Over 99% of the 1890 U.S. census was burned in a Commerce Department fire in 1921; of the 62,979,766 people enumerated in the census, the records of only 6,160 survived the fire.

1890 census facts

• The count for the 1890 census began on June 2, 1890 and lasted one month.
• The census included 42 states and the territories of Arizona, Utah, New Mexico, Montana, Alaska, Oklahoma, and Indiana.
• There were six new states in the 1890 census: North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, and Washington.
• The original 1890 census enumerated people differently than ever before; each family was enumerated on a separate sheet of paper. 1890 was the only year this was done.
• Over 99% of the 1890 census records were destroyed by fire and flooding. Of the 62,947,714 people enumerated, records for only 6,160 people survived.
• The surviving fragments consist of 1,233 pages or pieces, including enumerations for Alabama, the District of Columbia, Georgia, Illinois, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, South Dakota, and Texas.

Searching the census fragment

To search the 1890 census fragments, click Search at the top of Ancestry and select Card Catalog from the drop-down menu. In the Keyword(s) field, enter “1890 fragment,” then click 1890 United States Federal Census Fragment on the right. Enter information and click Search.

Searching the 1890 census substitute

Because most of the 1890 census was destroyed, we’ve supplemented the remaining fragments with other records, including state censuses, city and county directories, voter lists, and alumni directories from 1890 and surrounding years. If the information you’re looking for isn’t available in the 1890 Census fragments, try searching our 1890 Census Substitute collections or follow these steps:

1. From any page on Ancestry, click the Search tab and select Card Catalog.
2. On the left side of the page beneath Filter by Category, click Census & Voter Lists.
3. On the left side of the page under Filter by Category again, in the list of decades, click 1890s.
4. On the left side of the page under Filter by Location, click USA.
5. On the left side of the page under Filter by Location, select a state.
6. On the right side of the page, click a database from the list to search it.
7. Enter information and click Search.

Where census fragments are available from

• Alabama—Perry County
• District of Columbia—Q, S, 13th, 14th, RQ, Corcoran, 15th, SE, and Roggs streets, and Johnson Avenue
• Georgia—Muscogee County (Columbus)
• Illinois—McDonough County: Mound Township
• Minnesota—Wright County: Rockford
• New Jersey—Hudson County: Jersey City
• New York—Westchester County: Eastchester; Suffolk County: Brookhaven Township
• North Carolina—Gaston County: South Point Township, Ricer Bend Township; Cleveland County: Township No. 2
• Ohio—Hamilton County (Cincinnati); Clinton County: Wayne Township
• South Dakota—Union County: Jefferson Township
• Texas—Ellis County: S.P. No. 6, Mountain Peak, Ovila Precinct; Hood County: Precinct No. 5; Rusk County: Precinct no. 6 and J.P. No. 7; Trinity County: Trinity Town and Precinct no. 2; Kaufman County: Kaufman.

Information listed on the census

• Name of each person in the household
• Relationship to head of household
• Age
• Sex
• Color
• Birthplace
• Marital status (single, married, widowed, or divorced)
• Whether married within previous year
• Month of marriage, if married within previous year
• Deaf, dumb, blind, or insane
• Occupation
• Sick or temporarily disabled
• Whether maimed, crippled, bedridden, or otherwise disabled
• Convict status
• Prisoner status
• Homeless child status
• Parents' places of birth
• Whether they'd attended school in the previous year
• Ability to read and write in English
• Value of home
• Citizenship
• Number of years in U.S.
• Naturalization
• Ability to speak English
• Whether soldier or sailor during the Civil War
• Name of street and number of house
• City, village, town, or borough
• County