Tuesday's Tip - Check Out the Ancestry.com "Newspapers.com Marriage Index, 1800-1999" Collection

 Ancestry.com added the "Newspapers.com Marriage Index, 1800s-1999" record collection on 14 September 2020.  They have created an index for marriage notices and records in the Newspapers.com collection of thousands of newspapers.  The Ancestry Card Catalog indicates that there are 11,436,408 entries in this collection.  Thast sounds like a lot, but there are over 835,000,000 in the similar Ancestry index for "Newspapers.com Obituaries, 1800- Current" collection. 

On the search page for this record collection, I entered an exact surname of "seaver":

I could have searched for a given name, a "lived in" location, a marriage year or location, with family members (father, mother, sibling, spouse) but I want to see how many Seaver matches there are.

After clicking on the orange "Search" button, I had 186 matches:

The results list shows the name, publication date, publication place, and spouse's name.

I looked in my RootsMagic database, and did not have Mary E. Nevin in my family tree, but I did have William H. Seaver of Woodstock, Vt. in my tree.  Here is the record summary:

The summary provides the name, the spouse's name, the gender, the residence place, the marriage date and the marriage place.  

Here is the actual article  with their wedding announcement published in the Arizona Daily Star {Tucson, Ariz.] dated 25 March 1947:

I added the bride's name and the marriage information to my RootsMagic family tree.  Now I have 185 more to check out.

Here's a source citation for this marriage using the RootsMagic template for a "Newspaper, Online image:":

"Wedding Held Saturday at St. Philips," wedding announcement, Arizona [Tucson, AZ] Daily Star, Tuesday, 25 March 1947, page 7, column 1, announcement of wedding of William H. Seaver and Mary E. Nevin, 22 March 1947; Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com : accessed 28 September 2020).

This is an excellent opportunity to search for marriages of 19th and 20th century people in your family tree that may not have been recorded in available vital records.

There is no indication as to how complete this index of the Newspapers.com collection is - does it index ALL of the newspapers in the Newspapers.com collection?

Of course, the newspapers have to be in the Newspapers.com collection, and Ancestry.com has to have an accurate index, in order to find these marriage announcements.  

If I ever run out of Obituaries for my "Seavers in the News" theme on Thursdays, here is another great newspaper collection to mine for marriage records.

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Disclosure:  I have a complimentary subscription to Ancestry.com and to Newspapers.com and have used them extensively to find articles about my ancestral and one-name families.

The URL for this post is:  https://www.geneamusings.com/2020/09/tuesdays-tip-check-out-ancestrycom.html

Copyright (c) 2020, Randall J. Seaver

Please comment on this post on the website by clicking the URL above and then the "Comments" link at the bottom of each post.  Share it on Twitter, Facebook,  or Pinterest using the icons below.  Or contact me by email at randy.seaver@gmail.com.

Tuesday's Tip: Research in the Missouri Marriage Records, 1805-2002

The record collection for Missouri Marriage Records, 1805-2002 is one of my favorite record collections.  It is online at Ancestry.com with 6,334,653 name indexed entries.  Note that this is a collection of marriage records digital images filed between 1805 and 2002.

The original source for this online collection is the Missouri Marriage Records. Jefferson City, MO, USA: Missouri State Archives, on Microfilm.

On Ancestry.com, the user will find this collection search page in the Card Catalog:

The description of the information in this record collection is (from the Ancestry.com collection page):

This database contains an index and images of marriage records from Missouri covering the years 1805-2002. Information that may be found in this database includes the following:

• Groom’s name
• Groom’s race
• Groom’s birth date or age
• Groom’s parents’ names
• Bride’s name
• Bride’s race
• Bride’s birth date or age
• Bride’s parents’ names
• Marriage place
• Marriage date

Note: Social Security numbers have been redacted from the images in order to protect privacy.

Types of marriage records found in this database include marriage licenses, applications for marriage licenses, records of marriages solemnized, marriage certificates, marriage registers, and indexes. Due to the variety of record types, all of the above listed information may not be available in the index for each marriage. On the other hand, there may be additional information listed on actual marriage records, so always click through to view the record images.

Marriage records are great sources for genealogists because they document an individual in a particular place and time as well as provide details about that person's marriage.

