Improvements to All U.S. Federal Censuses

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MONTHLY UPDATE
DNA
— July 2009 —
In this issue:
Improvements to All
U.S. Federal Censuses
Your Best Resource May Be
DIGITAL PRESERVATION SERVICES
Before
After
Another Ancestry.com Member
(p.4)
Complete Canadian Census
(p.5)
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Improvements to All U.S. Federal Censuses
When we asked you what records were most important for Ancestry.com to address next, you said
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improving the U.S. federal census. So we made it our priority.
This year, in addition to releasing hundreds of new collections, we have launched an initiative to
improve images for all 15 U.S. federal censuses that are publicly available (1790 through 1930) and
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indexes for seven (1850, 1860, 1870,
1900, 1910, SERVICES
1920, and 1930) with additional fields and alternate
names added. In the past six months we launched the first improvements for the 1880 and 1900
censuses. This month we’ve re-launched 1810.
When you review the collection, you’ll notice cleaner, clearer images for every record. We highly
recommend revisiting your ancestors in these collections, as you may find images that were too
faded to read can now be seen clearly;
images that were too dark are now legible; images that
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were slightly blurred are crystal clear; and names obscured by tape marks are now easy to decipher.
In November, we sent a survey to our members, asking what record collections and improvements
you would most like to see. Your number one request was for more improved U.S. federal census
images and indexes—like those added for the 1900 census last year. (Read an article on the improvements made to the 1900 U.S. census here.)
As a result, we made it our top priority for 2009 to continue improving U.S. Federal Censuses. We
released enhanced images for the 1880 U.S. census in March, what is left of the 1890 census in May
(most of the original census was destroyed in a fire), and this month we’ve released improved images
for the 1810 U.S. census.
We’ve also dedicated more memory to the census collection on our servers, so we can store them
at a higher resolution. This means the images are even clearer, and you can zoom in for a closer look
than ever before.
You’ll notice all of the images have a cleaner, crisper look. And occasionally you’ll find you can read
names that were illegible before—either because they were too light, too dark, too blurry, covered
in tape, etc.
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July 2009 [ 2 ]
So if you found a record before that you couldn’t quite decipher (“Is that really my ancestor’s name?
What is his occupation? I can’t quite make it out. . . .”) you’ll want to look again. The images will
DNA
be updated on your family trees as well, so if you saved the record there, you can just revisit it
on your tree
Improved Indexes
As part of our census improvementDIGITAL
project, we’re
also releasing improved
indexes to seven of our
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U.S. federal censuses—the 1850, 1860, 1870, 1900, 1910, 1920, and 1930 censuses (the 1900
improvements are already live).
We’ve added new, “alternate” names in many places where it was difficult to decipher a name. So, if it
was unclear whether a name in theSTORE
past was “Homer” or “Hamen,” we’ve now added both versions to
our index, so you can now find the record by searching either name. One of the names will show up as
the “standard” name and the other as an alternate, as shown in these pictures.
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On this 1900 U.S. census record, it’s aCREATIVE
little difficult SERVICES
to tell if this name is “Rebecca Hamen” or “Rebecca
Homer.” Now, you can find the record when you search for either name.
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In your search results, alternate names show up below the original transcription, with a small
yellow triangle next to them.
For the 1900 U.S. census, we added 17.5 million alternate surnames, covering about 23% of the total
names in the collection. We anticipate adding similar numbers of alternate names for the other six
censuses for which we will be merging indexes.
Schedule for Improved Censuses
New images for the 1810, 1880, 1890 (those few fragments available), and 1900 censuses are already
on the site (the updated 1810 census is new this month). An updated index to the 1900 census is also
already live.
Improved images for the 1820 census are scheduled to come out later this month, with the improved
1830 images following in August and the 1840 images in September. Improved images for the 1790
and 1800 censuses are scheduled to be released in the fall, and improved images and indexes for the
1850, 1860, and 1870 censuses are scheduled for the fall and winter.
