{"id":53373,"date":"2019-10-18T10:24:10","date_gmt":"2019-10-18T14:24:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.genealogybank.com\/?p=53373"},"modified":"2023-09-22T11:25:25","modified_gmt":"2023-09-22T15:25:25","slug":"genealogy-101-what-to-do-about-the-lost-1890-census","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/genealogy-101-what-to-do-about-the-lost-1890-census.html","title":{"rendered":"Genealogy 101: What to Do about the \u201cLost\u201d 1890 Census"},"content":{"rendered":"

Introduction<\/em><\/strong>: In this article \u2013 part of an ongoing \u201cIntroduction to Genealogy\u201d series \u2013 Gena Philibert-Ortega describes how genealogists can get around the fact that most of the 1890 census was lost in the 1921 Commerce Department building fire. Gena is a genealogist and author of the book \u201cFrom the Family Kitchen.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

You\u2019ve probably heard the laments online, or heard a fellow researcher complain, that if only they had access to the \u201clost\u201d 1890 U.S. Federal Census they could solve their family history research problem. There\u2019s no doubt that we rely on the decennial census \u2013 and having that gap can be frustrating, especially since so much can happen to our families in the span of 10 years including births, deaths, remarriages, and moves. However, it\u2019s important to remember that not having that census isn\u2019t the end of the world.<\/p>\n

The 1890 U.S. Federal Census<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re new to genealogy you may not be aware that the 1890 U.S. Federal Census was all but lost in the 1921 Commerce Department building fire in Washington, D.C. Not everything was lost \u2013 but enough was destroyed that it impacts the majority of family history researchers.<\/p>\n

\"An<\/a>
Evening Star (Washington, D.C.), 11 January 1921, page 2<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

According to the National Archives website, what survived includes:<\/p>\n