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About the 1890 census
Highlights
- 11th decennial census
- US population: 62,947,714
- California population: 1,213,398
- Electrical tabulating machines first used.
- First census to use a separate questionnaire for each household.
Questions asked
Address; name; relationship to head of family; race; sex; age; marital status; number of families in house; number of persons in house; number of persons in family; whether a soldier, sailor or marine during Civil War (Union or Confederate) or widow of such person; whether married during census year; for women, number of children born, and number now living; place of birth of person and parents; if foreign born, number of years in the U.S., whether naturalized or whether naturalization papers had been taken out; profession, trade, or occupation; months unemployed during census year; months attended school during census year; literacy; whether able to speak English, and if not, language or dialect spoken; whether suffering from acute or chronic disease, with name of disease and length of time afflicted; whether defective in mind, sight, hearing or speech, or whether crippled, maimed, or deformed, with name of defect; whether a prisoner, convict, homeless child, or pauper; home rented or owned by head or member of family; if owned by head or member, whether mortgaged; if head of family a farmer, whether farm rented or owned by him or member of his family; if owned, whether mortgaged; if mortgaged, post office address of owner. Supplemental schedules for the Indian population; for persons who died during the year; insane; feeble-minded and idiots; deaf; blind; diseased and physically defective; inmates of benevolent institutions; prisoners; paupers and indigent persons; surviving soldiers, sailors, and marines, and widows of such; inmates of soldier's homes.
For more information:
- Measuring America: The Decennial Censuses From 1790 to 2000 Census Bureau.
- Population and Housing Items on the General Census Schedules 1790 - 2000 from U Mich.
Coverage
For more information:
- Map Guide to the U.S. Federal Censuses, 1790 - 1920 (SSHL Ref G 1201 .F7 T5 2005)