Oklahoma Census

Federal

Many of the 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 regarding these federal records.

The Family History Library has the 1910, 1920, and 1930 U.S. federal censuses for Oklahoma and the soundex (phonetic) indexes for 1910 and 1920.

Territorial

The earliest federal census of the area that is now Oklahoma is the 1860 census of Arkansas, which included what was then the Indian Territory. This census does not list Indians, but lists free and slave inhabitants in the Cherokee, Choctaw, Creek, and Seminole nations. The slave schedules provide the names of slave owners, but not the names of slaves.

This census and a published index are available at the National  Archives — Southwest Region, the Oklahoma Historical Society, and the Family History Library. For contact details, see the "Archives and Libraries" section of this outline.

The 1870 and 1880 censuses have been lost and the 1890 federal census has been destroyed. The 1890 veterans schedule and index are available at the Family History Library and at the National Archives.

The Family History Library has the 1900 federal census. There are separate schedules and indexes for the Indian Territory and the Oklahoma Territory for 1900.

In addition to the federal territorial censuses, a separate census was taken in 1890 of the Oklahoma Territory (FHL film 227,282). This includes information on the entire household but is incomplete for some areas. A card index is available at the State Historical Society. A helpful source for locating families in this census is Smith's First Directory of Oklahoma Territory: For the Year Commencing August 1st, 1890 (see the “Directories” section of this outline).

For information on censuses of specific Indian Tribes, see the section on “Native Races” in this outline.