1. I CAN’T FIND MY PERSON IN THE CENSUS

2. LESS IS MORE Avoid using gender The less you enter the more results Only one wrong box filled in will invalidate your search

3. Mistakes in the name Mispelled by enumerator Mistranscribed by the indexer Going by a nickname or middle name

4. Search Strategies Search by a known spouse or child Try one of the younger children Search the last name with similar first names (Kate/Katherine or Robert/Roland) Search for a middle name. Search for a nickname Search spelling variations Search first name only to see transcribing errors T and L, L and S, I and J, R and B, H and A

5. Mistakes in years Always allow a margin of 2 years or more for the age. Problem of calculating age. 1841 British Census ages for adults rounded to nearest 5

6. Mistakes in place Variations from one census to another. Perhaps a different degree of precision a town vs a village, a parish vs a hamlet When a child leaves home, the first census is often incorrect, often the town where they grew up is given by mistake.

7. Narrowing your search Use more than one index. At Familysearch.org, you can specify two members of the household At Ancestry.com, you can search the given name of the spouse and parents At Findmypast.com, you can search for any two people in the household You can search by occupation and by address

8. 1880 Census – parents birthplace US Census after 1880, you can specify the birthplace of the parents.

9. Look at the neighbors Many will be related Ethnic clues will give you some social history