Census Identification Project

Overview

We've all searched the census records as we've traced our own families. We typically start with the most recent census and then work backwards, following our family back through time. If we're lucky enough to get back to 1840 and earlier, we hope that we've identified the right family as only the head of household's name is listed. Each of us typically does this on our own, but what if we get it wrong? What if two of us claim the same person in one of these earlier census records and one of us is wrong? How would we ever know? What if someone mysteriously shows up in a location, and leaves no trail of where he came from? How can he be identified? To solve these issues, the Whitney Research Group has undertaken this project.

Goals

Gain a better understanding of Whitney families by analyzing census records. Identify each Whitney in the census and create links between each census extract and the appropriate Family Group Page (FGP), as well as from the FGPs to the appropriate census extracts.

Benefits

1. Allows us to follow each family through the census
2. Allows us to identify families who moved by the process of elimination
3. Allows us to identify those missing from the published census indexes and attempt to find them

Success Stories

Robert Ward has stated "the analysis of the 1790 census entries has led me to some connections I hadn't made before. It has also led me to the realization that we are close to a tipping point, and to having a critical mass of data. Once we pass that point, we should be able to make even more connections, and when someone posts a query, we are, and will be, more and more able to answer it."

Task List

• Add census extracts.

• • Federal 1790 through 1890 - DONE
  • 1792-1866 MS - DONE
  • 1820-1866 AL - DONE
  • 1825 QC, Canada - DONE
  • 1831 QC, Canada - DONE
  • Lower Canada 1825 at FamilySearch.org
  • Lower Canada 1831 at FamilySearch.org
  • 1836-1895 IA - DONE
  • Lower Canada 1842 at FamilySearch.org
  • Upper Canada 1842 at FamilySearch.org
  • 1844-1881 MO at Ancestry.com
  • 1849-1905 MN at Ancestry.com
  • 1850 Slave Schedules - DONE
  • Mortality schedules: 1850 through 1880 - DONE
  • 1851 Canada at Ancestry.com (World membership required)
  • Canada Index 1851 at FamilySearch.org
  • 1852 CA at Ancestry.com
  • 1855 IL - DONE
  • 1855 MA - DONE
  • 1855 NY at FamilySearch.org - DONE
  • 1855-1925 KS at Ancestry.com
  • 1860 Slave Schedules - DONE
  • 1860-1885 NE at Ancestry.com
  • 1861 Canada at Ancestry.com (World membership required)
  • 1861 ON at FamilySearch.org
  • 1861 NB at FamilySearch.org
  • 1861 NS at FamilySearch.org
  • 1861 PEI at FamilySearch.org
  • 1861 QC at FamilySearch.org
  • 1865 MA - DONE
  • 1865 IL - DONE
  • 1865 NY - NOT INDEXED ON-LINE, but page images are available at FamilySearch.org
  • 1867-1945 FL at Ancestry.com
  • 1871 Canada at Ancestry.com (World membership required)
  • Canada 1871 Mortality Schedules at FamilySearch.org
  • Canada 1871 Index at FamilySearch.org
  • 1875 NV at Ancestry.com
  • 1875 NY at FamilySearch.org
  • Canada 1881 Index at FamilySearch.org
  • 1884 MI at Ancestry.com
  • 1885 CO at Ancestry.com
  • 1885 FL at Ancestry.com
  • 1885 IA - DONE
  • 1885 NE at Ancestry.com
  • 1890 Veterans Schedules - DONE
  • 1891 Canada at Ancestry.com (World membership required)
  • Canada 1891 Index at FamilySearch.org
