Census Records and City Directories
- Philadelphia African-American Census 1847“A statistical inquiry into the condition of the people of colour of the city and districts of Philadelphia,” an original manuscript census held at the Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College.
U.S. Federal Census
The U.S. federal census has been conducted every ten years since 1790. Each census form asked different questions about individuals in households. Researchers can find valuable biographical information in these records.
Unfortunately, fire destroyed most of the 1890 census records. Some records are difficult to read. City directories can be used to supplement census record details.
- Population Census Information Items 1790-1940Each census questionnaire was different, so the family details obtained vary.
City directories are similar to telephone books. They usually have a list of both residents and businesses.
Some directories have a description of the city, including street guides, government officials, churches, schools and organizations.
- Ancestry Library Edition This link opens in a new window
Access to a number of genealogical and historical resources, including images of the decennial U.S. census from 1790-1930.
- Google Books This link opens in a new window
Digitized books from around the world. When you find a book that is still under copyright, you see only a small portion of the book at a time, plus links to places where you can buy or borrow it. If you find a book that is out of copyright (in the public domain), however, you see the Full Book View displayed. The complete book can be downloaded as a PDF.
- HathiTrust Digital Library This link opens in a new window
Partial Open Access. Partnering with academic and research institutions, HathiTrust (pronounced hah tee) provides access to millions of titles digitized from libraries around the world. Typically, books in the public domain (no longer under copyright) can be viewed in full by all users.
- Ancestry Library Edition This link opens in a new windowAncestry Library Edition provides access to many of the genealogical and historical resources offered by Ancestry.com, including images of census records and city directories as well as birth, death, marriage, military service and land records. Click here for information on How to Search Ancestry.
- FamilySearch (familysearch.org)Free indexes and page images for census records from 1790 to 1940.