturalized citizen, have they applied for citizenship?

Profession, trade or occupation.

Months unemployed during the census year (June 1, 1889 to May 31, 1890). If this is applicable, the number of months are entered in this column.

Attendance at school (in months) during the census year (June 1, 1889 to May 31, 1890). The number of months attended is listed, if applicable.

Able to read. This column would be marked yes or no.

Able to write. This column would be marked yes or no.

Able to speak English. If not, the language or dialect spoken. This column would be marked with the language spoken.

Whether suffering from acute or chronic disease, with name of disease and length of time afflicted.

Whether defective in mind, sight, hearing, or speech, or whether crippled, maimed, or deformed, with name of defect.

Whether a prisoner, convict, homeless child, or pauper.

Supplemental schedule and page. If they are also listed on another census schedule, the schedule number and page would be listed here.