Censuses – GENOHISTORY

The PASSED Method: The Systematic Conquest of PIP Censuses

June 5, 2026September 18, 2023 by Donna Cox Baker

An explorer crosses the dangerous Sea of Potential Ancestors, trying to get to his true ancestral family. To get there, he steps from stone to stone--the stones engraved with the letters "PASSED."

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

June 6, 2026January 3, 2021 by Donna Cox Baker

An early American census taker stands at a house full of women and children saying "Your husband's name only, please."

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.