Where Has My Family Gone?

One of the frustrations researchers face is not finding family in the census when they absolutely should be there.

Breath deeply and don’t worry. 

Think of alternative spellings for the surname.  How might a census taker have misspelled the surname.  For example, Henry Yanowine of the 1850 census became Henry Yenowine in the 1860 census.  I found no Henry Yenowine in 1870, but a P H Yenowine in the 1870.  The Y of the 1870 session looked similar to the cursive letter G.

Search surname with approximate birth year.   For example, when I couldn’t locate Henry Yenowine in the 1870 census, I could have searched for a male “Yenowine” born about 1835.

Search for other family members.  Often family moved in tandem so finding a sibling might lead to the family your seeking.

Search a different census year.  If these tricks don’t yield your ancestor, look for him or her in the census ten years later.  The missing census could have been such poor quality that it was impossible to read.  The family could have simply been missed in the census.