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MONTHLY UPDATE
July 2009 [ 3 ]
Improvements for the 1910, 1920, and 1930 censuses will follow.
DNA
We’ll let you know as the updated images and indexes become available so you can search again
for any ancestors you haven’t been able to find before.
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Image from the former 1810 U.S. census collection.
Image from the new, improved
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1810CREATIVE
U.S. census collection.
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Image from the former 1810 U.S. census collection.
Image from the new, enhanced
1810 U.S. census collection.
Image from the former 1810 U.S. census collection.
Some of the names are obscured by a piece of tape that was on the original record.
Image from the new, enhanced
1810 U.S. census collection.
The names beneath the tape are
now visible.
Note: In order to bring you the best images and indexes possible, we partnered with FamilySearch.
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MONTHLY UPDATE
July 2009 [ 4 ]
DNA
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Member Connect: Your Best Resource
May Be Another Ancestry.com Member
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We hear from members all the time that some of the most meaningful family history experiences
have come from other members. Jim Lane, for example, was able to introduce his father to the mother
he’d never known because of a series of photographs supplied by another member. Peggy McDowell,
a caterer researching her grandfather the chef, found a culinary-inclined cousin and they’re now openCREATIVE
ing a restaurant together in Chicago’s
Hyde Park.SERVICES
Whether you find a research partner or a new best friend, we want to vastly improve your ability to
collaborate with your fellow family historians on Ancestry.com. So, we’re proud to announce we’re
launching one of the most important feature improvements in years.
Member Connect is designed to STORE
keep you up to date, every day, on the research other members are
doing on your shared ancestors. Before, you could connect to other members’ trees. Now you can:
• See what other members are researching your ancestors.
• Be notified when they attach a record, photo, or story to your shared ancestor.
• Easily save content you discover from other members to your tree.
• Contact members researching your ancestors and discover more together.
We’re excited about the opportunities for new connections and meaningful discoveries that Member
Connect will offer you. Visit http://landing.ancestry.com/memberconnect to see how Member
Connect will work and give us your feedback.
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MONTHLY UPDATE
July 2009 [ 5 ]
DNA
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Complete Canadian Census Online for the
First Time Ever WORLD ARCHIVES PROJECT
We’re thrilled to announce we’ve just launched the complete Canadian Census Collection, available
online for the first time ever. The collection took 600,000 Ancestry.com man hours to digitize, but
more importantly, your chances for finding a Canadian ancestor have just improved dramatically.
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While the U.S. Federal Census was taken on the decade (1900, 1910), Canadian censuses were taken
during the years 1851, 1861, 1871, 1881, 1891, 1901, 1906, 1911, and 1916. All of these records are in the
Ancestry.com Canadian Census Collection.
View our Canadian Census Web page, with helpful searching tips, famous celebrities found in the
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census, an interactive map of which
regions were enumerated each year, and more:
http://landing.ancestry.com/cacensus
15 Fun Facts about the Canadian Census Collection
1. The Historical Canadian Censuses, 1851-1916 contains all available national censuses for Canada,
including 1851/52; 1861; 1871; 1881; 1891; 1901; 1906; 1911; and 1916.
2. The originals of these records are held at Library and Archives Canada (LAC). Ancestry.com
has secured the rights from LAC to digitize, index, and host the complete collection online.
3. Never before have all the available national censuses for Canada been published online, fully
indexed and including original document images.
4. This collection contains 32 million names and 1.3 million images of historical records.
5. Approximately 16 million Canadians—around half the Canadian population—will find ancestors
in this collection.
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MONTHLY UPDATE
July 2009 [ 6 ]
6. Censuses have been taken in Canada since 1666. However, these were scattered and selective
in the questions that were asked
and the people who were enumerated. 1851 is the first time
DNA
a comprehensive census of the Canadian population was taken and 1871 was the first year an
official national census was taken—four years after Confederation.
7. The 1916 census is the last census
in Canada
that has been made
publicly available. For privacy
DIGITAL
PRESERVATION
SERVICES
reasons, the censuses are not made public for 93 years after they were first taken.
