CENSUS RECORDS
State Censuses

The United States Census Bureau website tells us that “[s]tate censuses can be as important as the federal census to genealogists but, because they were taken randomly, they remain a much under-utilized resource in American genealogy. State censuses often can serve as substitutes for some of the missing federal census records - most notably the 1790, 1800, 1810, and 1890 censuses. Many state censuses also asked different questions than the federal census, thus recording information that cannot be found elsewhere in the federal schedules.”

 image: 1867 Mitchell Map of the United States, public domain, Wikimedia Commons

The website goes on to say that, “[w]hile not all states took their own censuses, and some have not survived, state and local census records can be found in many locations. Most states which took censuses usually did so every 10 years, in years ending in "5" (1855, 1865, etc.) to complement the federal census. These state census records are most often found at the state archives or state library. Many are also on microfilm through a local Family History Center of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and online via commercial genealogy databases.”

The United States Census Bureau website has an alphabetical list of states with years of their censuses at https://www.census.gov/history/www/genealogy/other_resources/state_censuses.html. One of the state censuses they list might just hold the clue you need to break down a brick wall!

RESEARCH TIP: A state census can help you locate an ancestor who moved between U. S. Federal Censuses. For example: if you are looking for a relative who was in Waterloo, Iowa in 1900, but who seems to have disappeared from that town in the 1910 census leaving no trace, look for your ancestor in the 1905 Iowa State Census. If you find him still in Waterloo, that narrows the time window for his move (or death). If you find him in some other town, you'll know where to look for him in 1910!