1870 Census Findings

Good Sense Census Tip:  The 1870 census asked if the parents were of foreign birth which is a great help in finding immigrant ancestors and opens up the possibility of locating naturalization records when they become naturalized.  Mortality schedules were part of this census.  Names of people who died in the year previous to the census were listed in these special mortality schedules along with the cause of death.

1870 Census Records Online at Ancestry - Learn about the 1870 census & how to access the census index and images.

Free Download: 1870 Census Form - Handy blank census forms to record your 1870 census data.

See 1870 census form headers - This is the actual top of the census form used to record the 1870 census.

Which States Were Included in 1870 Census Records? (48 states)

Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

Where Can 1870 US Census Data be found?

1. Census Finder Census Directory - This is our own directory of free census records which can be found online.  Our directory is categorized by state and county and we have attempted to list every census index, census transcription, and even census images which can be found online. 

To access the directory, choose a state: Alabama Census, Alaska Census, Arizona Census, Arkansas Census, California Census, Colorado Census, Connecticut Census, Delaware Census, District of Columbia Census, Florida Census, Georgia Census, Hawaii Census, Idaho Census, Illinois Census, Indiana Census, Iowa Census, Kansas Census, Kentucky Census, Louisiana Census, Maine Census, Maryland Census, Massachusetts Census, Michigan Census, Minnesota Census, Mississippi Census, Missouri Census, Montana Census, Nebraska Census, Nevada Census, New Hampshire Census, New Jersey Census, New Mexico Census, New York Census, North Carolina Census, North Dakota Census, Ohio Census, Oklahoma Census, Oregon Census, Pennsylvania Census, Rhode Island Census, South Carolina Census, South Dakota Census, Tennessee Census, Texas Census, Utah Census, Vermont Census, Virginia Census, Washington Census, West Virginia Census, Wisconsin Census, Wyoming Census

2. Ancestry.com Census Records   Ancestry.com has completed the database of all US census records 1790-1930.  This is the greatest tool for genealogy research in the United States to be found online and it does include the entire collection of 1870 census records enumerated in the United States.  While it is a paid subscription, it is well worth the money and they have so many more genealogy records in their databases.

3. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)  The archives maintained by the Federal Government contains all census records on microfilm, however they do not have census records available online.  What they do have online is the catalog of microfilm and a lot of useful information about what is available for census research.  See Clues in Census Records 1850-1930.

4. The LDS (Latter Day Saints) Library in Salt Lake City also maintains the entire set of census microfilm and these can also be found or ordered for a fee at Family History Libraries located throughout the United States.  You can search for a Family History Library near you using this search.  The 1880 census along with some other LDS records are available online at FamilySearch.org

5. Local libraries will often have history and genealogy departments with a (usually incomplete) collection of microfilm available for research and sometimes they will offer their patrons online subscriptions which can be accessed while at the library.

What questions were asked on the US Census?