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Using Census Records   Updated October 29, 2000      

The census records are a valuable resource for researchers - as long as several things are kept in mind.

1. CENSUS RECORDS ARE SECONDARY SOURCES. Census records should not be considered a primary source.  There is no way to know who gave the information to the census taker.  A neighbor, or someone living nearby may have given the information.  A child, relative or visitor to the house may have given the information.  Then the researcher has to consider that a human wrote down the information.  All of these things can and do affect census records.  Always use these records as guide to finding other, more reliable records.  (What are Secondary and Primary Sources?)

2. INDEXES ARE GREAT IF USED FOR A GUIDE. Using indexes or indexing systems can help the researcher tremendously when trying to find ancestors.  However, it must be kept in mind that a human transcribed the records for indexing.  This means that records could have been left out, the transcriber may have misread the entries, or skipped entries all together.  The researcher should also look for name variations on the "correct" spelling.  A relative could be found under:   Lamphear, Lamfear, Laumfear, etc.  Think about when you order a pizza or give your name at a restaurant - how often do they get your name correct?  (If your name is Lamphear - the answer is ALMOST NEVER.  If your surname is Jones or Smith this wouldn't apply, but you get the idea.)

3. BEWARE THE SOUNDEX TRAP. Using the Soundex system adds a whole new dimension to the confusion of using indexes.  The 1880 sounded only listed households with children 10 or under.  The 1900 Soundex only listed the head of household and those living in the household with different surnames.  The 1910 Soundex only covers 21 states.  Due to these oddities, people may have been skipped or missed.    For example, in the 1880 soundex, any household that didn't include children were left off.  This could include a whole family, with adult children, grandparents, parents, in-laws, etc. living with them.

Another oddity about the Soundex is the way the codes work.  Sometimes the researcher has to get creative to find all the entries for a surname.  Never overlook the various spelling of a name - who knows how the original entry was spelled and/or how the indexer chose to interpret those entries.  For example old handwriting can be misread and often is - an L could look like an S.  When looking for Lamphear, don't forget to look for Samphear as well.  (See the various spellings of Lamphear).

4. SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO SUCK IT UP AND SPEND TIME SEARCHING THE ACTUAL RECORDS.  Searching the actual census records for an entire township or county isn't exactly the best way to spend a Saturday afternoon.  BUT it could be time well spent if a once unknown or missing relative is found.  Extended families, in-laws, grandparents, children, etc. may be found this way.  Even if a listing is found in an index or soundex, always check the actual record.  Most often there is valuable information listed that couldn't or wasn't included on the index or soundex.

Note About Accuracy.  When using data from the internet, please take the precaution of double checking the source document.  Whenever possible find the original census records and source documents from that time (birth, death, land deeds, tax rolls, etc.) to confirm that the person listed is indeed the one you are looking for.