Census Information

There is a 72 year moratorium on the release of personal information from the census. For small geographic areas, even statistical data may be withheld from publication to protect the privacy of the individuals involved. The 1940 census is the most recent to have information on individuals released.

Earlier censuses originally existed in 3 versions, a local (county) copy, a state copy, and a federal copy. The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is the custodian of the federal copies, which they have microfilmed. Many state archives have the copy for their state, either on microfilm or manuscript. The local copies rarely survived, but our Archives Department has some of these for Brown County. Although the content should be identical, there may be slight variations between the 3 versions.

It may also help to check multiple electronic versions, since the indexing or images may be clearer in one or the other.

The majority of the 1890 census was destroyed in a fire.