Census records provide many details about individuals and families. They are useful for placing them in a particular time and place and depict many aspects of their lives. They can show the age, place of birth (IMPORTANT -get a good gazetteer!), occupations, movement patterns (by children’s birthplaces) and relationships for everyone in the household. It’s important to look at all of the relevant censuses in your ancestor’s lifetime.

Because of the amount of information provided in censuses, combined with the fact that individuals are generally shown in family groups, censuses are often the first sources to turn to when doing your family history research.