Pennsylvania Census

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Revision as of 15:54, 3 September 2010 by Benrbennett (talk | contribs)

United States  Gotoarrow.png  U.S. Census  Gotoarrow.png  Pennsylvania  Gotoarrow.png  Census Template:Adoption PARoots

Tips
  • If at first you don't find a name, try again under another spelling.
  • Photocopy each ancestor's census. Identify where you found it.
  • Look for an ancestor in every census during her or his lifetime.
  • On the family group record show each person's census listings.
  • Study others in the same household, neighbors, and anyone with the similar names nearby on the census in community context.


  • For a list of the exact date of each federal census, click here.

Online Pennsylvania indexes and images[edit | edit source]

Template:Census Online Pennsylvania

Federal population schedules[edit | edit source]

Microfilm images[edit | edit source]

Federal Census Microfilms Available from the Family History Library
1940 N/A 1910 and Soundex 1860 
1930 1900 and Soundex 1850
1920 and Soundex 1880 and Soundex 1800-1840
1870 1790


Federal Census Microfilms Available from the National Archives
1940 N/A 1910 T624 and Soundex T1274 1860 M653 1820 M33
1930 T626 1900 T623 and Soundex T1068 1850 M432  1810 M252
1920 T625 and Soundex M1584 1880 T9 and Soundex T769 1840 M704 1800 M32
  1870 M593 1830 M19 1790 M637   

Indexes: fiche, film, or book[edit | edit source]

For a list of microform and book indexes for the population schedules of Pennsylvania, click here

Federal non-population schedules[edit | edit source]

Online indexes and images[edit | edit source]

Online Federal Non-Population Schedules for Pennsylvania

Free Free at Some Libraries (usually with library card) Pay
Year Type Record Search Census Bureau Google Book PA Historical & Museum Commission Ancestry FHL Ancestry Library Ancestry Home
1927 Agricultural - - - Link - - -
1890 Veterans - - - - Link Link Link
1880 Agricultural - - - Link - - -
1880 Mortality - - - - Link Link Link
1870 Mortality - - - - Link Link Link
1860 Mortality - - - - Link Link Link
1850 Agricultural - - - Link - - -
1850 Mortality Link - - - Link Link Link
1840 Pensioners - BookLink BookLink - Link Link Link

Microfilm images[edit | edit source]

Union Veterans and Widows, 1890 Mortality Schedule, 1860
Agricultural Schedule, 1850-1880 Schedule 5: Products of industry in PA, 1860
Manufacturers Schedule, 1850-1880 Mortality Schedule, 1870
Social Statistics Schedule, 1850-1880 Mortality Schedule, 1880
Mortality Schedule, 1850 Indian census rolls, Carlisle School, 1911


Indexes: fiche, film, or book[edit | edit source]

For a list of microform and book indexes for the non-population schedules of Pennsylvania, click here.

State and colonial censuses[edit | edit source]

  • 1857 Chester County only: a list of taxable inhabitants by Township.[1][2]
  • 1671 Philadelphia and Delaware counties in Pennsylvania; New Castle County, Delaware, and Burlington County, New Jersey.[3]

Existing and lost censuses[edit | edit source]

For a list of available and missing Pennsylvania censuses, click here.

Why use a census?[edit | edit source]

A well-indexed census is one of the easiest ways to locate where an ancestor's family lived and when they lived there. You can also use censuses to follow the changes in a family over time, and identify neighbors. These and other clues provided by censuses are important because they help find additional kinds of records about the family.

More about censuses[edit | edit source]

Click here for additional details about how to use censuses, such as:

Sources and footnotes[edit | edit source]

  1. Ann S. Lainhart, State Census Records (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1992), no Pennsylvania listing.
  2. Henry J. Dubester, State Censuses: An Annotated Bibliography of Censuses of Population Taken After the Year 1790 by States and Territories of the United States (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1948), 54.
  3. Peter Stebbins Craig, 1671 Census of the Delaware (Philadelphia, Pa.: Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania, 1999)[FHL Book 974 X2c 1671].
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