LibGuides: Using the Census Website: 1890

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About the U.S. Census Bureau

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Call Number: REF HA 202 .P76 2016
ISBN: 9781598887297
Publication Date: 2014-12-05

Census Fast Facts by Decade
Census Overview by Decade
Index of Questions, 1790-2000 The first censuses counted the population and provided information on population by county. In 1790, the census also categorized white males by age: those under age 16 and those age 16 and older. Over the years, Congress has authorized additional questions, enabling us to better understand the nation's inhabitants and their activities and needs. In fact, one of the nation's founders, James Madison, suggested that the census takers ask additional questions that would help lawmakers better understand the needs of the nation. For example, the 1810 Census also collected economic data (on the quantity and value of manufactured goods). In 1850, the census began collecting "social statistics" (information about taxes, education, crime, and value of estate, etc.) and mortality data. In 1940, additional questions were asked of a sample of the population, including questions on internal migration, veteran status, and the number of children ever born to women. These questions helped society understand the impact of the Great Depression. Through the decades, the census has collected data on race, ancestry, education, health, housing, and transportation. An examination of the questions asked during each census illustrates changes in our nation's understanding of race, the impact of immigration, growth of the Hispanic population, and computer usage. As a result of the census's evolution, the constitutionally mandated census has grown to provide important information about the U.S. population and its housing. Coupled with data from the economic and government censuses and demographic and economic surveys, the U.S. Census Bureau provides governments, scholars, planners, businesses, and individuals the data they need to build schools, plan highways, open businesses, and distribute the billions of dollars in federal spending that sustains a growing population.

1890 Census Information

Highlights:

11th Decennial Census.
U.S. Population: 62,979,766.
Cost: $11,547,127.

Questions:

For 1890, the Census Office changed the design of the population questionnaire. Residents were still listed individually, but a new questionnaire sheet was used for each family. Additionally, this was the first year that the census distinguished between different East Asian races.

Across the top of the sheet were several organizational questions:

Number of dwelling house in the order of visitation by enumerator
Number of families in the dwelling house
Number of persons in the dwelling house
Number of this family in order of visitation by enumerator
Number of persons in this family

The following questions, listed by row number, were asked of each individual resident:

Christian name in full, and initial of middle name
Surname
Was this person a soldier, sailor, or marine during the Civil War (U.S.A. or C.S.A.), or the widow of such a person?
Relationship to the head of the family
Race

Enumerators were instructed to write "White," "Black," "Mulatto," "Quadroon," "Octoroon," "Chinese," "Japanese," or "Indian."
Sex
Age
Was the person single, married, widowed, or divorced?
Was the person married within the last year?
How many children was the person a mother of? How many of those children were living?
Person's place of birth
Place of birth of person's father
Place of birth of person's mother
How many years has the person been in the United States?
Is the person naturalized?
Has the person taken naturalization papers out?
Profession, trade, or occupation
Number of months unemployed in the past year
How many months did the person attend school in the past year?
Can the person read?
Can the person write?
Can the person speak English? If not, what language does he speak?
Is the person suffering from an acute chronic disease? If so, what is the name of that disease and the length of time affected?
Is the person defective of mind, sight, hearing, or speech? Is the person crippled, maimed, or deformed? If yes, what was the name of his defect?
Is the person a prisoner, convict, homeless child, or pauper?
Depending on the person's status in the questions in rows 22, 23,or 24, the enumerator would indicate on this line whether additional information was recorded about him on a special schedule

The following questions, located at the end of each family's questionnaire sheet were asked of each family and farm visited:

Was the home the family lived in hired, or was it owned by the head or by a member of the family?
If owned by a member of the family, was the home free from "mortgage incumbrance?"
If the head of the family was a farmer, was the farm which he cultivated hired or was it owned by him or a member of his family?
If owned by the head or member of the family, was the farm free from "mortgage incumbrance?"
If the home or farm was owned by the head or member of the family, and mortgaged, what was the post office address of the owner?

1890 Census Fast Facts
1890 Census Overview
Index of Questions, 1790-2000 The first censuses counted the population and provided information on population by county. In 1790, the census also categorized white males by age: those under age 16 and those age 16 and older. Over the years, Congress has authorized additional questions, enabling us to better understand the nation's inhabitants and their activities and needs. In fact, one of the nation's founders, James Madison, suggested that the census takers ask additional questions that would help lawmakers better understand the needs of the nation. For example, the 1810 Census also collected economic data (on the quantity and value of manufactured goods). In 1850, the census began collecting "social statistics" (information about taxes, education, crime, and value of estate, etc.) and mortality data. In 1940, additional questions were asked of a sample of the population, including questions on internal migration, veteran status, and the number of children ever born to women. These questions helped society understand the impact of the Great Depression. Through the decades, the census has collected data on race, ancestry, education, health, housing, and transportation. An examination of the questions asked during each census illustrates changes in our nation's understanding of race, the impact of immigration, growth of the Hispanic population, and computer usage. As a result of the census's evolution, the constitutionally mandated census has grown to provide important information about the U.S. population and its housing. Coupled with data from the economic and government censuses and demographic and economic surveys, the U.S. Census Bureau provides governments, scholars, planners, businesses, and individuals the data they need to build schools, plan highways, open businesses, and distribute the billions of dollars in federal spending that sustains a growing population.
Measuring America: The Decennial Censuses from 1790 to 2000
Population & Housing Items on the General Schedule of the Census, 1790-2000

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Using the Census Bureau Guide
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