Ancestry Magazine

Maybe not, if you’ve been searching for her by name in the 1910 census online. But now that’s all changed at Ancestry.com.

In June, Ancestry.com announced the completion of its every-name index for the 1910 U.S. Federal Census. What’s the big deal? By turning 1910 from a searchable list of heads-of-household into a database that includes every person in the house, even a four-year-old future grandmother can now be successfully searched by name—regardless of whether she was four in 1880, 1910, or 1930. That’s because every available U.S. federal census between 1870 and 1930 is now searchable by exactly the individual you’re seeking.

Because of their consistency and scope, censuses are considered one of the cornerstones of modern genealogy—no other record used by family historians can as effectively place an ancestor in time and place. And because census enumerators asked the same questions of everyone they talked to, you know exactly what information to expect: everything from where your ancestors lived to their professions, and, depending on the census year, when they immigrated, where their mother was born, and even if they had a radio.

So what can you expect? That depends on the census.

How far can you go? 1790 was the first census, but you’ll only find names for heads of households—not until 1850 did other household residents earn a mention in the census. Look to 1870 for the first by-name mentions of slaves who were freed during the 1860s and Native Americans.

Wedded bliss. If newlyweds pique your interest, visit the 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, and 1890 census—during those census years, the federal government asked which household residents married in the twelve months prior to the census date. Interestingly enough, between 1850 and 1880 the government also took notes on who died during the previous twelve months.

Keys to the country. Between 1900 and 1930, census takers in the United States focused on immigration information, requesting year of immigration as well as naturalization status. Taking that one step further, in 1930 census takers also requested the language spoken by an immigrant (if not English) before coming to America.

North or South. More than forty years following the Civil War, census takers in 1910 inquired as to whether respondents fought in the Civil War and for which side.

Media frenzy. Broadcast technology was new enough in 1930 that the U.S. government instructed census takers to find out which households had radios.

You can discover these facts and others by viewing the actual census enumeration of your American ancestors via the View Image link attached to each census search result at Ancestry.com.