Are you struggling with early U.S. census records? If you’ve ever researched ancestors in pre-1850 U.S. censuses—or pre-1870 for formerly enslaved ancestors—you know the frustration. These early records list only heads of households, leaving the rest of the family unnamed. I call these censuses PIPs (Partially Identified People). Tracking your ancestors across the PIP census decades can feel impossible.
90-60 Census Workbook
The PASSED Method: The Systematic Conquest of PIP Censuses
I felt reasonably smart as I began my genealogy education. Not MENSA smart, mind you, but at least a bit above average. My ego took a bashing though, when I first hit the infamous roadblock—the PIP censuses (often inappropriately labeled “pre-1850”) that only name the head of household with a string of tally numbers. It mystified me that anyone found them useful. An old spreadsheet had bested me until the PASSED Method emerged, made viable by an alignment tool I call the 90-60 Census Workbook.
Early Federal Census Drama: A Tool for Your Sanity
We love the U.S. federal censuses, don’t we? We need them. Right back to 1850, they’re our bedrock — or 1870, if you descend from enslaved persons. Earlier than that, however, we dread them. Fear them, maybe. Avoid them, to our peril. While limited in value individually, however, the early federal censuses become gold when compared to each other. Comparing them is a hassle, though, right? Not any more. I have designed an Excel-compatible spreadsheet tool that makes early federal census tally-matching a game you actually want to play. Let the Early Federal Census Worksheet restore your sanity.