If one of your relatives was born, married, or died during a census year, it’s important to know what date the census taker was using to collect household data. For example, if the census taker arrived August 15 and your ancestor died July 15, will he be listed on the census? That depends on the year. If the census was for 1850, then yes, your ancestor should be listed because the census taker was supposed to be asking who was in the household on June 1, 1850 .
Use this chart as reference to the census days:
Census
|
Year
|
Series
|
Census Day
|
1st
|
1790
|
M637
|
August 2 (1st Monday in August)
|
2nd
|
1800
|
M32
|
August 4 (1st Monday in August)
|
3rd
|
1810
|
M252
|
August 6 (1st Monday in August)
|
4th
|
1820
|
M33
|
August 7 (1st Monday in August)
|
5th
|
1830
|
M19
|
June 1
|
6th
|
1840
|
M704
|
June 1
|
7th
|
1850
|
M432
|
June 1
|
8th
|
1860
|
M653
|
June 1
|
9th
|
1870
|
M593
|
June 1
|
10th
|
1880
|
T9
|
June 1
|
11th
|
1890
|
M123
|
June 1
|
12th
|
1900
|
T623
|
June 1
|
13th
|
1910
|
T624
|
April 15
|
14th
|
1920
|
T625
|
January 1
|
15th
|
1930
|
T626
|
April 1
|
16th
|
T627
|
April 1
| |
17th - 20th
|
1940 - 1980
|
April 1
|
For more information about the census, visit the U.S. Census Bureau web site.
