1910 Census records are an important tool for family history researchers. The Federal Government conducts an enumeration of the United States population every ten years. Genealogists use these records to document a family across a lifetime, find the names of children and spouses and uncover events that may have happened between enumerations.
The United States in 1910
In 1910, the United States was in transition from an expanding nation to an established country. The frontier was settled, and most former territories were now states. Oklahoma became a state in 1907; this is the first census for Oklahoma as a state.
The United States had survived a series of disasters in the previous ten years. A hurricane had almost destroyed the port city of Galveston, Texas in 1900. Over 6,000 people were killed in the flooding that followed. Fires had ravaged Baltimore (1904) and San Francisco (1906).
Technology was on the rise. The first Brownie camera had been introduced in 1900. Other new inventions included the electric typewriter, the phonograph and the alkaline battery.
About the 1910 Census
April 1, 1910 was the official enumeration date for the census. Residents were chronicled based on their residence on that date. The census was released to the public in 1982.
Questions Asked
The census asked many of the same questions as the previous censuses. They include:
- Name
- Age
- Race
- Gender
- Relation to the head of household
- Place of birth and parents place of birth
- Occupation
- Naturalization status for immigrants
- Marital status and number of years married if applicable
- Number of children born to a woman and number of those living
- Property ownership
New Questions
There was one additional question asked on this census. Men were asked about Civil War military service, denoted by a "CA" for Confederate Army, "CN" for Confederate Navy, "UA" for Union Army and "UN" for Union Army.
Where to Find 1910 Census Records
Original census records are kept at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) in Washington, D.C. Microfilm copies are available at the NARA regional locations. Many public and genealogical libraries will also have the 1910 enumeration either in a print version or on microfilm.
Online Sources
You may also find 1910 census records for the entire nation online at several sites:
- Ancestry.com also has actual images of the census. It has an all name index for the census. Ancestry.com is a genealogy subscription service. You may be able to use Ancestry.com for free at your local library.
- Heritage Quest is another subscription service with 1910 Census images. Its index is by head of household only. Many libraries also have a subscription to Heritage Quest that patrons can use for free.
Other sites, such as the USGenWeb may have the 1910 census for a particular area.
Tips for Using the Census
- If you are having trouble locating someone in the index, try alternate spellings of the last name.
- It's better to inspect the actual image than to rely on a transcription. This avoids any errors made by a transcriber.
- The censuses are full of errors. View all information as suspect until you have verified its accuracy.
