A Research Guide to 1910 United States Census Records

The 1910 United States census was the 13th federal census taken by the United States since 1790. There was a late question added—so late, in fact, that census forms had already been printed. Read ahead to learn what the mysterious new question was and other fascinating facts about the 1910 US census records.

Enter a name below to search for your ancestors in the 1910 United States census.

First Name	Last Name
Place	Year

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What Made the 1910 United States Census Records Notable?

A Late Question Added

As mentioned above, the most notable difference in the 1910 census was the late addition of a question regarding the native language of persons born outside the United States. Since the census schedule had already been printed, the enumerators were instructed to write the mother tongue of people born outside the United States, their father, and their mother in the columns for their birthplaces. You will notice in the example below from Norton, Summit County, Ohio, that the Vaminsky family recorded their nativity as Russia and their mother tongue as Polish. Additionally, the man at the bottom was born in France, and his mother tongue was listed as French.

In some cases, you will note that the birth country of family members are the same, but their native languages are different. For example, you may find a community of families from Hungary, but their mother tongue may be listed as Magyar, Slovak, Ruthenian, or something else. This difference is a clue about where in Hungary each family is from.

Questionnaires Distributed in Advance

For the 1910 census, some enumerators in large cities distributed the census questionnaire in advance. This early distribution was the first time something like that had ever been done. It gave people time to prepare their answers. Because some of the enumerated population was given time to prepare, the information may be a bit more accurate in the 1910 census—but don’t necessarily count on it!

Two Population Schedules

As with the 1900 census, the 1910 census included two population schedules—a general population schedule and a special Indian schedule.

The additional population schedule was titled “Special Inquiries Relating to Indians,” but it is most commonly known as the Indian Population Schedule of 1910. The Indian Population Schedule of 1910 asked the same questions that were asked in the general population schedule, but additional questions were added to the bottom of the census page to gather information about the following:

Tribe of the person
Tribe of the person’s father
Tribe of the person’s mother
Proportion of American Indian and other lineage
Number of times the person was married
Whether the person was living in polygamy
The educational institution the person graduated from
Whether the person was taxed
If the person received an allotment, the year of the allotment
Whether the person resided on his or her own lands
Whether the person lived in a “civilized” or “aboriginal” dwelling

Survivors of the Civil War

A new question, question 30, was asked of all males over age 50 who were born in the United States and all foreign-born males who immigrated to the United States before 1865. The question was if the person was a survivor of the Union or Confederate Army or Navy. The enumerator was instructed to write “UA” for a survivor of the Union Army, “UN” for a survivor of the Union Navy, “CA” for a survivor of the Confederate Army, and “CN” for a survivor of the Confederate Navy.

How Many Marriages

For the first time in any United States census, the 1910 census asked specifically which marriage a married person was in. The answer was noted in the Single, Married, Widowed, or Divorce column. If a person was in his or her first marriage, the enumerator often wrote “M1.” If a person was in a second marriage, the abbreviation would be “M2.” Subsequent marriages would be “M3,” “M4,” and so on.

Life Leading Up to the 1910 Census

Henry Ford introduced the Model T, humans took flight at Kitty Hawk, a great San Francisco earthquake rocked the West, and a raging fire consumed Baltimore. These were just a few of the significant happenings of the decade.

See your ancestors in a different light by learning about the country and its people leading up to the 1910 census.