Researchers most often use the U.S. Census for two different reasons. One is for family research and the other to find statistical data for a U.S. geography. To find names a researchers must wait until 72 years after the Census date while statistics resulting from the enumerations is generally avaible with a year or two after Census Day.
Looking at names in the Census.
1840-1790
Only the Name of the head of household is listed. Tic marks were used to indicate household members by sex and age range only. Despite the absence of names for others, this data must be recorded and analyzed in comparison with the information found on later censuses. Search for an individual or family 10 years younger in each earlier census.
An ancestor may appear on the U.S. Census in different counties while living in one place. How is this possible? Over time most states added counties. Over time, county boundaries were changed to create new counties out of old ones. In North Carolina, Albemarle county, which no longer exists, was created in 1665. In 1911, Avery and Hoke counties became the last to be created. Be sure to consult maps for N.C. ancestors before 1911 to help you find them on the Census.
Locating records for enslaved ancestors requires patience and preparation before beginning research before 1865. The 1870 federal population census schedules, the first on which formerly enslaved people are listed by name, must be studied for other individuals of the same surname, who may be family members or potential former enslavers. Even if one knows that an ancestor was born during slavery, study all subsequent census schedules carefully and systematically from the latest available backward.
Enslaved people were enumerated on all federal census records, 1790—1860, but not by name. From the 1870 census, the researcher should proceed backwards to the 1860 and 1850 separate slave schedules which list, under the name of the enslaver, each enslaved person by sex, specific age, and color only; no names of enslaved people are given. The genealogist will be looking for a male or female (and his or her family if appropriate), who is 10 and 20 years younger than the individual(s) identified on the 1870 census schedule. 1790, 1800, and 1810 census schedules indicate only the total number of enslaved people while 1820, 1830, and 1840 schedules list them by sex and age range. These data present possible former enslavers, for it is the records of the enslavers that must be searched and analyzed for information about enslaved ancestors before 1865. The researcher will need to learn as much as possible about the enslaver and his family: his wife and in-laws, his children and whom each married, even the church he attended. One could acquire the enslaved through purchase, inheritance, marriage, and natural increase (children, grandchildren, etc., of enslaved people acquired earlier).
At the time of contact with Europeans, there were approximately 34 tribes that explorers and surveyors documented in North Carolina. Three of the largest tribes were the Cherokee, the Catawba, and the Tuscarora.
Today, there are eight state-recognized tribes: Eastern Band of the Cherokee Nation, Coharie Tribe, Haliwa-Saponi Tribe, Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina, Meherrin Nation, Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation, Saponi, and the Waccamaw Siouan Tribe. Special Federal Censuses of Native Americans only cover the Cherokee. Census takers often enumerated State-recognized tribes as African American or White. When researching those outside a reservation, look for the ancestor as you would anybody else on a regular population census by name. Check matching names even if the person is designated as African American or white. People were not asked about their race, and enumerators guessed based on appearance.
The Soundex of the census is based on how the name sounds rather than is spelled. Creating the Soundex system was created by the WPA during the Great Depression. The need arose because many states did not have a birth registration system and needed proof of age. The Soundex allowed those searching the records an easier way than searching every page of the census. It is not a fool-proof system, but can be very helpful in searching census records and helping with multiple spelling variations like Bradford, Broadford, Bradfoot, etc. On the other hand, it won’t help if the variations begin with different letters. See the examples below. Ancestry and Ancestry Library Edition makes use of the Soundex system to research records.
The GHL has Soundex on microfilm for 1880-1930 census in the census microfilm cabinets at the beginning for that state.
Soundex Code Rules
Only the first letter in a name stays, the rest of the surname is coded
Each name has 4 characters.
Names that are too short for all 4 charters will end with a 0. (Ex: Davis becomes Dvs, and after being coded, will end in a 0)
Disregard all vowels as well as H, W, and Y
If there are double letters in the name, disregard the second letter (example: Millner because Milner which then becomes Mlnr)
Number Letters Represented
| 1 B, F, P, V | Here are some examples of how names are coded: |
| 2 C, G, J, K, Q, S, X, Z | Smith, Smyth, and Smithe = SMTH =S530 |
| 3 D, T | Bradford, Bradfield, Breadford = BRDFRD = B631 |
| 4 L | |
| 5 M, N | |
| 6 R |