Are there maps you can use in conjunction with census records to determine a precise address for an ancestor and where can you find them?
Historic street maps exist for many cities; you can find them at
the city library, local historical society or at the State
Archives.
To find the precise address: the 1880 and later censuses include
a column for house number, and the street name is usually written
along the lefthand margin of the page. For earlier censuses, or if
the address was omitted or unclear, your best bet is to look at the
city directories (which are available for most major cities and
many smaller ones). City directories are great for tracing the
whereabouts of your ancestors between census years as well. These
can usually be found at the repositories listed above, and can also
be borrowed on microfilm through the LDS Family History Library
system.
Keep in mind that some cities (such as Chicago) changed their
street numbering systems at some point... so the address given on a
historic record may be different from the current address. If this
is the case, a librarian or archivist may be able to direct you to
a resource to help you determine the current address.
Thanks for your response.
I'm working with the 1870 and 1880 censuses, and, unfortunately,
there were only a couple of streets and addresses recorded in the
*entire county* for the years I'm researching.
And I have so far been unable to find any sort of old street
maps or city directories for the two small towns I have been
focused on.
I was hoping there was some sort of map of enumeration districts
that could be used.
This web site may be of use to you. I have not downloaded this
to make sure the instructions are on it. But the people who were
hired to take the census were given spectific instructions on how
the travel the area they were given, to insure they did not
duplicate and to insure they counted everyone in their sector.
Each sector was given a code and and each dwelling another code.
By using the codes and the instructions for the census taker you
should be able to determine the location of the residence.
Hopefully it will not be a office complex or parking lot now.
http://www.ancestry.com/trees/charts/census.aspx
ANSWEr
i disagree with everyone i think science is stupid and im the
head of Austin peay ellemantary school in covington Tennessee,
Best regards,
Austin maimone
