Arkansas Census
Federal[edit | edit source]
Most federal census records are found at the Family History Library, the National Archives, and other federal and state archives. The "Census" section of the United States Research Outline provides more detailed information on these records.
The Family History Library has the U.S. federal censuses for the state of Arkansas for 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920 and 1930. The 1890 census was destroyed.
Statewide indexes are available for the 1840, 1850, 1860, and 1870 censuses in book and microfiche format. A Soundex (phonetic) index is available on microfilm for part of the 1880 and all of the 1900, 1910, and 1920 censuses. In addition, indexes for the 1870 census are available for many counties in Arkansas.
Mortality schedules exist for the 1850, 1860, 1870, and 1880 censuses. The schedules for the years 1850 to 1880 are indexed in book and microfiche format. The indexes are available at the Family History Library. The schedules are at the Arkansas History Commission and the University of Arkansas. These are online at www.ancestry.com for a fee.
Territorial[edit | edit source]
The 1810 and 1820 censuses for the area that became Arkansas were destroyed. The federal census for the Territory of Arkansas is available and indexed for 1830. The Arkansas History Commission has sheriff's censuses for several counties in 1829 and Arkansas County in 1823 (1823 census is on FHL film 977363 item 2). These are indexed in Ronald Vern Jackson, Arkansas Sheriff's Censuses: 1823 and 1829 (Bountiful, Utah: Accelerated Indexing Systems, 1978; FHL book 976.7 X2s 1823, 1829). Only the heads of households are listed in these censuses.
Online Resources[edit | edit source]
United States federal censuses have been taken every ten years since 1790. They are available to the public from 1790 through 1930. Most online census records can be searched much faster than census records on microfilm, because users can search online without having to know the state where an ancestor lived. Some Web sites only have census indexes. Others contain indexes linked to images of the original census sheets. Census sheets show more data than the indexes.
Try these sites to search for a name or to learn more about the census records.
Ancestry at www.ancestry.com allows you to search all available years of the censuses by the name of an ancestor. Digitized images of the census pages are also on the site. Ancestry is a subscription site. Many family history centers have a subscription. Contact the center in your area to ask if they do. If you prefer, you can pay for a personal subscription.
HeritageQuest Online at www.heritagequestonline.com/ has indexes and images for most of the census years. It is a subscription site aimed at libraries and institutions. They do not offer personal subscriptions. The way the census was indexed is different from the way Ancestry was indexed. Check with a public or academic library in your area to ask if they have a subscription.
FamilySearch at www.familysearch.org/ has indexes and transcriptions from the 1880 U.S. census. Each entry includes the Family History Library film number, the U.S. National Archives film number, and a page number.
Census Online at http://www.census-online.com/links/AR// contains multiple census links for Arkansas.
Cyndi’s List at www.cyndislist.com/census.htm contains a census section that shows many links.