Secrets to Find Ancestors in Early US Census Records

Sign up for the Family Tree Newsletter! Plus, you’ll receive our 10 Essential Genealogy Research Forms PDF as a special thank you.

Get Your Free Genealogy Forms

"*" indicates required fields

Written by Maureen Taylor, unless otherwise noted Most genealogists, working backward through family lines, tense up when they reach the 1840 census. Brows crease. Heartbeats quicken. Palms feel clammy. Why? Because most names have disappeared. On this and earlier federal enumerations, entire households are reduced to tick marks or numbers in columns labeled with age View Website VIP Subscription