Oregon Census

Availability
[edit | edit source]

1790-1840--Census records are not available for Oregon.

1850 Census--This is a federal census taken when Oregon was still a territory.

1860-1930 Census--The 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920 and 19300 U.S. federal censuses for the state of Oregon are available.

1890 Census--The 1890 census has been destroyed. The 1890 Union veterans' schedule is available at the Family History Library (FHL film 338236) and at the National Archives.

Historical Background[edit | edit source]

1848--Oregon Territory was created.

1853--Washington Territory was created which reduced the size of the Oregon Territory by about half.

1859--Oregon became the 33rd state.

Indexes[edit | edit source]

Ancestry--All of Oregon federal censuses are indexed at www.ancestry.com.

1860-1880--Statewide indexes are available for the 1860, 1870, and 1880 censuses in book and microfiche format.

Soundex--A soundex (phonetic) index is also available on microfilm for part of the 1880 and all of the 1900 and 1920 censuses.

Special Censuses[edit | edit source]

Mortality Schedules[edit | edit source]

1850-1880--Mortality schedules (lists of deaths during the census year) exist for the years 1850, 1860, 1870, and 1880 censuses. The schedules for the 1850, 1860, 1870, and 1880 are indexed in book format. The schedules and indexes are available at the Oregon State Library, the Oregon Historical Society Library, and the University of Oregon.

State and Territorial Censuses[edit | edit source]

1850 Census--The 1850 Federal census for the Oregon Territory is available.

Territorial and state censuses also exist for a few counties for the years 1842, 1843, 1845, 1849, 1852, 1853, 1854, 1856, 1857, 1858, 1859, 1865, 1885, 1895, and 1905.

Most of the extant schedules from 1842-1859 are indexed (FHL film 899786) and published. In most of these censuses only the heads of households are listed. Copies of most are available at the Oregon State Archives and the Family History Library. They are listed in the catalog under OREGON - [COUNTY] - CENSUS.