Somerset County Census Records

Somerset County Census Records

Library Online Databases

Many library websites now have online databases which may include access to census images and an index to the images via the library version of Ancestry.com and/or a subscription to HeritageQuest. These databases are available to library card holders of the libraries. Access to the Ancestry.com database is limited to use while you are physically in the library while the HeritageQuest database is also available from your home or office. Contact your local reference librarian for more information. You can also purchase a subscription to Ancestry.com and have access to their database and index while at home.

Please help to add the census to this site and make genealogy easier for Somerset County researchers! Please volunteer to transcribe a portion of a Somerset County Census to be added to this site. Click here for more information.

Did you know that Ancestry.com has made the U. S. Federal censuses searchable by not only head-of-household but by children's names as well as by age, etc.? Now it is easier than ever to find those family members whom you have been unable to find using the soundex and indices. HeritageQuest also has some of the censuses indexed. Check with your local library to see if they have free access.

Where can copies of the census be found?

At the National Archives Building in Washington, D. C. as well as the 13 Branches of the National Arvhives in AK, CA (2), CO, GA, IL, MA (2), MO, NY, PA, TX and WA -- see http://www.archives.gov/facilities/research_centers.html for more information and locations
Other Libraries containing genealogical materials -- these may include libraries owned by Historical Societies and Genealogical Societies as well as public libraries
LDS Branch Libraries -- see http://www.familysearch.org/eng/library/FHC/frameset_fhc.asp for a branch near you
Heritage Quest
SK Publications -- SK Publications offers scanned images of all of the Federal Census records for all of the Counties in the U. S. When a copy is purchased from SK Publications, they will donate a copy to the USGenWeb Project which will be displayed on-line for all to see free!

Definitions of some terms you may need to know when researching census records

Census: can mean either a counting of the population or the actual pages of the Census Schedules.
Schedule: the pages that the enumerators filled out when taking the census.
Enumerator: a census taker.
Enumeration: taking the counting of the population.
Enumeration district (ED): the area assigned to one enumerator in one census period.
Institutions: Include hospitals, schools, jails, etc. that were given separate EDs for the census.
Precinct: the limits of an officer's jurisdiction or an election district.
Soundex: an indexing system based on the way a name is pronounced (ie. how it sounds) rather than on how it is spelled.

For more definitions, see the NARA 1930 Census Microfilm Locator - Frequently Asked Questions Page

The Soundex

The Somerset County, MEGenWeb Project Site
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