The 1910 census was begun on 15 April 1910. The
enumeration was to be completed within thirty days, or two weeks for communities
with populations of more than five thousand.
Questions Asked in the 1910 Census
The 1910
census schedules record each person’s name and relationship to the head of
household; sex; color or race; age at last birthday; marital status; length of
present marriage; if a mother, number of children and number of living children;
birthplace and parents’ birthplaces; if foreign born, year of immigration and
citizenship status; language spoken; occupation; type of industry employed in;
whether employer, employee, or self-employed; number of weeks unemployed in 1909
if applicable; ability to read and write; if attended daytime school since 1
September 1909; if home was rented or owned; if owned, whether free or
mortgaged; if home was a house or a farm; if a veteran of the Union or
Confederate army or navy; if blind in both eyes, and if deaf and dumb. The
Indian schedule also recorded the tribe and/or band.
Research Tips for the 1910 Census
The quality
of the microfilming of the 1910 census seems especially poor when compared to
other census schedules. Overexposure in microfilming schedules for Mississippi,
for example, rendered hundreds of pages illegible. Additionally, the omission
rate in the 1910 Miracode/Soundex appears to be greater than in most other
indexes. In many cases, individuals not indexed are indeed present in the census
schedules, so it is especially advisable for researchers to continue a search in
the actual schedules even though a name fails to show up in an index.
The 1910 census, while not providing as much precise information as the 1900
census (such as exact birth month, years married, and number of children born to
the mother), is still a good tool for determining approximate dates and places
to search for marriage records, birth and death records of children, and the
marriages of children not listed. The 1910 census sometimes makes it possible to
verify family traditions, identify unknown family members, and link what is
known to other sources, such as earlier censuses, naturalization records
(especially declarations of intent to become citizens), school attendance rolls,
property holdings, and employment and occupational records. These records will
also verify Civil War service, trace and document ethnic origins, and locate
military and naval personnel in hospitals, ships, and stations and those
stationed in the Philippines, Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico.
