Substitutes for the Lost 1890 U.S. Federal Census

This is the first comprehensive guide to substitutes for the lost 1890 U.S. Federal Census ever compiled. Written by researcher and author, William Dollarhide, this volume pulls together a listing of mostly online and quickly accessible sources to overcome the hurdle of the "gap" between the 1880 and 1900 U.S. Federal Censuses.

All 1,203 database source titles listed in this book were extracted from the series of state books, Censuses & Substitute Name Lists (52 books-AL to WY, plus DC & US Territories, publ. Family Roots Publishing Co., Orting, WA, 2017-2018). The name lists identified are in the form of databases mostly found on the Internet. This volume adds the number of records covering the years 1885-1895 into the description of each database whenever possible, making the guide invaluable to the researcher. Any substitute name lists not digitized yet are noted with a link a reference to a state book wherein more information is available.

National Name Lists 65 major U.S. databases identified in the National Name Lists section came from one of the following categories:

National Vital Records Lists. Includes major databases such as burials, obituary listings, and birth, marriage, and death records from multiple states.

Immigration Lists. Includes records of ships manifests, customs reports, and lists of aliens arriving at U.S. ports of call.

U.S. Military Lists. Includes rosters of soldiers, sailors, and Marines; and draft registrations.

Veterans and Pensioners Lists. Includes databases from national organizations, and U.S. Pension Lists.

State Name Lists - 1,138 statewide databases in the State Name Lists section came from one of the following categories:

State & Territory Census Records. Between 1884 and 1896, thirty-two censuses were conducted by twenty different states/territories, all separate from the federal censuses They were taken for the years 1884 (1), 1885 (14), 1890 (3), 1891 (1), 1892 (1), 1894 (1), 1895 (10), and 1896 (1). See Table 1 (page 2) for the list of states/territories involved.

State and County Court Records. Includes naturalizations, probates, estates, wills, and real estate records, in particular, those with a substantial number of records dated 1885-1895.

Directories. For the period 1885-1895, city/county directories provide a good substitute for the lost 1890 census. The basic name/date/place elements are always recorded in a directory.

State Militia Lists. Includes rosters of soldiers at the regimental level, those having a substantial number of records dated 1885-1895.

Tax Lists. Includes name/date/place lists for an entire state, or for larger counties within a state, and covering the period 1885-1895.

Vital Records. Lists of statewide births, marriages, divorces, obituaries, deaths, and burials are included in the State Name Lists section, those with a large number of 1885-1895 events.