Census' of Alabama
The U.S. Federal Census is an official enumeration of the population in a particular
area. In addition to counting the inhabitants of an area, the census
collects other vital information, such as names, ages, and
citizenship/ethnic background. For genealogists, census records have become the go-to tool
when conducting research in the 19th and early 20th centuries. In
theory, census enumerates every person in every household, in every
district, in every town, in the state or country the census was taken
in. In reality, people were missed for various reasons, and quite
often misspelled names. To add further confusion, most census'
have been extracted by people not familiar with the handwriting of
the enumerator, or the local names. This requires the researcher to be
diligent in searching for an individual, and don’t always take a “no
results” in a search as the definitive word.
The federal government began collecting population census data in 1790. The federal census in Alabama was first enumerated in 1820. Since that time census' have been taken every ten years. The most recent census that is available to the public is the 1940 census. However, it is possible to request data about a deceased relative from the U. S. Bureau of the Census for censuses since 1940. The 1950 Federal Census will be available in April 2022.