8. In order to determine representation in the House of Commons, the government needed to track
the population growth in western Canada. So, a special census of the Prairie Provinces was imple-
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mented in 1906, continuing each decade until 1956. The 1906 and 1916 censuses cover the Prairie
provinces only (Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta).
9. Prior to this month, Ancestry.com had previously released Canadian census records for 1851/52,
PROJECT
1891, 1901, 1906, 1911, and 1916.WORLD
The new, ARCHIVES
complete collection
online this month for the first time
now includes the remaining records for 1861, 1871, and 1881. This was an addition of 10 million
new names.
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SERVICES
10. Each census covers the whole of
Canada, with
the following exceptions:
• The 1851 census only includes Canada East—present-day Quebec; Canada West—
present-day Ontario; New Brunswick; Nova Scotia; and the Prairie Provinces.
• The 1906 and 1916 censuses include only the Prairie Provinces (Manitoba,
Saskatchewan, and Alberta).
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• Newfoundland isn’t included in any of the available censuses as they didn’t enter the
Confederation until 1949.
11. The number one country of birth listed in each census in this collection is Canada—a surprising
fact given the increase in immigration between 1851 and 1916.
12. Smith, Brown, McDonald, Campbell and Wilson are the top five surnames found in these
censuses.
13. According to these records, men in Canada have outnumbered women at an almost consistent
rate of at least 1.5:1.
14. Between 1851 and 1911 the national population increased steadily by at least 100 percent each
decade—and during the period between 1851 and 1861 Canada’s population increased by an
astounding 225 percent.
15. This collection contains information for the ancestors of numerous celebrities, including singer
Alanis Morissette, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, and actress Pamela Anderson.
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MONTHLY UPDATE
July 2009 [ 7 ]
Ask the Expert:
DNA
Question: My grandfather was adopted as an infant. How do I go about finding information
on his birth family?
Read the Answer from Cathy Barlow, a professional genealogist with expertise
in adoption research.
DIGITAL PRESERVATION SERVICES
Answer: Historically, knowing one’s true ancestry has been thwarted for adoptees because of the practice of “sealing adoptee’s records,” which began in the
1940s. Until the last few years this created a nightmare for adoptees doing genealogical
research. It has been estimatedSTORE
that 118,000 U.S. persons were adopted per year since 1940,
totaling approximately 6,000,000 adoptees. This in turn has created almost 20–90 million
descendants of adoptees who have been stonewalled in researching their blood lines. But
social and legal avenues are now opening for adoptees to access their information.
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A search for a grandfather (or anyone) who was adopted will depend both on where and when
he was adopted. The website www.abcadoptions.com/adoptionrecords.htm will inform you
of exactly which states allow access to information for which years.
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SERVICES
In 2000, only three states allowed
open access
to information; now, nine short years later,
we have approximately 30 states with varying types of open records. Laws are being presented each year to open the last 20 states’ records. Below are the basic categories of U.S. access
laws today:
States with Open Records:
About nine states have open STORE
records with no restrictions on years. (However, some do
allow waiver-against-contact forms for birth parents.) These open record states are Alabama,
Alaska, Delaware, Kansas, Oregon, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Wisconsin.
States with Court-Order Access:
About three states allow access by court-order only. These states are New Jersey,
North Carolina, and Idaho.
States with Mutual Consent Registries:
About 17 states have mutual consent registries: both parties must come forward to allow
access to information and contact. These states are Arkansas, California, Georgia, Kentucky,
Louisiana, Maine, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Rhode Island,
South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, and West Virginia.
States with Conditionally Open Records:
About 21 states have open access with conditions such as confidential mediators, or restrictions for certain years. These states are Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii,
Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington.
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MONTHLY UPDATE
July 2009 [ 8 ]
Several states have multiple systems in place: registries, confidential mediators, court orders,
DNA
records open for some years but not others, and so forth.
