Washington Census Tips: Difference between revisions

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United States Census Washington Census Tips

Census Tips[edit | edit source]

Find your ancestor in every census taken while he/she was alive.

Why:

Relatives, such as grandchildren or married children, may live with them.
They may live with a child, such as a married daughter, in their later years.
Follow the children through censuses.
Neighbors may be relatives or old friends from their home state.

Check marriages for women in the county where your ancestor was found in a census. Then find those women and their husbands the SAME census.

Why:

You may find sisters living in the area.
Your ancestor's widowed mother may have remarried. Were the women old enough to be sisters? Aunts? The mother?
Did any of those husbands witness your ancestor's deeds and other records? Were they near neighbors?

Pay close attention to the ages and birthplaces.

Why:

Gaps in ages of children may be a clue to:

A second marriage of the couple: Check marriage records for this.
A child died young. Check cemetery, church, funeral, and other records.
The state or nation where the children were born is a clue to:
When the family migrated
Ages of husband and wife may be clues:
In a second marriage, the husband may be older than the wife.
Compare ages of the wife and the children:
The oldest child: was the wife too young to be the mother? (Child-bearing years for most women were between 16–40.)
The youngest child: was the wife too old?

Check a map to see county boundaries for the census year you want to search.

Why:

Ask questions to analyze what you are seeing: It is possible? Is it probable?

For example:

Census Index Tips[edit | edit source]

Check another index if you did not find your family.}}

Why:

Indexers vary in skill and accuracy
The quality of the image or copy they used affects the quality of the index
Some indexers are local and more familiar with the names or families of the area than others

Check county census indexes when online indexes fail.

Why:

Created by local societies or groups who knew the families of the area, these indexes are often more accurate
Footnotes or information about the family may be added

Where to find county census indexes:

Many are published in books or periodicals
Search online catalogs and check with local libraries

How Censuses Can Help You Find[edit | edit source]

Names of Parents[edit | edit source]

Maiden Name of Mother[edit | edit source]

A child's middle name is sometimes the maiden name of the mother

Obituaries sometimes list maiden name of wife/mother

On this Wiki - Maiden Names in the United States

How do I know this is MY person?[edit | edit source]

Family members - the more you know the more you will recognize Occupation

Other people your ancestor knew How is this going to be explained?

Migration from another state[edit | edit source]

Marriage: When and Where[edit | edit source]

Immigration and Naturalization[edit | edit source]

Some federal censuses give the year of immigration.

