Finding Census Record Locations

Location - Location - Location

Without knowing the census record locations for the data you need, you lose a very valuable resource for your genealogy research. Here's help in determining the census record locations you need for your genealogical research.

In general, you can look in these locations for census records:

• libraries
• state and provincial archives
• national archives
• county/township archives
• Family History Centers (Mormon Church archives)

There are several countries, provinces and states whose national censuses have been microfilmed and are available in several places.

For example, in Ontario, the locations for such microfilmed data include:

• the Ontario Archives. Choose either English or French on this page.
• local libraries who can order the microfilm from the provincial archives
• local libraries who have purchased the microfilm reels
• local LDS Family History Centers (FHC) of the Mormon Church

These record locations also increasingly include a number of web sites which give you access to digitized copies of the census data, including:

• Ancestry - a membership fee site with an increasing amount of census data from North America and the United Kingdom
• Some state/provincial archives who are digitizing their census microfilm reels and making them available online.
• Family Search - a free site with an increasing amount of census data from North America and the United Kingdom. This site is the online site for the Mormon Church (LDS).

Regardless of the record location you are utilizing, one of the biggest issues you face is finding your family. National censuses can occupy thousands of microfilm reels. Finding a particular family and the correct reel can be a challenge.

Consider if the record locations you are looking at offer name indexes to help in locating your family. With an index, it is an easy jump to get the correct reel and census record.

In many ways, the easiest census record locations to use may be the online services. The records are usually indexed to ease finding your family. Also, the name is often linked to the digitized census page for that individual. When you see the image on your computer screen you are given an opportunity to print it to your printer, save it to your computer, or do both or neither.

However, many of the census record locations with those kinds of capabilities are fee-based sites who charge you to access their digitized records. Many offer levels of memberships, such as only US census records or United Kingdom census records.

Only you can decide what you need and how much you want to spend to find the census records you need for your family tree researching.

Spend the Time - Locate Your Family Census Data