by Edward Holden Geneologist

Census records comprise one of the major resources in the study of family history. Beginning in 1790, the Federal census was taken every ten years. Due to protection of privacy statutes, the most recent census available to the general public is that which was taken in 1920. A fire at the patent office in Washington where the 1890 census was stored destroyed the enumeration of the general population of many of the states for that year including New Hampshire.

Prior to 1850 the only names that appeared on the census records were those of heads of households. Other members of households were listed in categories such as "Males from 0-10 years", or "Females 45 and upwards." Starting in 1850 census records became much more valuable to family historians. In that year the enumeration included the names, ages in years, and places of birth by state of each family member. By the early twentieth century the records contained many more items, including the month and year of each person's birth, the places of birth of each person's parents, the year a native of another country entered the United States, and the citizenship status of individuals who were not born in this country.

Except for the scattering of census records that were lost or destroyed before the enumerations were microfilmed by the National Archives, the State Library has a complete collection of the New Hampshire census records from 1790 to 1920 inclusive. For patrons researching family history these records offer a wealth of information even including ancestors who were born in the late eighteenth century, but were still living in 1850. New Hampshire census records, with the exception of those for 1870, part of 1880, 1890, and 1910, were indexed by head of household.

Patrons will realize the greatest benefits from census records if they come to Concord and examine these sources of genealogical information themselves. However, the State Library staff can provide photocopies of pages from the indexes, 1790 through 1860, as well as photocopies of actual census records from those years. Obtaining photocopies of census records for the years 1900 and 1920 and for some 1880 records is also a possibility if the patron will provide the first and last name of the household head and the town or city in which he or she lived.