The U.S. 1910 census for genealogy is my favorite. Most genealogists would probably say the 1900 census is their favorite. It is a good one, after all, it is the only census that gives the month and ‘exact’ year of birth for each person. But if you ask me, the 1910 census is really great and here are four reasons why.
Reason #1
Column 8 of the 1910 census ask the question regarding “Marital Status.” In the past, this column would be recorded with one of the following abbreviations:
a. M for married
b. S for single
c. D for divorced
d. Wd for widow
But in 1910, the enumerator was given further instructions: Enumerators [will] enter “S” for single, “Wd” for widowed, “D” for divorced, “M1” for married person in their first marriage, and “M2” for married persons in their second or subsequent marriage.
This is particularly helpful for those wondering or looking for a possible earlier spouse. Further, when paired with question #9, how many years married, you can determine when the first or subsequent marriage happened, and about when the prior spouse died (or left if there was a divorce.)
In this image above, we see James Winn has a “M2” in the marital column. That means he is in his second marriage. In the next column, the number 9 refers to the fact he and Lizzie have been married 9 years. If they had been married for nine years in 1910, they were married about 1901. This information also suggests daughter Florence and son Franklin are not the children of Lizzie because of their ages. (We confirm this in reason #2 below.)
It also suggests James’ first wife may have died between the years of 1895 and 1901, which are the years between the birth of son Franklin and James’ marriage to Lizzie. Putting all this together gives us some direction as to when and what records to look for next. Examples may be, a marriage record for James prior to the birth of Florence, a death record for James’ first wife between 1895 and 1901, or a marriage record for James and Lizzie in about 1901.
Reason #2
Column 10 and 11 ask how many children have been born to a woman and how many are still living. In the case of James and Lizzie Winn, Lizzie has had “0” children and “0” are living which supports the fact that Florence and Franklin are not her children.
In contrast and shown in the case below, Margarett Cole has had 12 children and only 6 are living.
Finding my great-grandmother Margarett in this census told me I had my work cut out for me finding the names and dates of 6 deceased children. (Learn how I did that, here.)
Reason #3
There’s a ‘secret’ Indian Schedule hiding in the back of the 1910 census. Yep, you read that right. There was a Indian Population Schedule in the year 1910. Complete with its own instructions, this census sheet can be found at the end of the microfilm of a given location if there were those who claimed Indian ancestry.
Not only will you find the name of each individual in the household, their relationship to the head-of-household, their age, marital status, and place of birth, but you will find additional columns indicating their Native American tribe affiliation and percentage of blood.
[Disclaimer: This one record does not prove Native American ancestry, but can be an indication to look into it further. For more in-depth information on searching for your Native American ancestry, see the article here.]
Reason #4
The 1910 census was the second census to ask immigration questions. Beginning in 1900 and continuing through 1930, the U.S. federal censuses asked citizenship questions. In 1910, the following questions were asked:
Column 15: Year of immigration to the U.S.
Column 16: Whether naturalized or Alien
Column 17: Whether able to speak English; or, if not, language spoken
In this example below, you can see the Nemet (aka Nimeth) family.
Notice, Joseph arrived in the U.S. in 1901 and is listed as an Alien. Rosa (his wife) arrived in 1903 and has no naturalization status listed. This is because prior to 1922, a wife would not “need” to be naturalized. She would acquire ‘derivative citizenship’ when her husband became naturalized.[1]
These citizenship questions will help you more easily find the passenger lists and naturalization records. For more information on how to find and use the great information contained in naturalization records, read here.
U.S. censuses are jam packed with genealogical goodies. Take another look at your targeted ancestor with these insights and see if a new clue pops up!
[1] “United States Naturalization Laws,” article online, FamilySearch Wiki (https://familysearch.org/wiki/en/United_States_Naturalization_Laws : accessed 1 Mar 2017); citing item titled “Act of February 10, 1855” and “Act of September 22, 1922 (Cable Act)”.
Very well written post. I totally agree with you.
What does M2-2 mean under the married part? I am assuming married for two years into the second marriage? BUt that would mean my grandfather likely had a different father? and age looks off for him, is this typical?
Hi Jennifer, I would need to see the census page you are referring to for me to make a decision on what the “M2-2” means. If I had to guess, I would say it means in his second marriage for 2 years, but that would just be a guess. The enumerators had instructions given to them in regards to how to complete the census. The following was taken from those instructions:
“113. Column 8. Whether single, married, widowed, or divorced.-Write “S” for single or unmarried persons; “Wd” for widowed (man or woman); “D” for divorced; for married persons, inquire whether they have been married before, and if this is the first marriage, write “M1,” but if this is the second or subsequent marriage, write “M2” (meaning married more than once).
114. Persons who were single on April 15 should be so reported, even though they may have married between that date and the day of your visit; and, similarly, persons who become widowed or divorced after April 15 should be returned as married if that was their condition on that date.
115. Column 9. Number of years of present marriage.-This question applies only to persons reported as married, and the answer should give the number of years married to the present husband or wife. thus a woman who may have been married for 10 to a former husband, but has been married only 3 years to her present husband, should be returned as married 3 years. The number of years entered should be the number of completed years. For instance, a person who on April 15, the census day, has been married 3 years and 11 months should be returned as married 3 years. For a person married less than 1 year, write “0” (meaning less than 1 year).”
Hope this helps!
In the 1910 census, the relations column, it has wife with a “wp” written in the same column. What does this mean? I noticed in two of your examples of that column you can see the “wp”.
Hi Sue, If you blow up the census image, you will see that the initials are “wf”. This is a census takers abbreviation and I am not 100% sure, but I believe it is another way of denoting that this person is the wife of the head-of-household.