  • 1892 NY at Ancestry.com and FamilySearch.org
  • 1894 MI at Ancestry.com
  • 1895 IA - DONE
  • 1895 NJ at Ancestry.com
  • 1895 SD at Ancestry.com
  • 1900 - PARTIALLY DONE; NOT ACTIVE; State-by-state indexes done
  • 1901 Canada at Ancestry.com (World membership required)
  • 1904 MI at Ancestry.com
  • 1905 NY at FamilySearch.org
  • 1905-1925 IA at Ancestry.com
  • 1906 Canada at Ancestry.com (World membership required)
  • 1910 - PARTIALLY DONE; NOT ACTIVE
  • 1915 NY at Ancestry.com
  • 1920 - PARTIALLY DONE; NOT ACTIVE
  • 1925 NY at Ancestry.com
  • 1930 - PARTIALLY DONE; NOT ACTIVE
  • 1940 - PARTIALLY DONE; NOT ACTIVE
• Create census indexes.
  • 1851 Canada at FamilySearch.org
  • 1855 MA - DONE
  • 1855 NY - DONE
  • 1861 Canada at FamilySearch.org
  • 1865 IL - DONE
  • 1865 MA - DONE
  • 1871 Canada at FamilySearch.org
  • 1871 Canada Mortality Schedules at FamilySearch.org
  • 1881 Canada at FamilySearch.org
  • 1891 Canada at FamilySearch.org
  • 1901 Canada at FamilySearch.org
  • 1906 Canada at FamilySearch.org
  • 1916 Canada at FamilySearch.org
• Update all census indexes with data from ancestry.com.
• Reformat census indexes for 1790 through 1840. - DONE
• Fix census indexes so that Aaron appears before Aaron A. etc.
  • 1850 U.S. - DONE
  • 1860 U.S. - DONE
  • 1870 U.S. - DONE
  • 1880 U.S.: blank through C DONE
  • States: None yet
• Link all census entries to the Family Group Record pages.
  • 1771 MA & ME Tax List - DONE. See Potential Heads of Households - 1771
  • 1790 - DONE. See Potential Heads of Households - 1790
  • 1800 - DONE, 42 unidentified. See Potential Heads of Households - 1800
  • 1810 - DONE, 107 unidentified. See Potential Heads of Households - 1810
  • 1820 - DONE, 142 unidentified. See Potential Heads of Households - 1820
  • 1825 QC
  • 1830 - DONE, 240 unidentified. See Potential Heads of Households - 1830
  • 1831 QC
  • 1840 - DONE, 374 unidentified. See Potential Heads of Households - 1840
  • 1850 - DONE for those 40+, 544 unidentified. See Potential Heads of Households - 1850
  • 1855 MA - DONE
  • 1855 NY
  • 1860. See Potential Heads of Households - 1860
  • 1865 MA
  • 1870 - IN PROGRESS: "A" through "La" done. See Potential Heads of Households - 1870
  • 1880. See Potential Heads of Households - 1880
  • 1900
  • 1910
  • 1920
  • 1930
  • 1940
• Create Family Group Record pages for all families found in censuses but otherwise unidentified. - IN PROGRESS; NOT ACTIVE
• Link all Family Group Record pages to the census entries.
  • 1771-1850 - DONE
  • 1860 - IN PROGRESS: "A" through "La" done.
  • 1870 - IN PROGRESS: "A" through "La" done.
  • 1880 - IN PROGRESS: "A" through "La" done.
  • 1890 Veterans
  • 1900 - PARTIALLY DONE; NOT ACTIVE
  • 1910 - PARTIALLY DONE; NOT ACTIVE
  • 1920 - PARTIALLY DONE; NOT ACTIVE
  • 1930 - PARTIALLY DONE; NOT ACTIVE
  • 1940
• Link all Family Group Record pages to the Mortality Schedules
  • 1850 Mortality Schedules - IN PROGRESS
  • 1860 Mortality Schedules - IN PROGRESS
  • 1870 Mortality Schedules - IN PROGRESS
  • 1880 Mortality Schedules - IN PROGRESS

Volunteers

• I'd like to help out on this task - let me know what model/template to use. -Andaleen 09:53, 31 December 2006 (CST)

• I have just downloaded all the census records I have for the Levi Warren Whitney descendants to my page. If you would like them in another way, let me know. Judy