Most adoption records are maintained in one of the following locations:
• Probate Courts/Orphan Courts
• State Vital Records Departments
birth certificates
are maintained]
DIGITAL[where
PRESERVATION
SERVICES
• State Departments of Adoption
Pre-1940 Laws
Generally speaking, adoption records did not close nationwide until about 1940. You may be
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able to obtain some birth certificates
prior to that date, unless they were sealed retroactively
by the state.
If birth indexes are available, you may be able to find your grandfather by his date of birth,
and by process of elimination. Sometimes guardianship records were created for children
WORLD ARCHIVES PROJECT
orphaned so you could search those records by the name of the new guardian.
However, if your grandfather was born and adopted from 1920–1940 you may or may not be
able to find his information in vital records because many adoptees born during this time were
never officially processed through
any court system
and no records exist.
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SERVICES
Issues usually came up when men were enlisting in the service and needed to prove their
identities, however, so records could have been created then. If your adopted relative assumed
his/her adoptive parents’ last names unofficially, he likely would have had to go to court to
change his name as an adult.
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Hiring a Researcher
Hiring a competent searcher for your specific locality is wise. The Internet site www.iscsearch.
com may help you find a searcher who expertly knows the records and access availability for
your area. Once you have an original name to search, normal genealogical research methods
are applicable.
Online Adoption Resources
Excellent resources are available on the following websites for adoption-specific genealogical
issues:
Tina’s Adoption Pages
www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/9606
Mega-sources of adoptee- searching references. State-by-state data of all agencies involved
in adoptions.
Cyndi’s List
www.cyndislist.com
Multiple sources for states and adoption searchers.
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MONTHLY UPDATE
July 2009 [ 9 ]
Adoption.com
DNA
www.adoption.com
Has year by year/state registries of adoption parties looking for relatives. Also has discussion
forums by year of adoption, which may contain valuable clues for your year/state of searching.
DIGITAL PRESERVATION SERVICES
Canadian Sources
www.generations.on.ca/adoption.htm
Multiple links to registries and other sources for Canadian adoptee searching.
International Soundex Registry STORE
www.ISRR.org
A non-profit organization that serves, through reunion registry, interests
of adults desiring and seeking a reunion with next of kin by birth. The name of the state you
are looking for as well (e.g., “Florida state census”).
WORLD ARCHIVES PROJECT
Just Launched: New Collections Available for U.S. Deluxe and World Deluxe Members
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Yearbook Collection—Updated
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Wonder what your grandparents
were wearing when they were in high school? Or how your
parents did their hair? Find out in our popular yearbook collection, with
thousands of elementary school through university yearbooks from across
the United States. We’ve added 2,000 more yearbooks this month. The new
yearbooks come from the 1930s through the 1970s and cover a wide variety of
locations. To find out if a yearbook is available for one of your family members,
click on the relevant state on the Search page, then the city. You’ll see a list of
all the yearbooks available for that town.
U.S. Military Manuals, 1863–1973
These military field manuals, from the Civil War, both World Wars, Vietnam,
and a number of other conflicts, provide an interesting peek into the practical,
day-to-day lives of our armed services. Manuals cover everything from how
to properly wash your dishes and where to build a latrine, to how to shoe
a horse and tell the difference between friendly and enemy fire. If you’re a
military history buff, you’ll appreciate these books for their historic detail;
if your ancestor was a veteran, these books will give you a glimpse of what
it was like for him or her in the field.
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MONTHLY UPDATE
July 2009 [ 10 ]
Just Launched: New Collections DNA
Available for World Deluxe Members
Oise, France, Birth, Marriage, and Death Records, 1600–1907
If you have French ancestry, you may be interested in these wide-ranging
indexes, which contain names extracted from church and government
DIGITAL
PRESERVATION
SERVICES
birth, marriage,
and death
records for the Oise
department. The indexes
contain locations, dates, names of relatives and witnesses, and other
information depending on the record type. You may also find records
from a few other departments mingled into these indexes.
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Lübeck, Germany, Civil Registration Records, 1813–1875
This collection of civil registration records for Lübeck includes birth
records, marriage banns, and death records. You can view the original
record images for the birth and death records now; indexes will follow.
