How To Research Around the 1890 Census Record Loss – Part 8: It’s a Wrap!

The loss of the 1890 U.S. Census is a stumbling block for many genealogy researchers.  “Losing” our ancestor in 1890 is the cause of many brick walls, but we do have research options to overcome these brick walls.

Devon Lee  from the Family History Fanatics and I have teamed up once again to bring you an 8-part video series focusing on how to research around the 1890 census loss. We want to  take the overwhelm out of researching your ancestors during the 1890 US Census Loss time period.  And yes, we will have fun along the way!!

In this 8th and last of our 1890 census record loss video series, Devon is wrapping all everything we learned. As genealogy researchers you do not need to throw up your hands in exasperation over the loss of the 1890 census.  You now have options!

Thoroughly Exhaustive Search Around the 1890 Census Loss?

Have you thoroughly exhausted your research possibilities for finding your ancestors in the 1890 Black Hole? Good question.

In genealogy, we can be lackadaisical hobbyists who say, “There’s No 1890 Census, so I guess I can’t find my ancestors.”

Or…. we can follow be thorough and attempt to meet the genealogical research standard of “conducting reasonably exhaustive research”.

I know on genealogy television shows these amazing professional researchers and archivists find these obscure collections and you keep hoping to find something amazing like that. The question is, in this 8 part series have you conducted a reasonably exhaustive search?

You have examined:

• State Census
• City Directories
• Researched Vital Records, or substitutes
• Tax Records, and
• Deed / Land Records

A few more records that might be necessary are immigration and naturalization records, if your ancestor was an immigrant during the 1800-1900 time period.

It’s too soon for military draft registrations, but perhaps your ancestor’s survivors obtained pensions because the husband/father served during the Civil War. You can throw that task on your list if you have reason to believe your ancestor served. (You also might have found clues on the 1890 Schedules of Union Soldiers and their widows, but if they weren’t listed or from the south, you will still have some research to do).

Finally, you might be fortunate to find some, voter registrations, Tax Records,  school records or occupational records from this time period. This collections are not available for all school aged children, all voters, and all occupations.  [Learn more about some “Out of the Genealogy Box” resources HERE.]

If you still strike out, you can now throw a pity party! You’re ancestor was either hiding, lived in a place with few records, or didn’t qualify for the records that were created. Hey, it happens. It could also mean your ancestor is not where you thought they should be with the people you think they should be with. (Oh bother. Does that make your head hurt? That makes my head hurt.)

The best advice we have is to do your best. That’s all anyone can ask for. When you’ve concluded this attempt to track down your ancestor in a particular time period and you’ve come up short, move on to the rest of their life or another ancestor.

It’s a Wrap on the 1890 Census Record Loss Video Series!

Did you miss the previous 7 videos on the 8-part series?

• Video 1 – 1890 Census Fragments
• Video 2 – State Census Records
• Video 3 – City Directories
• Video 4 – Life Events
• Video 5 – Taxes
• Video 6 – Newspapers
• Video 7 – Land Records

In our final and  8th video  in our series we  will wrap it our 1890 census video series up.

You might also like these other census research related posts:

• What Is The 1910 Census Telling You About Your Ancestor?
• Finding Children Between the Census Years
• How To Make Genealogy Sense of Census Records

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