Beginning Lesson #16 AIS CENSUS INDEXES The Accelerated Indexing Systems company offers indexes to US Federal Census and census-type records in book format as well as a partially complete microfiche format available at your local <A HREF="aol://4344:167.myrtfhc.1414 158.531675763">LDS FHCenter.</A> Once you locate the drawer where these microfiche reside, be sure to note the collection is divided into nine different search sections as follows: Search 1: 1607-1819 Entire US Search 2: 1820-1829 Entire US Search 3: 1820-1839 Entire US Search 4: 1840-1849 Entire US Search 5: 1850-1860* Southern States (AL, AR, DC, FL, GA, KY, LA, MD, MS, NC, SC, PA, RI, VA) (Not all states were completed when LDS FHLibrary microfiche version was compiled.) Search 6: 1850 New England and northern states (CT, DE, MA, ME, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, VT) (Not all states were completed when LDS FHLibrary microfiche version was compiled.) Search 7: 1850-1906* Midwestern and western states (Ak, AZ, CA, CO, IA, IL, IN, KS, MN, MI, MO, MT, NE, NV, NM, ND, OH, OK, OR, SD, TX, UT, WA, WI, WY) (Not all states were completed when LDS FHLibrary microfiche version was compiled.) Search 7a: 1850-1906* Entire US (Search 5,6 & 7 combined) Search 8: 1850-1885 US Mortality Schedules only To use the AIS microfiche version, you would select the search 1-7a , then look by surname then given name for your ancestor's record. The index will provide the following information: Column 1: Surname & given name Column 2: County of residence Column 3: State of residence Column 4: Page number in original record Column 5: Additional information (such as statistical info if pre-1850, township if available, type of record (such as tax list, rent roll or voters list) Column 6: Year of the original record NOTE: The following special codes will help you evaluate certain entries: * means the source interpretation is questionable ** means the source interpretation is very questionable < denotes head of household To use the AIS microfiche version, search 8, you would look by the surname and given name for your ancestor's record. Note: Mortality schedules list individuals who were reported to the census taker as having died during the 12 months prior to census day. The index will provide the following information: Column 1: Surname & given name Column 2: County of residence Column 3: State of residence Column 4: Age at death Column 5: Sex of individual Column 6: Month of death Column 7: Place of birth Column 8: Cause of death Column 9: Occupation code Column 10: Year of the Mortality Schedule Its advisable to make a photocopy of the microfiche and use this information when ordering a copy of the original record perhaps on microfilm through the LDS Family History Library or at one of 2,500+ branches. If you were to look at the indexes provided by AIS in book format, you'll note they are bound by state and census year. If you are unsure of where your ancestor lived, you would have to look in all likely state index books for a listing of that elusive progenitor. Remember to look for all possible spellings/misspellings of the name! If you cannot locate your ancestor, its possible he/she missed being indexed, or was not counted by the census taker. If you are convinced he/she was in a certain area that year, you may certainly step past the census indexes, and search every page of the census roll for that county. Further Reading: Resource Guide: Accelerated Indexing Systems, US Census Indexes (on microfiche) 3rd edition, Ser. US No. 1 cen. 30970, LDS Family History Library. NOTE: This guide is available for free through your local FHCenter. The Source: A Guidebook of American Genealogy, Arlene Eakle & Johni Cerny, editors. Ancestry Publishing Company, revised 1997. Chapter 4, p 91-129.