Search Tips:

• This collection includes images of indexes as well as the actual marriage records. If you’re having trouble finding your ancestor through the search, try browsing the index for the county in which they lived and use that information to locate them in the actual records.
• Don’t overlook the possibility that your ancestor may have been married in a nearby county that was more convenient to them, or where other family members lived.

More about Marriage Records in Missouri:

Marriage records are held by the county recorder of deeds. Prior to 26 June 1881, no marriage license was required; the marriage was recorded in any convenient courthouse.

Types of Marriage Records:

Marriage licenses are the most common marriage records in the United States. They are issued by the appropriate authority prior to the marriage ceremony, and they have come to replace the posting of banns and intentions. Marriage licenses, which grant permission for a marriage to be performed, are returned to civil authorities after the ceremony.

Marriage licenses exist in varying forms. A standard form generally asks for the names of the bride and groom, their residence at the time of application, the date the marriage was performed, the date the license was issued, the place of the marriage, and the name of the person performing the marriage ceremony.

Applications for marriage licenses have been required in some jurisdictions in addition to or in place of bonds. Applications are often filled out by both the bride and groom and typically contain a large amount of genealogical information.

Marriage certificates are given to the couple after the ceremony is completed and are thus usually found among family records. There are exceptions, however. [Some] certificates…are similar to marriage licenses issued in other places. The bride and groom usually receive a marriage certificate for their family records containing similar historical information, signatures of witnesses, and so on.

I searched for Seaver as a last name, checked the Exact box, and saw 80 results:

I clicked on the first match, and saw the information extracted for the marriage of William A. Seaver in 1954:

As you can see, this record summary provides the person's full name, race, age, bith date, marriage date, marriage place, and spouse's name.  Clicking on the spouse's name provided the same information for the spouse.

Plus, there is an image of the marriage record with even more information:

This image shows only the names of the bride and groom, their county of residence, and if they are over or under the age of consent, plus the marriage date and marriage county.  

Where did the index get the race, age and birth date information that is in the record summary?  It appears that some of the Jackson county, Missouri images do not have the birth dates on the marriage record.  Some of the counties may provide only an approximate birth year.

For my key surnames, this collection has these numbers of exact records:

*  Seaver:      80
*  Seavers:     53
*  Seever:      65
*  Seevers:  106
*  Sever:        60
*  Severs:    201
*  Sevier:    220

*  Carringer:  12

*  Auble:       11

*  Vaux:        11

The Ancestry "database number" for this collection is 1171.  I have over 200 profiles in my Ancestry Family Tree with a pending Hint in this collection.  I know that I have collected some of the entries already.

There is no similar record collection on FamilySearch, MyHeritage or Findmypast.

More information about Missouri Marriage Records can be found at   https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/How_to_Find_Missouri_Marriage_Records.

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NOTE:  Tuesday's Tips is a genealogy blog meme intended to provide information about a resource helpful to genealogists and family historians, especially in the U.S. online genea-world.

The URL for this post is: https://www.geneamusings.com/2020/04/tuesdays-tip-research-in-missouri.html

Copyright (c) 2020, Randall J. Seaver

Please comment on this post on the website by clicking the URL above and then the "Comments" link at the bottom of each post.  Share it on Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest using the icons below.  Or contact me by email at randy.seaver@gmail.com.

Tuesday's Tip: Research in the Indiana Death Certificates, 1899-2011

The record collection for Indiana, Death Certificates, 1899-2011 is one of my favorite record collections.  It is online at Ancestry.com with 16,737,019 name indexed entries.  Note that this is a collection of death certificate digital images filed between 1899 and 2011.

The original source for this online collection is the Indiana State Board of Health. Death Certificates, 1900–2011. Microfilm. Indiana Archives and Records Administration, Indianapolis, Indiana.

On Ancestry.com, the user will find this collection search page in the Card Catalog:

The description of the information in this record collection is (from the Ancestry.com collection page):

State-level registration began for deaths in Indiana in January 1900. Prior to that, registration was done at the county level, with most counties beginning in 1882. This collection includes an index and images of Indiana death certificates for the years 1899–2011.

