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USGenWeb Free Census Project Help, 1870 Census Help

Remember, please sign up with a State Census Coordinator before beginning a transcription.


The following following are available to our volunteer transcribers so that our file managers can convert them to the standardized text output to meet the goals of the project.

CENTRANS (MAC & PC) Centrans Instructions and Help

We have the following templates available for download:

Free Schdules: MSExCel Spreadsheet | MSWorks Spreadsheet | Tab Text Templates

Mortality Schdules: MSExCel Spreadsheet | MSWorks Spreadsheet | Tab Text Templates

[Note: These are zipped and are also available by request from Maggie Stewart. Please use "templates" as the subject of your email and include what year and type of template that you need.]

Header Information That's Needed:


Part A

Part B

Part C
  • Census Year 1870
  • Microfilm # (NARA Microfilm Series M593.) M593-1201
  • State Ohio (Click on Part A above)
  • County Franklin (Click on Part C above)
  • Subdistrict/Township First Ward City of Columbus (Click on Parts A and B above)
  • Enumerator Robt Shafer (Click on Part C above)
  • Enumeration Date 23rd day of June, 1870 (Click on Part B above)
  • Transcriber - Your name here Maggie Stewart
  • Proofreader - If proofread, put their name here. If you don't have one, put Not Proofread.
  • Remarks (This is for something that refers to the entire page)

Columns present in the census: [Columns highlighted in red are additional columns that we require to be filled out unless otherwise noted.]

  1. Post Office Columbus Ohio (Click on Part A above) Recorded in Reference Section - see information below. NOTE: If there is not space in the reference section please note this in Remarks or a separate text set of notes so that it can be added during formatting.
  2. Sheet # 62B (Fill in every line even if the enumerator didn't) - Sheet numbers are stamped in the upper right of each right hand page, beginning at 1 (Click on Part C Above) for each bound volume, going up one number for every two pages (1 sheet). Note that each volume begins with a right hand page, or 1B, there being no 1A. Also note that when you see the stamped sheet number it is ALWAYS on the B half of the sheet, the right hand page. This means that the other half, the A half, is the page filmed BEFORE the B half. In other words when you see sheet number 242 the page you are looking at is sheet 242B, the page before it is sheet 242A, the page after is sheet 243A. If you visualise the actual book the film was made from this concept is much easier to understand. We record the sheet numbers in the page number field of our transcription software, the page number in the reference field. For Example: You enter the following in the reference field 23June1870; Robt Shafer; p.9; PO Columbus Ohio and when the formatting is done in text output it will read Enumerated on the 23rd day of June, 1870 by Robt Shafer; Post Office: Columbus City (Page 9) The exception to this is if you are using CenTrans where there are places for each of these items. In CenTrans, the sheet number needs to be entered (complete with the A or B) into the "Stamped Page No." field.
  3. Page # 9 (Click on Part A above) In CenTrans, the page number needs to be entered into the "Page No." field on the upper right part of the header. NOTE: In 1870, each Division/Township/Subdivision starts with Page No. 1 so you need to place the sheet numbers in the Page section on the CTA & CART Software and the templates in order for the formatting to be done correctly and in a timely manner.
  4. Line # (These run 1-42 per page. The Enumerator's were very inventive and sometimes these are not all filled in or you will find a line of entries underneath or above the printed forms.)
  5. Dwelling (1) Houses numbered in order of visitation (Fill in every line even if the enumerator didn't)
  6. Families (2) numbered in order of visitation (Fill in every line even if the enumerator didn't)
  7. The Name (3) of every Person whose usual place of abode on the first day of June, 1870, was in this family. (This column gets placed in two separate places when transcribed.)
    1. Last Name (3)
      • Do not put all in capitals
      • Fill in every line even if the enumerator didn't
    2. First Name (3)
  8. Age (4) last birthday. If under 1 year, give months in fractions, thus, 3/12.
  9. Sex. (5) - Males (M.). Females (F.).
  10. Color. (6) - White (W.), Black (B.), Mulatto (M.), Chinese (C.), Indian (I.).
  11. Profession (7), Occupation or Trade of each person, male or female. (If ditto marks are present fill in the "value" they represent for each ditto mark.)
  12. Value (8) of Real Estate.
  13. Value (9) of Personal Estate.
  14. Place of Birth (10). Naming the State, Territory of U.S.; or the Country if of foreign birth. (If ditto marks are present fill in the "value" they represent for each ditto mark.)
  15. Father (11) of foreign birth.
  16. Mother (12) of foreign birth.
  17. If born (13) within the year, state month (Jan., Feb., Etc.)
  18. If married (14) within the year, state month (Jan., Feb., Etc.)
  19. Attended School (15) within the year.
  20. Cannot (16) read.
  21. Cannot (17) write.
  22. Whether (18) deaf and dumb, blind, insane, or idiotic. (If there is something written out in this column, place a capital "X" in the column and write the word in the remarks column.)
  23. Male Citizens (19) of U.S. of 21 years of age and upwards.
  24. Male Citizens (20) of U.S. of 21 years of age and upwards, whose right to vote is denied or abridged on other grounds than rebellion or other crime.
  25. Transcriber's Remarks (Fill this out only if some additional comment is needed.)

Special Notes/Comments:

  1. Example of online completed 1870 census transcription. (This output was done using the CART software.) NOTE: For an excellent example of how to "track" your transcription, look at the notes.txt with this transcription. I'm sure if you would like assistance with making one to go with yours, Edward A. Black, Sr. would be more than happy to assist you.

  2. States with surviving 1870 census schedules:
    • Alabama
    • Arizona Territory
    • Arkansas
    • California
    • Colorado Territory
    • Connecticut
    • Dakota Territory
    • Delaware
    • District of Columbia
    • Florida
    • Georgia
    • Idaho Territory
    • Illinois
    • Indiana
    • Iowa
    • Kansas
    • Kentucky
    • Louisiana
    • Maine
    • Maryland
    • Massachusetts
    • Michigan
    • Minnesota
    • Mississippi
     
    • Missouri
    • Montana Territory
    • Nebraska
    • Nevada
    • New Hampshire
    • New Jersey
    • New Mexico Territory
    • New York
    • North Carolina
    • Ohio
    • Oregon
    • Pennsylvania
    • Rhode Island
    • South Carolina
    • Tennessee
    • Texas
    • Utah Territory
    • Vermont
    • Virginia
    • Washington Territory
    • West Virginia
    • Wisconsin
    • Wyoming Territory

 

When transcribing the census, MAKE A BACKUP COPY!

Census Project since 1997

A Gift of the Past for the Future! Started in February, 1997, The USGenWeb Free Census Project is an all-volunteer project to transcribe census records in a standard format in order to make them available to genealogical researchers on the Internet.

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