Every 10 years since 1790, the United States government has taken an official count of the population. This count is called the census. The U.S. Constitution states that the census must be taken to determine the distribution of seats for the House of Representatives.
The first census in 1790 had only a few questions and was recorded by U.S. marshals who visited homes on horseback. There were no forms and each marshal had to provide their own paper. The only names that were recorded in 1790 were the head of households. Others members of the household were recorded with a number: number of free white males and females in several age categories, number of slaves, number of all other free persons. During the next 210 years (1790 to 2000), questions were added with each census increasing the amount of information collected.
Census records are one of the most basic records used for genealogical research. The data collected in the census is a treasure trove of information for family historians. Not many other records reveal the details and clues about a person or family's life as a census record. And unlike other records that were recorded just once in a person's lifetime, the census was done every 10 years.
You have probably seen the TV ads about the 2010 Census. The twenty-second census will be managed by the U.S. Department of Commerce's Census Bureau. The forms will be sent by mail in March and they are asking all of us to fill the form out and then mail it back to the Census Bureau in the easy to use postage-paid envelope. Any personal information that you provide is protected under federal law and the records are not released to the public for 72 years. For this census that means it will not be released until the year 2082.
The most current census available to the public is the 1930 census which was released in April of 2002. This census contained 32 simple questions which tell a tremendous amount of information about those that were enumerated that year. My favorite question is the one that asks if the household had a radio. Now days almost everyone has a radio. But in 1930, it was a big deal. And the census tells us who were the lucky ones. This is just one of the many things that can discovered from census records.
The census in 2010 has only 10 questions and should take only 10 minutes to fill out. The questions are very basic: Name, sex, age, date of birth, race, household relationship, do you own or rent. If you fail to mail the form back, a census taker will come calling at your door to ask the questions. It will save millions of dollars if everyone just sends the forms back by mail.
The Census Bureau shortened the 2010 form to get more participation and better accuracy. But it is sad that in 2082 (72 years) genealogists will be getting only a tiny look at our lives in 2010. In place of the long census forms, the Census Bureau has changed to the American Community Survey (AMC). The AMCs are conducted every year but the questionnaires are mailed out to only a small percentage of U.S. households. It is unclear if these surveys are being preserved and if they will ever be open to the public. With only the 10 short questions on the census, our descendants may never see that larger picture of life in 2010 that we have seen in previous censuses.
I have heard a lot of grumbling from people about filling out the census form. We don't have a choice– by law we all must participate. And we should all want to be counted. The numbers from the census not only determine our representation in Congress but they also determine the distribution of federal funding for schools, hospitals, and more.
Want another reason to fill out the census form– your descendants. Think about that feeling of glee when you find a census record for an ancestor. It's like looking through a little window into their lives. Your descendants will be searching for that record in 72 years, don't disappoint them.
If you want to give your descendants a little gift, make a copy of your completed 2010 census form and keep it with your other genealogy records. I made a copy of my form in 2000 and I plan to do the same this year. What a wonderful surprise it will be for our great-grandchildren when they find those forms in our files forty or fifty years from now.
The census is coming! Be prepared and send your form back on-time.