Death records can provide a wide variety of details, including the following:

• name of the decedent and place of death

• gender

• color or race

• marital status

• date of birth

• age

• occupation

• birthplace

• father's name and birthplace

• mother's name and birthplace

• name and address of informant

• date filed

• date of death

• physician's statement and cause of death

• length of residence, if in a hospital or institution

• date and place of burial

• name and address of undertaker

• later records may include spouse’s name

Note: Social Security numbers have been redacted from the images in order to protect privacy.

I searched for Seaver as a last name, checked the Exact box, and saw 97 results:

I clicked on the second match, and saw the information extracted for the death of Betty J. Seaver (two screens):

As you can see, this record summary provides the person's full name, a woman's maiden name, gender, race, age, marital status, birth date, birth place, death date, death place, and parent's names. 

Plus, there is an image of the death certificate with even more information:

The "prizes" on these records are the full name, maiden name, the birth date, the birth place, father's name, mother's name, occupation, cause of death, and informants name.  However, there is no spouse's name provided. 

For my key surnames, this collection has these numbers of exact records:

*  Seaver:      97
*  Seavers:     80
*  Seever:      23
*  Seevers:    80
*  Sever:        69
*  Severs:      69
*  Sevier:      93

*  Carringer:  19

*  Auble:       44

*  Vaux:        16

The Ancestry "database number" for this collection is 60716.  I have over 280 profiles in my Ancestry Family Tree with a pending Hint in this collection.  I know that I have collected some of the entries already.

More information about Indiana Death Records can be found at https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/How_to_Find_Indiana_Death_Records.

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NOTE:  Tuesday's Tips is a genealogy blog meme intended to provide information about a resource helpful to genealogists and family historians, especially in the U.S. online genea-world.

The URL for this post is:  https://www.geneamusings.com/2020/03/tuesdays-tip-research-in-indiana-death.html

Copyright (c) 2020, Randall J. Seaver

Please comment on this post on the website by clicking the URL above and then the "Comments" link at the bottom of each post.  Share it on Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest using the icons below.  Or contact me by email at randy.seaver@gmail.com.

Tuesday's Tip: Research in the New York, New York Index to Birth Certificates, 1866-1909

The record collection for New York, New York Index to Birth Certificates, 1866-1909 is one of my favorite record collections.  It is online at Ancestry.com with 6,091,199 name indexed entries.  Note that this is an Index collection, and not a collection of birth certificate digital images.

The original source for this online collection is the New York City Department of Records & Information Services. New York City Birth Certificates.

On Ancestry.com, the user will find this collection search page in the Card Catalog:

The description of the information in this record collection is (from the Ancestry.com collection page):

This collection consists of robust indexes to births in the five Boroughs of New York City reported to the Health Department prior to 1910.

Birth records are available for the following boroughs:

• Bronx, 1898 - 1909
• Brooklyn, 1866 - 1909
• Manhattan, 1866 -1904
• Queens, 1898 - 1909
• Richmond, 1898 - 1909

In addition to the name of the individual who was born, in these records you may be able to find:

• The Birth Date, Address, Ward and Borough of the individual who was born
• The Name, Age, Race, Birthplace, Occupation, and Current Address of the Mother and Father
• The Number of Other Children Born and Living to the Mother

Obtaining Copies of the Records

Visit the Department of Records/Municipal Archives website,   www.nyc.gov/records  (click on family history research) for information and instructions on how to view and/or obtain copies of birth records identified in the index, and to view the complete list of birth records.

I searched for Seaver as a last name, checked the Exact box, and saw 23 results:

I clicked on the second match, and saw the information extracted for the death of Mary Jane Seaver (two screens):

As you can see, this record provides the person's full name, gender, race, birth date, birth place, residence address, certificate number, father's name, mother's name, and mother's maiden name.  

The "prizes" on these records are the full name, the birth date, the birth place, father's name, mother's name, and mother's maiden name.

For my key surnames, this collection has these numbers of exact records:

*  Seaver:      23
*  Seavers:     10
*  Seever:        1
*  Seevers:       6
*  Sever:          6
*  Severs:        7
*  Sevier:        1

*  Carringer:   0

*  Auble:        2

*  Vaux:          5

The Ancestry "database number" for this collection is 61779.  I have only 3 profiles in my Ancestry Family Tree with a pending Hint in this collection (and eventually probably more).   I know that I have collected most of the Seaver entries already.

