William, You brought up an excellent point. The Census DAY - is the day on which ALL the questions are based. That is: What was the marital status of each person listed - on April 1st. Perhaps you got married on April 5th and the Census Taker arrived on April 10. The correct answer for this person would be "Single"; even though they WERE married at the time the Census taker arrived. The Census Period - is the time frame allowed for the Census Enumeration (head count) to be completed. In the early years (before 1850) it was usually 18 months. The 1820 Census actually took about 3 years. This was because special extensions were granted, by Congress, to allow for the new states of Maine and Florida to be enumerated. Today the period is greatly reduced, by using mail and more persons. I hope this answers some Questions. I worked as an enumerator on the 1988 Kansas State Census and the 1990 and 2000 Federal Census. -- Loren <kycollja@midusa.net> {:-)> HOKC *))))) TSG, USAF, Retired >From Iola, in the rolling hills of SE Kansas