Steve's Genealogy Blog

The United States Decennial Census has been conducted on different days throughout its history, and the information contained in the census might be interpreted in different ways, depending on whether the information was accurate as of the official day of the census or as of the actual day the enumerator recorded the information.

It’s not clear if the enumerators for the 1790, 1800, and 1810 were instructed to ensure that the data collected was accurate as of the first Monday in August. Certainly, as of the 1820 Census, the enumerators were expected to record information as of the enumeration date, not the date on which the information was recorded, but there is little way to know if the enumerators actually followed these instructions.

1790 US Federal Census

The 1790 Census enumeration began on the first Monday in August – August 2, 1790.

1800 US Federal Census

The 1800 Census enumeration began on the first Monday in August – August 4, 1800. The census was to be completed within nine months.

1810 US Federal Census

The 1810 Census enumeration began on the first Monday in August – August 6, 1810.

1820 US Federal Census

The 1820 Census enumeration began on the first Monday in August – August 7, 1820. The census was to be completed within six months, but the completion date was extended to September 1, 1821. All data collected was to be accurate as of August 7, 1820.

1830 US Federal Census

The 1830 Census enumeration began on June 1, 1830, and the enumerators were instructed to transmit the returns to the marshals by December 1, 1930. All data collected was to be accurate as of June 1, 1930.

1840 US Federal Census

The 1840 Census enumeration began on June 1, 1840 and the enumerators were instructed to transmit the returns to the marshals by November 1, 1840. This deadline was extended to May 1, 1841. Due to discrepancies in the reports, the enumeration of Montgomery County, Maryland was repeated beginning on June 1, 1841, with the returns due by October 1, 1841. All data collected was to be accurate as of June 1, 1840.

1850 US Federal Census

The 1850 Census enumeration began on June 1, 1850 and the results were returned to the Secretary of the Interior by November 1, 1850. All data collected was to be accurate as of June 1, 1850.

1860 US Federal Census

The 1860 Census enumeration began on June 1, 1860. All data collected was to be accurate as of June 1, 1860.

1870 US Federal Census

The 1870 Census enumeration began on June 1, 1870. Schedule 1 (Free Inhabitants) was due to be completed by September 10, 1870 and all other schedules were due by October 1, 1870. All data collected was to be accurate as of June 1, 1870.

1880 US Federal Census

The 1880 Census enumeration began on June 1, 1880. All data collected was to be accurate as of June 1, 1880.

1890 US Federal Census

The 1890 Census enumeration began on June 2, 1890 (June 1 was a Sunday). In cities with populations less than 10,000, the enumeration was to be completed within two weeks. All data collected was to be accurate as of June 1, 1890.

1900 US Federal Census

The 1900 Census was enumerated as of June 1, 1900. The enumeration was to be completed within two weeks in areas with a population greater than 8,000 and within a month in rural areas. All data collected was to be accurate as of June 1, 1900.

1910 US Federal Census

The 1910 Census enumeration began on April 15, 1910 .  The enumeration was to be completed within two weeks in cities of 5,000 inhabitants or more and within 30 days in smaller or rural areas. All data collected was to be accurate as of April 15, 1910.

1920 US Federal Census

The 1920 Census enumeration began on January 2, 1920, but all data collected was to be accurate as of January 1, 1920.

1930-2000 US Federal Census

The 1930-2000 US Federal Censuses was taken as of April 1. All data collected was to be accurate as of April 1.

To summarize, Census Day for the various US Federal Censuses was:

• the first Monday in August for the 1790-1820 Censuses
• June 1 for the 1830-1900 Censuses
• April 15 for the 1910 Census
• January 1 for the 1920 Census
• April 1 for the 1930-2000 Censuses

The information in the Census Records is intended to be accurate as of the official Census Day.

Copyright © 2006 by Stephen J. Danko

The information contained within a source, whether the source is original or derivative, may be Primary Information or Secondary Information.

PRIMARY INFORMATION:  details originally recorded at the time or close to the time of an event by a participant, eyewitness, or official recorder of the event.

Even if details in a record qualify as Primary Information, Primary Information does not guarantee that the information is accurate .  Errors might have made when the details were recorded .  Nonetheless, Primary Information is usually the most accurate information available, as long as the details are recorded by someone capable of understanding the significance of the information and does so without bias .  Frequently, the recorder is someone acting in an official capacity, such as a Registrar, Clerk, Secretary, Minister of the Peace, or Priest.