                                =============================================

NOTE:  Tuesday's Tips is a genealogy blog meme intended to provide information about a resource helpful to genealogists and family historians, especially in the U.S. online genea-world.

The URL for this post is:  https://www.geneamusings.com/2020/03/tuesdays-tip-research-in-new-york-new.html

Copyright (c) 2020, Randall J. Seaver

Please comment on this post on the website by clicking the URL above and then the "Comments" link at the bottom of each post.  Share it on Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest using the icons below.  Or contact me by email at randy.seaver@gmail.com.

Tuesday's Tip: Research in the New York, New York Index to Death Certificates, 1862-1948

The record collection for New York, New York Index to Death Certificates, 1862-1948 is one of my favorite record collections.  It is online at Ancestry.com with 7,269,466 name indexed entries.  Note that this is an Index collection, and not a collection of death certificate digital images.

The original source for this online collection is the New York City Department of Records & Information Services. New York City Death Certificates.

On Ancestry.com, the user will find this collection search page in the Card Catalog:

The description of the information in this record collection is (from the Ancestry.com collection page):

This collection consists of robust indexes to deaths in the five Boroughs of New York City reported to the Health Department from 1862 to 1948.

Death records are currently available for the following boroughs and years. Additional years will be added as available:

• Bronx, 1898 - 1948
• Brooklyn, 1862 - 1948
• Manhattan, 1866-1867, 1870-1875, 1934-1948
• Queens, 1898 - 1948
• Richmond, 1898 - 1948

In addition to the name of the individual who died, in these records you may be able to find:

• The Death Date, Death Location (Address/Hospital, Ward, and Borough), Gender, Race, Marital Status, Length of time in US, Birth Date, Age at Death, Cause of Death, and Usual Address of the individual who died
• The Name and Birthplace of the Mother and Father of the individual, as well as the Name of the Spouse, if applicable
• The Name and Relationship to the deceased of the Informant and Executor.

Obtaining Copies of the Records

Visit the Department of Records/Municipal Archives website, www.nyc.gov/records (click on family history research) for information and instructions on how to view and/or obtain copies of death records identified in the index, and to view the complete list of death records. 

As you can see, there are significant gaps in this collection; for instance, Manhattan records between 1867-1870 and 1875-1934 are unavailable.  Records for Bronx, Queens and Richmond start in 1898.  

I searched for Seaver as a last name, checked the Exact box, and saw 59 results:

I clicked on the first match, and saw the information extracted for the death of Mary Jane Seaver (two screens):

As you can see, this record provides name, gender, race, marital status, age, birth date, birth place, residence place, residence address, date of death, death street address, death place, burial date, burial place, occupation, father's birth place, mother's birth place, father's name, mother's name, spouse's name, informant, informant's gender, informant's relationship, and more.  In many cases, the cause of death is included.

The "prizes" on these records are the full name, the birth date, the birth place, the death date, death place, cause of death, father's name, mother's name, spouse's name, and more.  

For my key surnames, this collection has these numbers of exact records:

*  Seaver:      59
*  Seavers:     31
*  Seever:        1
*  Seevers:       3
*  Sever:        20
*  Severs:      12
*  Sevier:        5

*  Carringer:   2

*  Auble:        3

*  Vaux:         4

The Ancestry "database number" for this collection is 61778.  I have over 25 profiles in my Ancestry Family Tree with a pending Hint in this collection (and probably more).   
                                =============================================

NOTE:  Tuesday's Tips is a genealogy blog meme intended to provide information about a resource helpful to genealogists and family historians, especially in the U.S. online genea-world.

The URL for this post is:  https://www.geneamusings.com/2020/03/tuesdays-tip-reserch-in-new-york-new.html

Copyright (c) 2020, Randall J. Seaver

Please comment on this post on the website by clicking the URL above and then the "Comments" link at the bottom of each post.  Share it on Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest using the icons below.  Or contact me by email at randy.seaver@gmail.com.

Tuesday's Tip: Research in World War II Young Men's Draft Registration Cards

The record collection for U.S. WWII Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947 is one of my favorite record collections.  It is online at Ancestry.com with over 36 million draft registration cards with 53,716,458 name indexed entries.  I think that the index includes the names of the person being registered and his contact person (usually a parent or a spouse).  

