History

Other Resources

State Censuses

View larger image
The Kansas State Board of Agriculture conducted a census
of the state in 1905 (questionnaire above). The census
collected the names of all members of household and their
age, sex, race or color, and state or country of birth. The
census also collected information about members' state or
country of origin and military service.

State censuses can be as important as the federal census to genealogists but, because they were taken randomly, remain a much under-utilized resource in American genealogy. State censuses often can serve as substitutes for some of the missing federal census records - most notably the 1790, 1800, 1810, and 1890 censuses. Many state censuses also asked different questions than the federal census, thus recording information that cannot be found elsewhere in the federal schedules.

While not all states took their own censuses, and some have not survived, state and local census records can be found in many locations. Most states which took censuses usually did so every 10 years, in years ending in "5" (1855, 1865, etc.) to complement the federal census. These state census records are most often found at the state archives or state library. Many are also on microfilm through a local Family History Center of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and online via commercial genealogy databases.

The following list of state and territorial censuses was compiled by Ann S. Lainhart's State Census Records . Consult this reference for the extent and availability of records for each state and territorial census.

Alabama - 1818, 1820, 1821, 1823, 1850, 1855, 1866, 1907.

Alaska - 1870, 1878, 1879, 1881, 1885, 1887, 1890-95, 1904-07, 1914, 1917.

Arizona - 1866, 1867, 1869, 1872, 1874, 1876, 1880, 1882.

Arkansas - 1823, 1829, 1865, 1911.

California - 1788, 1790, 1796, 1797-98, 1816, 1836, 1844, 1852.

Colorado - 1861, 1866, 1885.

Connecticut - No state census records are known to exist.

Delaware - 1782.

District of Columbia - 1803, 1867, 1878

Florida - 1825, 1855, 1866, 1867, 1868, 1875, 1885, 1895, 1935, 1945.

Georgia - 1798, 1800, 1810, 1827, 1834, 1838, 1845, 1852, 1853, 1859, 1865, 1879.

Hawaii - 1878, 1890, 1896.

Idaho - No state census records are known to exist.

Illinois - 1810, 1818, 1820, 1825, 1830, 1835, 1840, 1845, 1855, 1865.

Indiana - 1807, 1853, 1857, 1871, 1877, 1883, 1889, 1901, 1913, 1919, 1931.

Iowa - 1836, 1838, 1844, 1846, 1847, 1849, 1851, 1852, 1854, 1856, 1885, 1895, 1905, 1915, 1925.

Kansas - 1855, 1865, 1875, 1885, 1895, 1905, 1915, 1925.

Kentucky - No state census records are known to exist.

Louisiana - 1853, 1858.

Maine - 1837.

Maryland - 1776, 1778.

Massachusetts - 1855, 1865.

Michigan - 1837, 1845, 1854, 1864, 1874, 1884, 1888, 1894, 1904.

Minnesota - 1849, 1853, 1855, 1857, 1865, 1875, 1885, 1895, 1905.

Mississippi - 1801, 1805, 1808, 1810, 1816, 1818, 1820, 1822, 1823, 1824, 1825, 1830, 1833, 1837, 1840, 1841, 1845, 1850, 1853, 1860, 1866.

Missouri - 1797, 1803, 1817, 1819, 1840, 1844, 1852, 1856, 1860, 1864, 1876, 1880.

Montana - No state census records are known to exist.

Nebraska - 1854, 1855, 1856, 1865, 1869, 1885.

Nevada - 1862, 1863, 1875

New Hampshire - No state census records are known to exist.

New Jersey - 1855, 1865, 1875, 1885, 1895, 1905, 1915.

New Mexico - 1790, 1823, 1845, 1885.

New York - 1790, 1825, 1835, 1845, 1855, 1865, 1875, 1892, 1905, 1915, 1925.

North Carolina - 1786.

North Dakota - 1885, 1915, 1925.

Ohio - No state census records are known to exist.

Oklahoma - 1890, 1907.

Oregon - 1842, 1843, 1845, 1849, 1850, 1853, 1854, 1855, 1856, 1857, 1858, 1859, 1865, 1870, 1875, 1885, 1895 1905.

Pennsylvania - No state census records are known to exist.

Rhode Island - 1774, 1777, 1782, 1865, 1875, 1885, 1905, 1915, 1925, 1935.

South Carolina - 1825, 1839, 1869, 1875.

South Dakota - 1885, 1895, 1905, 1915, 1925, 1935, 1945.

Tennessee - 1891.

Texas - 1829-1836.

Utah - 1856.

Vermont - No state census records are known to exist.

Virginia - 1782, 1783, 1784, 1785, 1786.

Washington - 1856, 1857, 1858, 1860, 1871, 1874, 1877, 1878, 1879, 1880, 1881, 1883, 1885, 1887, 1889, 1891, 1892, 1898.

West Virginia - No state census records are known to exist.

Wisconsin - 1836, 1838, 1842, 1846, 1847, 1855, 1865, 1875, 1885, 1895, 1905.

Wyoming - 1875, 1878.