Bulgaria Census: Difference between revisions

Ottoman census records were enumerations of males compiled by the government for fiscal and military purposes, not as population counts.  They lasted between 1831-1872. They contain the name of the head of household, male family members, ages, occupation, and property. These census records are located at the Oriental Department of the Cyril and Methodius National Library in Sofia. Some may be preserved among the archives of the Ottoman Empire in Istanbul. They have been made available to researchers.  Ottoman censuses covered 40% of the population. These records can be used to quickly identify the male portion of family groups. Their value is somewhat limited because they are written in Ottoman Turkish (Turkish in Arabic script), which is archaic and difficult to read. Also, census returns are fragmentary. None of these records have been acquired by the Family History Library.