Sometimes ancestors's names were misspelled on the US Census making it a challenge to find them. Also, sometimes they were enumerated using initials or nicknames. Many times names have been misspelled when they were indexed and you cannot find them in an online database.
With census index books, you can more easily locate your ancestor. See Using Federal Census Indexes.
2 comments:
A book???? It's amazing how so many insist on NOT grabbing the book, but you are right when it comes to indices, books are so much more useful. I also use the immigration and ship book indexes for the same reason. It's easier to catch the spelling errors of names. Thanks for reminding us all!
Thanks, Kathleen! I have turn to census indices many times to find ancestors whose names were misspelled and did not initially come up in online databases. It is also a great way to get an overview of all the individuals with the same name in given area.
Post a Comment