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On the Frontier: Ancestry's 1890 Census Substitute
(from Ancestry Daily News - Ancestry.com)
– Suzanne Russo
The year 1890 is remembered for many things--the
first moving picture show in New York, the first steel-framed structure
built in the United States, and the first electric trolley car in
Chicago. It was also the decade in which Frederick Jackson Turner's
thesis "The Frontier in American History," declared the
frontier of America as closed. No one would have ever suspected
that the 1890 Federal Census created a new frontier. With the destruction
of the 1890 Census in the Commerce Building fire of 1921, this population
schedule would one day become uncharted territory for genealogists
and historians alike.
Since the initial release of Ancestry's 1890 Census
Substitute on 14 March 2000, there have been many inquiries about
the project. How did the project begin? Who is involved in creating
this unique resource for searching my ancestors? What is included
in the census substitute?
How Did the 1890 Census Substitute Come About?
The idea for the 1890 Census Substitute came from Curt B. Witcher,
FUGA, Manager of the Historical Genealogy Department at Allen County
Public Library. Witcher published an article in the March/April
2000 issue of "Ancestry" Magazine detailing the destruction
of the original census, and providing glimpses into the types of
records that are being used to construct this massive database.
The basic premise of the census substitute was to supply valuable
information to the genealogical world by pulling resources from
the 1890 time period together into one place to simplify a once-difficult
period for United States research. However, without the vision of
Andre Brummer, General Manager of Ancestry.com, the project could
have never reached its true potential.
Who Was Involved in Creating the Database and What
is Included?
The Content Acquisition team from Ancestry.com, composed of genealogists,
has spent countless hours identifying the most useful record sources
for the 1890 Census Substitute. We began with the most obvious census
replacements such as the remains of the original 1890 Census, special
veterans' schedules, American-Indian censuses, as well as local,
state, and territorial censuses. We also began searching for directories
as a part of the census substitute. These works are primarily city
directories, but also include county, alumni, and other various
types of directories. We have identified large collections of these
directories on film and fiche, and in books from libraries, archives,
and genealogical repositories nationwide.
Upon identification, we began to acquire the data
beginning with some of the most populated cities. For these cities
and other directories for which a large span of material is available
we are digitizing the years 1887-1893. The larger time span allows
a researcher to determine whether or not an ancestor moved to a
different town or county in the United States. Other record sources
included in this project are voter registrations and tax lists,
where available. In our acquisition we have worked to identify materials
from varied sources using 1890 population figures for the United
States (approx. 63 million) individuals, as well as state-by-state
population at the time the census was taken.
What was once difficult and uncharted territory
for genealogists is now a leap into the great frontier of Internet
genealogy. The 1890 Census substitute is a definite work in progress.
There are other works that are currently in the process of acquisition
that are not as yet included on this list. We realize also that
there are many little known directories or local censuses that provide
valuable information for the time period. We also welcome you, the
researcher, to recommend sources that would help us complete this
great work.
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