SECONDARY INFORMATION:  details originally recorded at a time or place distant from the original event or by a person who was not either a participant, eyewitness, or official recorder of the event.

Secondary Information, since it is generally recorded at a much later time than the actual event or by someone who does not have first-hand knowledge of the event, may be less reliable than Primary Information .  As with Primary Information, the quality of Secondary Information is subject to the qualifications of the person who recorded it.

I have placed one qualifier in the definitions of Primary and Secondary Information that most genealogical references do not, in that I have defined Primary and Secondary Information in terms of when the details were originally recorded .  Thus, a transcript may be a Derivative Source, but the transcript may include Primary Information if the source from which it was transcribed contains Primary Information .  Primary Information in a Derivative Source is, however, subject to the potential flaws of the source itself.

A source often contains both primary and secondary information . Â For example, a Death Certificate usually contains Primary Information about the death itself, but may also include Secondary Information about the birth of the decedent.

Bibliography:

Devine, Donn. “Reliable Information- Whatever the Source: The Key to Sound Research.” Ancestry Magazine 19 (January/February 2001) .  Online <http://www.ancestry.com/learn/library/article.aspx?article=3657> . 19 August 2006.

Leary, Helen F. M . â€œPart 1: Definitions” Evidence Analysis, A Workshop, 1999 NGS Conference in the States, National Genealogical Society (Arlington, Virginia: NGS, 1999).

The Board for Certification of Genealogists, The BCC Genealogical Standards Manual. Orem, Utah: Ancestry Publishing, 2000.

The definitions for Original Source and Derivative Source provided in the literature sometimes don’t seem to fit the needs of genealogists .  In particular, the literature places exact images such as photocopies and microfilm images in the category of Derivative Sources .  If so, Original Sources are rare!

What do we end up with if we consider what Original Sources we have in our possession?  Perhaps we have a Certificate of Naturalization or a family bible, or a sampler with the name and date of birth of a child .  Beyond that, we might have photocopies of Vital Records, or electronic images of Passenger Manifests or Census Records .  By definition, then, some of the most useful records genealogists have in their possession are Derivative Sources . 

Recently, some genealogy authorities have classified exact images as Original Sources and, perhaps, the definitions of Original Source and Derivative Source should be modified to reflect this line of thought .  Otherwise, the differentiation between Original Source and Derivative Source is almost meaningless; almost all of our sources are Derivative Sources .  Most Original Sources have either been archived or destroyed.

Consider the following definitions as an attempt to take into account the records actually available and to allow genealogists to evaluate the quality of sources more precisely.

ORIGINAL SOURCE:  a record that provides information not obtained or derived from another record .  An Original Source can be an Original Record or and Exact Image.

This definition of Original Source takes into account that the information on an Exact Image, if it faithfully preserves the appearance and information in the Original Record, can substitute for the Original Record.

ORIGINAL RECORD:  the first record in which information is captured in a fixed form, whether on paper, in stone, in electronic form, or in some other medium .  An Original Record can be either an Original Source or a Derivative Source, but there can exist only one Original Record.

This definition of Original Record takes into account that paper documents are not the only Original Records .  Inclusion of media other than paper is increasing important in a digital world .  This definition also considers that an Original Record can be either an Original Source or a Derivative Source .  An Original Record is an Original Source only if the information in that record was not obtained or derived from some other record.

EXACT IMAGE:  a reproduction of an Original Record in a photograph, photocopy, microform, digital form, or other media that preserves both the appearance of and information in the Original Record.

The quality of the image is an important characteristic to consider when deciding if an image qualifies as an Exact Image .  Severe distortion of the image or alteration of the image (such as when a vital records office obscures the cause of death in a death certificate) may disqualify an image from being an Exact Image.

DERIVATIVE SOURCE:  a record which is generated based on information in an Original Record and is not an Exact Image of the Original Record .  Derivative Sources include Transcriptions, Abstracts, and Compiled Sources.

This definition of a Derivative Source considers Duplicate Originals and Official Copies to be Derivative Sources, unless those sources are Exact Images .  Some Derivative Sources are also Original Records .  For example, a certified vital record that is a transcript rather than an Exact Image is an Original Record, but is also a Derivative Source.

These definitions are proposed here to try to clarify some ambiguities in the existing literature and to generate discussion .  Please post a comment or send me an email (click the “E-mail Steve” link on the right-hand side of the page to find my email address).