Censuses

18 August 2014 It happens so often. A researcher cites a census—typically accessed online, these days—but does not cite the online provider. Does it matter?

25 June 2014 EE hopes your answer is "no." Today’s image demonstrates why. Not only do we need to double-check the factual details, but we also need to consider whether the “ready-made citation” actually covers all essentials. The census enumeration maps offered by one of our most-valued providers of digitized records suggests ...

29 June 2014 It's a frustration we all know much too well in our census research. Whether we use an online provider of digital images or consult the old-timey microfilm, we find the needed county and state, search for our person of interest, and find nobody by that name. In fact, we find nobody with names—at least not given names. Page after page, there's nothing but initials—not just for heads of households, not just for grown males who may have preferred to be called I.J. rather than Ichabod Jehosophat, but for wives and children to boot. What's the problem? What's the fix? ...

8 February 2014 Do you study the organization of census pages—and their online images—or do you just accept what's there and look up a name? When the provider has imaged a county in “subdivisions” and arranged those in alpha order, rather than