@@ Line 4: / Line 4: @@
 <br>
 [[Image:Boy with binochulars-page-001.jpg|left|80px|]] Find your ancestor in every census taken while he/she was alive.
-{{Block indent|'''Why:'''|3}}
+:::'''Why:'''
-{{Block indent|*Relatives, such as grandchildren or married children, may live with them.|4}}
+::::*Relatives, such as grandchildren or married children, may live with them.
-{{Block indent|*They may live with a child, such as a married daughter, in their later years.|4}}
+::::*They may live with a child, such as a married daughter, in their later years.
-{{Block indent|*Follow the children through censuses.|4}}
+::::*Follow the children through censuses.
-{{Block indent|*Neighbors may be relatives or old friends from their home state.|4}}
+::::*Neighbors may be relatives or old friends from their home state.
 <center>[[Image:Section Divider Graphic.JPG|100px|]]</center>
 [[Image:Wedding Bands - Marriage.png |left|75px|]]Check marriages for women in the county where your ancestor was found in a census. Then find those women and their husbands the SAME census.
-{{Block indent|'''Why:'''|3}}
+:::'''Why:'''
-{{Block indent|*You may find sisters living in the area.|4}}
+::::*You may find sisters living in the area.
-{{Block indent|*Your ancestor's widowed mother may have remarried. Were the women old enough to be sisters? Aunts? The mother?|4}}
+::::*Your ancestor's widowed mother may have remarried. Were the women old enough to be sisters? Aunts? The mother?
-{{Block indent|*Did any of those husbands witness your ancestor's deeds and other records? Were they near neighbors?|4}}
+::::*Did any of those husbands witness your ancestor's deeds and other records? Were they near neighbors?
 <center>[[Image:Section Divider Graphic.JPG|100px|]]</center>
 [[Image:Searching for Ancestors icon.jpg|left|75px|]]Pay close attention to the ages and birthplaces.
-{{Block indent|'''Why:'''|3}}
+:::'''Why:'''
-{{Block indent|*Gaps in ages of children may be a clue to:|3}}
+:::*Gaps in ages of children may be a clue to:
-{{Block indent|*A second marriage of the couple: Check marriage records for this.|4}}
+::::*A second marriage of the couple: Check marriage records for this.
-{{Block indent|*A child died young. Check cemetery, church, funeral, and other records.|4}}
+::::*A child died young. Check cemetery, church, funeral, and other records.
-{{Block indent|*The state or nation where the children were born is a clue to:|4}}
+::::*The state or nation where the children were born is a clue to:
-{{Block indent|*When the family migrated|4}}
+::::*When the family migrated
-{{Block indent|*Ages of husband and wife may be clues:|4}}
+::::*Ages of husband and wife may be clues:
-{{Block indent|*In a second marriage, the husband may be older than the wife.|4}}
+::::*In a second marriage, the husband may be older than the wife.
-{{Block indent|*Compare ages of the wife and the children:|4}}
+::::*Compare ages of the wife and the children:
-{{Block indent|*The oldest child: was the wife too young to be the mother? (Child-bearing years for most women were between 16–40.)|4}}
+::::*The oldest child: was the wife too young to be the mother? (Child-bearing years for most women were between 16–40.)
-{{Block indent|*The youngest child: was the wife too old?|4}}
+::::*The youngest child: was the wife too old?
 <center>[[Image:Section Divider Graphic.JPG|100px|]]</center>
 [[Image:Green and White Globe.JPG|left|70px|]]Check a map to see county boundaries for the census year you want to search.
-{{Block indent|'''Why:'''<br><br>|3}}
+:::'''Why:'''<br><br>
 <center>[[Image:Section Divider Graphic.JPG|100px|]]</center>
-{{Block indent|[[Image:Question mark red.jpg|left|50px|]]     Ask questions to analyze what you are seeing: It is possible? Is it probable?}}
+:[[Image:Question mark red.jpg|left|50px|]]     Ask questions to analyze what you are seeing: It is possible? Is it probable?
-{{Block indent|'''For example:'''|2}}
+::'''For example:'''
 <br>
 === Census Index Tips ===
 <br>
 [[Image:Check Mark Rain-drop.JPG|left|50px|]]Check another index if you did not find your family.}}
-{{Block indent|'''Why:'''}}
+:'''Why:'''
-{{Block indent|*Indexers vary in skill and accuracy|4}}
+::::*Indexers vary in skill and accuracy
-{{Block indent|*The quality of the image or copy they used affects the quality of the index|4}}
+::::*The quality of the image or copy they used affects the quality of the index
-{{Block indent|*Some indexers are local and more familiar with the names or families of the area than others|4}}
+::::*Some indexers are local and more familiar with the names or families of the area than others
 <center>[[Image:Section Divider Graphic.JPG|100px|]]</center>
 [[Image:Green Check with person icon.JPG|left|50 px|]]Check county census indexes when online indexes fail.
-{{Block indent|'''Why:'''}}
+:'''Why:'''
-{{Block indent|*Created by local societies or groups who knew the families of the area, these indexes are often more accurate|4}}
+::::*Created by local societies or groups who knew the families of the area, these indexes are often more accurate
-{{Block indent|*Footnotes or information about the family may be added|4}}
+::::*Footnotes or information about the family may be added
-{{Block indent|'''Where to find county census indexes:'''|4}}
+::::'''Where to find county census indexes:'''
-{{Block indent|*Many are published in books or [[Washington Periodicals|periodicals]]|4}}
+::::*Many are published in books or [[Washington Periodicals|periodicals]]
-{{Block indent|*Search [[Washington Archives and Libraries#Libraries|online catalogs]] and check with local libraries|4}}
+::::*Search [[Washington Archives and Libraries#Libraries|online catalogs]] and check with local libraries
 === How Censuses Can Help You Find ===