The original source for this online collection is the set of draft registration cards for all states between 10/16/1940 and 3/31/1947, plus territories, DC, Puerto Rico, and U.S. Virgin Islands.  Each set is in boxes in Records of the Selective Service System, 1926–1975, Record Group 147. National Archives and Records Administration, St Louis, Missouri.

On Ancestry.com, the user will find this collection search page in the Card Catalog:

The description of the information in this record collection is (from the Ancestry.com collection page):

This database contains World War II draft registration cards from multiple registrations filled out by men in select states aged 18–44.

Historical Background

The U.S. officially entered World War II on 8 December 1941 following an attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. About a year before, in October 1940, President Roosevelt had signed into law the first peacetime selective service draft in U.S. history because of rising world conflicts. Multiple registrations held between November 1940 and October 1946 signed up more than 50 million American men aged 18–45 for the draft.

Cards in This Database

This database contains images and indexes for registration cards filled out by men born between the years of 1898 and 1929 from for all states with the exception of Maine. The draft cards from the state of Maine were destroyed before they could be digitized.

The cards are potentially valuable sources of genealogical and family information, with details that can include:

• Name
• Serial Number
• Address and/or Mailing Address
• Telephone
• Age
• Place of Birth
• Country of Citizenship
• Employer’s Name
• Place of Employment (address)
• Name and Address of Person who will always know Registrant’s Address, Relationship to Registrant
• Description: race, eyes, weight, complexion, hair
• Year of Registration

The collection includes some replacement cards for registration cards that were destroyed. These cards list a name.

The record summary for my father, Frederick Walton Seaver looks like this:

Clicking for the record image on the screen above shows the face of the actual draft registration card:

If you advance to the next image using the right carat to the right of the screen with the above image, you can see the back of the draft registration card:

The "prizes" on these records are the full name, the birth date, the birth place, the citizenship, the employer, the residence(s), the next-of-kin, the signature and the physical description (on the back of the card).

For my key surnames, this collection has these numbers of exact records:

*  Seaver:    558
*  Seavers:   141
*  Seever:      93
*  Seevers:   243
*  Sever:      285
*  Severs:    265
*  Sevier:     419

*  Carringer: 122
*  Caringer:    12

*  Auble:     112

*  Vaux:      120

The Ancestry "database number" for this collection is 2238.  I have over 420 profiles in my Ancestry Family Tree with a pending Hint in this collection.   I have accepted and rejected a number of Hints from this collection.

Fold3.com (now owned by Ancestry) digitized these draft registrations cards over the past few years, and they can be accessed there also.  

FamilySearch had these draft registrations cards in collections for each state for the years 1940-1945, but has removed many of them recently.  These collections used record images from Ancestry.com.  Perhaps they are adding the cards up to 1947 to their collections and will add them back to their historical record collections.

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NOTE:  Tuesday's Tips is a genealogy blog meme intended to provide information about a resource helpful to genealogists and family historians, especially in the U.S. online genea-world.

The URL for this post is:  https://www.geneamusings.com/2020/03/tuesdays-tip-research-in-world-war-ii.html

Copyright (c) 2020, Randall J. Seaver

Please comment on this post on the website by clicking the URL above and then the "Comments" link at the bottom of each post.  Share it on Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest using the icons below.  Or contact me by email at randy.seaver@gmail.com.

Tuesday's Tip: Research in Pennsylvania Death Certificates, 1906-1967

The record collection for Pennsylvania Death Certificates, 1906-1967 is one of my favorite record collections.  It is online at Ancestry.com with 23,965,999 indexed entries.  I think that the index includes the names of the deceased, their parents (if given) and their spouse (if given).

The original source for this online collection is the set of Pennsylvania (State) Death Certificates, 1906–1963. Series 11.90 (1,905 cartons), which contains Records of the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Record Group 11, archived at the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

On Ancestry.com, the user will see this search page:

The user can search using any or some of the fields for first name, last name, birth date or year, death date or year, father's name, mother's name, spouse's name, children's name, and keywords.

