Where has the 1890 US Census gone?

While the United States has taken a census every ten years since 1790, the 1890 census is missing.  In 1921 a fire destroyed a part of the census and water and smoke damaged most of the remainder. 

This leaves a twenty (20) year gap, almost a generation, a different brickwall.  There are several ways to fill in some of this “gap time.”  One approach is searching state census records. 

For example, Kansas took a state census every ten years beginning in 1865 and ending in 1925.  These would provide two opportunities to fill in the “gap years.”  Other states that offer state census records for this period include Minnesota, Iowa, Florida, Michigan, New Jersey, Rhode Island, New York, Oregon, Indiana, Washington and Wisconsin.

State and territorial census are available both earlier and later.  Researchers can search the internet for the states needed to see what is available.