Within the last ten months, four acquisitions have filled long standing needs in the New Hampshire State Library's census collection: [1 & 2] hardcover indexes to both the 1870 and the 1900 New Hampshire census records, [3] the 1930 census of New Hampshire, and [4] a remarkable 1880 census, not only of New Hampshire, but of the entire United States.

During past years many family historians discovered, to their dismay, in searching census records for information about Granite State ancestors, that there was no index to the 1870 census of New Hampshire. Heritage Quest of Bountiful, Utah, has filled that void very nicely. Not only does Heritage Quest's 1870 index, which the library acquired last summer, include the names of household heads, but it also lists the name of any individual in a household if that person's surname differs from the last name of the household head. In addition to pinpointing the census roll, and the page on which a resident's entry is found, the index lists each individual's gender, color, and state or country of birth.

Early last month, the New Hampshire State Library acquired the same publisher's two volume index to the 1900 census of New Hampshire. This addition to the N.H. State Library census collection remedies a serious weakness involved in using the 1900 soundex which has been the finding aid for that census for many years. The key to using the soundex system is a four character code on a microfilmed file card. Family historians looking for ancestors in the 1900 census were frequently frustrated because that four character code was obscured to the point of being useless. Like the 1870 index, the 1900 index volumes provide the census roll and the page on which an entry is found, plus each person's gender, color, and state or country of birth.

The 1930 Federal Census was not made available to the public until April 1 of this year. The foresight of Zelda Moore, N.H. State Library Genealogy Department Chairperson, made it possible for the State Library to receive its microfilmed collection of the 1930 census during the first week it became available. Anyone living in New Hampshire on April 1, 1930, regardless of his or her age on that date, appears on one of the microfilmed 1930 census reels at the State Library.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints has created a CD-Rom set of the 1880 census for the entire United States. At the very reasonable price of $49.95, including shipping costs, this resource for genealogical research is one which almost any library equipped with a computer operating on Windows95 or higher can readily afford. Further information may be obtained from Distribution Services, 1999 West, 1700 South, Salt Lake City, Utah, 18104-4223.

You may call the Genealogy Department staff at 271-6823 or e-mail zmoore@library.state.nh.us or eholden@library.state.nh.us to receive copies of pages from census indexes or from census records themselves.