The description of the information in this record collection is (from the Ancestry.com collection page):

Pennsylvania’s Department of Health began keeping birth and death records on a statewide basis on January 1, 1906. This collection includes death records beginning on that date through 1967.

Death certificates recorded the following details:

• name and residence of the decedent

• city and county of death

• gender and race

• marital status

• age and date of birth

• occupation

• place of birth

• parents' names and birthplaces

• date of death

• dates attended by physician

• cause of death

• attending physician and address

• length of stay in hospital or institution or length of residency for transients or recent arrivals

• place of burial or removal

• date of burial

• undertaker name and address

• name and address of informant

Records of stillbirths were required to be filed as both a birth and death record, so you may find records of stillborn children in this collection.

The record summary for a Rhea Seaver (1890-1967) looks like this:

If the maiden name of a female is on the death certificate, it is listed in parentheses on the record summary.  The parents names and spouse's name, if provided on the certificate, are listed in the record summary.  The birth and death dates and places are listed if provided on the certificate.  More death information is provided on the certificate itself, including cause of death.

Here is the top part of the death certificate:

In this case, the name of the spouse is not provided.  However, the mother's maiden name is provided.

For my key surnames, this collection has these numbers of exact records:

*  Seaver:    64
*  Seavers:   67
*  Seever:      1
*  Seevers:  14
*  Sever:     68
*  Severs:   40
*  Sevier:    10

*  Carringer:  48
*  Caringer:     1

*  Auble:     43

*  Vaux:      84

The Ancestry "database number" for this collection is 5164.  I have over 400 profiles in my Ancestry Family Tree with a pending Hint in this collection.   I have accepted and rejected a number of Hints from this collection.

I was puzzled by the entry for Rhea (Waddell) Seaver in this collection, since I did not have her in my RootsMagic database.  There is a 1918 marriage record for Rhea McClure Waddell with Jno Lawrence Seaver in the Presbyterian Church marriage collection on Ancestry.  I don't have that John Lawrence Seaver in my RootsMagic database either.  So now I have another mystery to solve!

                                =============================================

NOTE:  Tuesday's Tips is a genealogy blog meme intended to provide information about a resource helpful to genealogists and family historians, especially in the U.S. online genea-world.

The URL for this post is:  https://www.geneamusings.com/2020/02/tuesdays-tip-research-in-pennsylvania.html

Copyright (c) 2020, Randall J. Seaver

Please comment on this post on the website by clicking the URL above and then the "Comments" link at the bottom of each post.  Share it on Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest using the icons below.  Or contact me by email at randy.seaver@gmail.com.

Tuesday's Tip: Research Using the 1850 United States Federal Census

The record collection for the 1850 United States Federal Census is one of my favorite record collections.  It is available in digital format online at:

*  Ancestry.com  ($$) - 20,053,649 entries

*  MyHeritage.com ($$) - 20,571,627 entries

* Findmypast.com ($$) - 20,458,408 entries

*  FamilySearch.org (Free) - 20,224,571 entries

The official population count of the United States in 1850 was 23,191,876, including 3,204,313 slaves who were numbered in a separate slave census.

Why are the number of entries different at each provider, and different from the official census count?  Perhaps it is because all of the  providers permit an alternate user-provided index entry for enumerated persons.  In this census year, slaves were enumerated in a separate census (on FamilySearch, there are 3,587,571 entries on the 1850 Slave Schedule). 

The description of the 1850 United States Federal Census collection on Ancestry.com says:

This database details those persons enumerated in the 1850 United States Federal Census, the Seventh Census of the United States. In addition, the names of those listed on the population schedule are linked to the actual images of the 1850 Federal Census, copied from the National Archives and Records Administration microfilm, M432, 1009 rolls. (If you do not initially find the name on the page that you are linked to, try a few pages forward or backward, as sometimes different pages had the same page number.)

For the first time in the history of the United States census, enumerators of the 1850 census were instructed to record the names of every person in the household. Added to this, enumerators were presented with printed instructions, which account for the greater degree of accuracy compared with earlier censuses. Enumerators were asked to include the following categories in the census: name; age as of the census day; sex; color; birthplace; occupation of males over age fifteen; value of real estate; whether married within the previous year; whether deaf-mute, blind, insane, or "idiotic"; whether able to read or write for individuals over age twenty; and whether the person attended school within the previous year. No relationships were shown between members of a household. The categories allowed Congress to determine persons residing in the United States for collection of taxes and the appropriation of seats in the House of Representatives.

