Military
Clues in the U.S. Census
Jean M. Hoffman, CG®
The 1840 census was the last one to name only the head of
household, but there was one exception. An additional question asked for names
and ages of “Pensioners for Revolutionary or Military Services.” Pensioners
included veterans or their widows.[1] By
this late date any surviving Revolutionary War veterans would have been quite
elderly. Whether veteran or widow, the pensioner was often other than the head
of household. The reverse side of the main census page contains tallies of
slaves, of occupations, names of pensioners and more. When viewing microfilm,
scroll up to find the matching line from the main page. Count down the page, as
the lines are not numbered. Online, you need to advance to the next page image
in some cases but go back in others. Ancestry.com has indexed both names. A
quick finding aid is available for free at https://www.census.gov/library/publications/1841/dec/1840d.html
or https://www.newhorizonsgenealogicalservices.com/1840-census-of-pensioners.htm.
A special non-populations schedule was created for Union
veterans or their widows as part of the 1890 census. Though the population
schedules were destroyed, this special census is available for the states
alphabetically from Kentucky (partial) through Wyoming plus Washington, DC, and
Indian territories. The states
earlier in the alphabet were destroyed prior to being transferred to the
National Archives.
Special
schedules in 1890 listed surviving veterans of the Civil War Union forces or
their widows. The veteran’s name is listed even with a widow’s entry. Rank,
unit of service, dates and length of service fill the top of the form. Below is
the post office and may be information on disabilities or other remarks that
sometimes prove very interesting. Some Confederate or earlier war veterans were
also recorded. NARA microfilm series M123 with images available at online
sites.
1910
Addressing elderly veterans once again, the census in 1910 included a Civil War question for all males over fifty and born in the U.S. or immigrants who arrived before 1865. They were asked if they were survivors of the Union or Confederate army or navy. Column 30 was coded for them with UA for Union Army, UN for Union Navy, CA for Confederate Army and CN for Confederate Navy.[4] Not every survivor is properly coded and those who were are easily overlooked. Columns 30-32 on the right edge of the page were overwritten with a hyphenated series of numbers. They were written at the census bureau and have no relationship to the underlying data as in the example.[5]
World War |
WW |
Spanish-American War |
SP |
Civil War |
Civ |
Philippine insurrection |
Phil |
Boxer rebellion |
Box |
Mexican expedition |
Mex |
1930
The 1930 census covers a broader span of military
engagements for veterans of varying ages. Columns 30 and 31 are labeled
“Veterans.” The question, for males 21 and over, was whether they were veterans
of the U.S. military or naval forces mobilized for any war or expedition and if
yes, for which war or expedition. Codes provided to enumerators were:
Because large numbers served in World War I only about ten
years earlier, the code “WW” occurs frequently. Henry L. Hixenbaugh is an
example from a slightly earlier period. He was a resident of southwestern Iowa
and his 1930 census entry is coded in columns 30 and 31 with “yes” and “Mex.”[7]
The pages of the 1940 U.S. census have forty lines. Two of
them or five percent of the population, were designated for an additional set
of questions. The extra questions included whether the person was a veteran of
the U.S. military forces, or the wife, widow, or under-18-year-old child of a
veteran. If the person was the child of a veteran an additional question asked
whether the father was dead. The war or military service was to be coded with
“W” for World War I; “S” for the Spanish-American War, the Philippine
insurrection, or Boxer Rebellion; “SW” for both the Spanish-American War and
World War I; “R” for peacetime service only; or “Ot” for any other war or
expedition.[9]
You can only hope a family member was one of those asked the additional
questions.
[1] Claire
Prechtel-Kluskens, "Clues in Census Records, 1790-1840," The
Record, Vol. 4, No. 5 (May 1998); adapted online (http://www.archives.gov/research/census/1790-1840.html
: accessed 17 February 2024.)
[2] 1840 U.S. census, Geauga
County, Ohio, Hampden Township, p. 176, line 14, Lydia Brigham; digital images,
Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/2631263:8057
: accessed 17 February 2024); NARA M704, roll 395, imaged from FHL microfilm
0,020,165.
[3] W. I. Tyler Brigham, The
History of the Brigham Family: a Record of Several Thousand Descendants of
Thomas Brigham the Emigrant, 1603-1653 (New York: Grafton Press, 1907),
257.
[4] "Clues
in Census Records, 1850-1930," The Record, Vol. 4, No. 3 (January
1998); adapted online (http://www.archives.gov/research/census/1850-1930.html
: accessed 17 February 2024.)
[5] 1910 U.S. census, Carroll
County, Illinois, population schedule, Savanna City, Ward 1, ED 11, sheet 7B,
dwelling 180, family 187, John Hoffman; digital images, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/4285135:7884
: accessed 17 February 2024); NARA T624, roll 232, imaged from FHL microfilm
1,374,245.
[6] “1930 Census: Enumerator
Instructions,” in Steven Ruggles, J. Trent Alexander, Katie Genadek, Ronald
Goeken, Matthew B. Schroeder, and Matthew Sobek. Integrated Public Use
Microdata Series: Version 5.0 database, Minneapolis: University of
Minnesota (https://usa.ipums.org/usa/voliii/inst1930.shtml
: accessed 17 February 2024).
[7] 1930 U.S. census, Montgomery
County, Iowa, population schedule, Red Oak City, Ward 1, ED 69-12, sheet 2B,
dwelling 49, family 51, Henry L. Hixenbaugh; digital images, Ancestry.com
(https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/29523450:6224
: accessed 17 February 2024); from NARA T626, roll 670.
[8] Dick
Dreyer, Iowa Troops in Mexican Border Service, 1916 - 1917, digital
images, Internet Archive (https://archive.org/details/iowatroopsinmexi00drey/page/n95/mode/2up
: accessed 17 February 2024), images 96-7. Previously published in hard copy
(Iowa City, Iowa: Dick Dreyer).
[9] National Archives, “1940
Census Records” (http://www.archives.gov/research/census/1940/
: accessed 17 February 2024.)
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