Washington Census Tips
United States Census 
Washington Census Tips
There is a need for general helps, not just by specific topics
Oldest child may marry the oldest child in another family
Most stay within the same religion not as much as they do today
English children many times were named after the King or Queen, in US after famous (GW, BF, Martin Luther, Ethan Allen, etc.)
Benefits of Censuses
- Censuses reveal specifics about the family, such as names, ages, birthplaces. (See Contents of Federal Censuses)
- A census locates the family—where records about them were likely created. (See also Using the Census to find other records)
- Every census of the family provides clues that help you learn even more about them.
Census Tips
| Tip: Find your ancestor in every census taken while he/she was alive. This includes territorial and state-funded censuses. |
- 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
- Neighbors may be relatives or old friends from their home state.
| Tip: 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.
- Notice the ages: were the women old enough to be sisters? Aunts? The mother?
- Notice your ancestor's deeds and other records: Were any of those husbands witnesses?
| Tip: 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.
- Where the children were born (state, nation) may be 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?
- Gaps in ages of children may be a clue to:
| Tip: Ask questions to analyze what you are seeing: It is possible? Is it probable? |
- For example:
How Censuses Can Help You Find
Names of Parents
Maiden Name of Mother
A child's middle name is sometimes the maiden name of the mother
How do I know this is MY person?
Migration from another state
Marriage: When and Where
Immigration and Naturalization
Some federal censuses give the year of immigration.