Few, if any, records reveal as many details about individuals and families as do the U.S. federal censuses. The population schedules are successive "snapshots" of Americans that depict where and how they were living at particular periods in the past. Because of this, the census is often the best starting point for genealogical research after home sources have been exhausted.

The 1850 Census includes the following states and territories: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota Territory (includes Dakota area), Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico Territory (includes Arizona area), New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon Territory (includes Washington and Idaho areas), Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah Territory, Vermont, Virginia (includes West Virginia counties), Wisconsin.

The United States was the first country to call for a regularly held census. The Constitution required that a census of all "Persons...excluding Indians not taxed" be performed to determine the collection of taxes and the appropriation of seats in the House of Representatives. The first nine censuses from 1790 to 1870 were organized under the United States Federal Court system. Each district was assigned a U.S. marshal who hired other marshals to administer the census. Governors were responsible for enumeration in territories.

The official enumeration day of the 1850 census was 1 June 1850. All questions asked were supposed to refer to that date. By 1850, there were a total of thirty-one states in the Union, with Florida, Texas, Iowa, Wisconsin, and California being the latest editions. The four new territories of Oregon, Minnesota, New Mexico, and Utah were also enumerated. There were no substantial state- or district-wide losses.

Here is an example from the FamilySearch census for a search for one person:

  I searched each record provider for some of my exact surnames of interest.  The results are:

*  Seaver               1063 (on Ancestry)
                                840 (on MyHeritage)
                                854 (on Findmypast)
                                856 (on Family Search)

*  Carringer               84 (on Ancestry)
                                  22 (on MyHeritage)
                                  22 (on Findmypast)
                                  22 (on Family Search)

*  Auble                  197 (on Ancestry)
                                197 (on MyHeritage)
                                177 (on Findmypast)
                                175 (on Family Search)

*  Vaux                      73  (on Ancestry)
                                  61 (on MyHeritage)
                                  60 (on Findmypast)
                                  61 (on Family Search) 

*  Smith           275,026 (on Ancestry)
                         279.589 (on MyHeritage)
                         279,475 (on Findmypast)
                         274,947 (on Family Search)

FamilySearch, MyHeritage and Findmypast have almost the same number of entries for each surname except Smith - I think FamilySearch provided the index and images for this collection to Findmypast and MyHeritage.

Ancestry,com and FamilySearch created separate census indexes using paid and/or volunteer indexers.  The differences in numbers between providers for a specific surname is probably due to the providers permitting a user-submitted addition to the index.

It is important to understand what this collection represents and includes.  This collection is paper records created by the U.S. Census Bureau in 1850, copied to microfilm and provided at some time for digitization to the digital record providers for a fee.  The record providers then used paid or volunteer indexers to create the different indexes.

These records are Original Source records, with Primary Information (state, county, town) and Secondary Information (for everything else), and Indirect Evidence of the person's name, age, and other items.

I use this database extensively to find my ancestors, my relatives, and other persons in my family tree.  I usually download the record image to my computer for my ancestors, summarize the information for each person in the household, and enter a Census event for the household, with the official census date, the census place, and craft a source citation.  I add a Note for each person with the location, date, and household summary information, and add a Media item for each person in the household of my ancestral families.

For those interested in mining this record collection for Hints of persons in their Ancestry Member Tree, the Ancestry.com database number is 8054.  Currently, I have over 2,280 Hints for persons in my Ancestry Member Tree who are indexed in this record collection.  I work on them occasionally, adding content and source citations to profiles in my RootsMagic family tree.  Of course, I have some accepted Hints from this collection already in my RootsMagic family tree and my Ancestry Member Tree, but not many.

I have not attached many MyHeritage Hints to my MyHeritage tree, which is now a year out of date.  On MyHeritage, I have 1,769 pending Record Matches for persons in my MyHeritage tree.

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NOTE:  Tuesday's Tips is a genealogy blog meme intended to provide information about a resource helpful to genealogists and family historians, especially in the U.S. online genea-world.

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