WORLD ARCHIVES PROJECT
The marriage banns were transcribed by Ancestry.com World Archives
Project contributors, so indexes are currently available on the site for this
portion of the collection.
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Coming Soon:
Lodi, Lombardia, Italy: Civil Registration Records, 1866–1936
Criminal Registers, England and Wales, 1805–1892
New Features:
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Enhanced Image Page—See the Census in a Whole New Way
See census images and indexes on the same page and find your
ancestors faster, with our enhanced image page, coming soon. Also,
if you don’t think the transcription is correct, you can add alternate
information for names, years, and places. You can even discover who
else saved this record (a long-lost cousin or someone with more
information on the family?) and what they had to say about it.
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MONTHLY UPDATE
July 2009 [ 11 ]
Webinars: Free one-hour online classes
DNA
July 8, 8:00 P.M. EDT: Genetic Genealogy. Thinking about a DNA test? Wondering how it
differs from other family history clues? Learn the simple science behind DNA testing, how
to take a test, and the payoffs for family history.
DIGITAL PRESERVATION SERVICES
July 16, 1:00 P.M. EDT: Getting Started on Ancestry.com. New to Ancestry.com? We’ll walk
you step-by-step through how to search the 1930 census for one of your ancestors.
News:
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Celebrity Roots Unveiled
There are four generations of printers in Kathie Lee Gifford’s family; and Egyptian President
Nasser attended Hoda Kotb’s Egyptian parents’ wedding.
WORLD ARCHIVES PROJECT
These are two of the discoveries Ancestry.com made
about the Today Show anchors’ ancestors, which
featured on a recent episode.
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SERVICES
In honor
of Memorial Day and the Fourth of July,
we also uncovered the military roots of celebrities
like Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, and Ryan Seacrest.
Read Newsweek’s coverage of the discoveries.
Upcoming Conferences:
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Learn about new records; listen to experts in the field; make friends with other people
interested in family history; and get discounts on books, software, and more at one of these
upcoming genealogy conferences.
Ancestry.com will have a booth at each one so come say hi and get your questions answered.
August 2–7
International Jewish Genealogical Conference. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
August 28–29
Salt Lake FamilyHistory Expo. Salt Lake City, Utah.
September 2–5
Federation ofGenealogical Societies Conference. Little Rock, Arkansas.
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MONTHLY UPDATE
My Story:
July 2009 [ 12 ]
DNA
“I didn’t recognize the owner of the tree, but emailed her [and] . . . within hours
I got an amazing reply.”
DIGITAL
PRESERVATION
SERVICES
In April 2009 my older sister asked
me, “Where
do we come from?”
I decided to try an
Ancestry.com free 14-day trial membership and see if I could find out. When I got on the site
I began building my family tree. I knew my mom’s maiden name and her father’s name, but
was uncertain of her mother’s maiden name. But once I put in her father’s name, a family tree
“hint” appeared, saying my father
was also mentioned in another Ancestry.com member’s
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family tree.
I didn’t recognize the owner of the tree, but
emailed her and asked how it was that we had
similar family information. Within
hours I ARCHIVES
got
WORLD
PROJECT
an amazing reply. The woman answered that
she is an English woman living in Turkey and
that although she was not directly related to
me she had a connection for me in Oklahoma.
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Again, within hours, I got a message
from a SERVICES
woman in Oklahoma—Gertie—who told me
that my mother’s brother had been married
to her sister. She had researched my mother’s
parents and grandparents. I learned that my
maternal great-grandparents were German
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immigrants who came to America
as young,
single adults for a better life.
We have since exchanged photos, and she also
put me in contact with two first cousins who were
able to provide more information. I have gained so much information from Ancestry.com since
then as well, including real documents. Access to the old federal and state census records has
proved invaluable. And Gertie has given me the encouragement to continue my research and
to not be afraid to reach out to others for answers. This experience has been so very enriching.
Thank you Ancestry.com.
Jeri Jensen, Oregon