How to Search Within the 1950 U.S. Census Record Using Archives.org

Viewing the Census can be difficult if you don't have a paid subscription with places like Ancestry.com, but thankfully you can view the 1950 Census Record free from the National Archives website.

If you followed our pervious blog, "Can you view a Census Record with the National Archives?" then you are familiar with how to access the 1950 Census through the National Archives. If you are still lost and even google is giving you trouble in locating a free version to look at here is the direct link: LINK HERE

What is a U.S. Census?

The U.S. Census record provides a wealth of information that can help in genealogical research such as location, name of individuals in household, family connections, ages, schooling, jobs, a nd other information depending on the census year.

Let's get started on how to best use this site

LINK: https://1950census.archives.gov/

First, Select Begin Search.

The next window will provide you with several options to narrow down your search.

• Location

  • If known add state and city to help narrow down your search, but I would recommend to pull back to just the state if you question the city even a little.

• Name

  • Search for the first and last name of the head of household. Spell the names as best you can, the search engine will return any close variations or matches.

• Enumeration District

  • This refers to the specific section. Most people do not know these off hand unless you are comparing one census to another.

• Indian Reservation Schedule

  • If you know of the Indian Reservation you can add that. If nothing appears that is because there is not one for that state in 1950 that you have selected.

When finished select Search. For me I will select something about my family. I will Fill in the location as Vernon, Louisiana and name of the person I am looking for will be "Essie Shelton".

NOTE: As you start to impute information the website will start listing census that match your search.

From here you will discover a full list of census records that aren't the best narrowed down by the name because they will catch anything close to what you typed. So Essie ending up catching all Bessie names and others like that.

But moving on!

From here I want to explain some items on this page to help you better understand what they are. How you utilize them personally is up to you.

1. Adjust how many census you want per page. Such as, 25, 50, 75 etc.

2. ED number means Enumeration District

3. What state the census is in

4. What city or county the census is in

5. How many pages are in the census record

6. Name of the census record you are viewing

7. Population Schedules Button

   1. click to view the census image such as the example shown

8. ED Map will show a map of the area with roads, railroads, waterways, and other landmarks.

9. "Help Us Transcribe Names" allows you the opportunity to help translate the handwritten script into print text. You do need to verify your email before moving forward.

I hope this explanation will help at least a little bit on understanding how to search within the 1950 Census record from Archives.org. If you have any questions or suggestions on what to write about please reach out.

Happy Hunting