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| LIFE IN SOLERA | DECEMBER 2023 | 45 CENSUS INFORMATION/DATA Webster's dictionary defines a census as a "counting and analysis of population" and related information. In the genealogy world a census can be a source of vital data on a person or family both at the time of the census, but also on the origins of the parents of family members. This is not the only data or information that a population census provides. It can show where people lived; their age, sex, and birth location (state or country); what their occupation may have been at the time of the census; a person's relationship to the head of the household they were a part of; and possibly when an immigrant individual arrived in the country. Most censuses were done every 10 years. However, the total span of a country's census data differs for those countries for which census data is available. These include the U.S., England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Northern Ireland, and Canada. Other countries in the world may have done a census of their populations, but these are not as readily available as those mentioned above. The years available online of the censuses above are as follows (all are on a 10 year cycle): U.S. 1790 to 1950; Canada 1825 to 1931; England, Scotland, Wales 1841 to 1921; Ireland 1901 to 1911 (partial census data for 1841 and 1851 have survived the fire in Dublin that destroyed most of the censuses before 1901). There are some additional censuses done in the U.S. for specific government entities. These are the Slave Schedules for 1850 and 1860 which counted the slaves existing at the time but were limited to the slave owners name and generally no name only the age and sex and color of the slaves of the owner. Some states conducted a population census on years ending with five as well as participating in the national census taken on the years ending in zero. For instance, New York 1865 and 1895 to 1935. Also, Iowa did the same from1875 to 1915. Most of the various censuses outlined above are available online at their respective websites (just Google them!), at Ancestry.Com, and at Familysearch.Org. These censuses can be a key source in populating your family tree and discovering ancestors you never knew you had. ~ Bill Cramsie ANCESTRY GROUP On Dec. 4, Marty Mangan will give the second of his two-part lecture on the History of Cosmology (the study of outer space). The venue is Oakmont Rooms 1 & 2, 4:30 to 5:30 pm. HISTORY GROUP

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