Oklahoma Census Records

See Also Researching in Census Records - What is the name, age, sex, color, occupation, and birthplace of each person residing in this house? Which of these individuals attended school or was married within the year? Who among them is deaf and dumb, blind, insane, “idiotic,” a pauper, or a convict? Is there anyone in the household over twenty years of age who cannot read and write? What is the name of the slave owner? How many slaves belong to the owner? What is the tribe of this Indian? What were the places of birth of the person’s parents? In what year did this person immigrate to the United States and, if naturalized, what was the year of naturalization? For answers to these and other questions, researchers look to census records......

Statewide Records that exist for Oklahoma 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1890 (fragment, see below), 1900, 1910, 1920 and 1930. Those who were not Native American but who were residing in Indian Territory were enumerated in the federal census of 1860. These schedules are recorded under “Indian Lands” and follow the enumeration for Yell County, Arkansas, in the microfilm editions. Some natives were also included in the slave schedules of 1860.

In the 1890 and 1900 census enumerations, the present-day state was divided into Oklahoma Territory and Indian Territory. None of the population returns for 1890 survived, but returns for both territories in the special schedule enumerating Union veterans and widows of Union Veterans Schedules of the Civil War in 1890 are available on one microfilm reel. The only extant population census enumerations for 1890 for Indian Territory is for the Cherokee Nation.

Census enumerations for 1900 for both Oklahoma and Indian territories are on separate microfilm reels. Reel numbers for the area called “Oklahoma” follow those for Ohio but include only schedules for Oklahoma Territory counties, Oklahoma Territory Indian Reservation, and military and naval jurisdictions. The 1900 census for Indian Territory is grouped separately in microfilm reels following the territories of Wyoming, Alaska, and Hawaii. Indicating a final resolution to the dispute over jurisdiction of Greer County, which functioned as part of Texas between 1886 and 1896, Greer County was included in the 1900 Oklahoma Territory census. In 1910 the first federal census for the state of Oklahoma was enumerated.

  There are Industry and Agriculture Schedules (lists do not exist for all counties for each year) availible for the years 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880. The Mortality Schedules for the years 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880. Union Veterans Schedules were conducted in 1890. Census of surviving Union veterans of the Civil War or their widows, listing service information, any service-connected disability, and current address.

Native American - The Cherokee Nation took its own censuses in 1880 and 1890, and according to the Indian Archives at the Oklahoma Historical Society, the censuses are considered fairly accurate. The originals are at the Indian Archives where microfilm copies are available for sale but not for interlibrary loan. Other repositories may have copies. In 1896, in association with the Dawes Commission in determining Cherokee citizenship, another census was taken but is not considered as accurate, with many claims of citizenship eventually overturned.

Other enumerations are included at the Indian Archives, Oklahoma Historical Society, and among the Bureau of Indian Affairs resources. Some published censuses of Native Americans include:
1851 Census Drennen Roll of Cherokee and Court Claims Records. Tulsa, Okla.: Indian Nations Press.
Wagner, Rosalie, comp. Cherokee Nation 1890 Census, Index of Persons Living Under Permit in the Coo-Wee-Scoo-Wee and Delaware Districts. Vinita, Okla.: Northeast Oklahoma Genealogical Society, 1986.

Territorial - An Oklahoma Territory census was taken in June 1890 for the seven territorial counties. In 1907 a census was recorded, but the only remaining schedule is for Seminole County. Some school censuses are available at the respective county's superintendent of schools. These records may contain full name of student, birth date, and parents' names.

• Oklahoma Census Books at Amazon.com
• Oklahoma Territorial Census, 1890 and 1907: This database contains the the 1890 and 1907 Oklahoma Territorial censuses. The 1890 census enumerates the following seven counties: Beaver, Canadian, Cleveland, Kingfisher, Logan, Oklahoma, and Payne. The only schedules that remain for the 1907 census are for Seminole County. The following information is available in this database: name, relationship to head of household, race, gender, and age.

  In June 1890 a territorial census of Oklahoma was taken. It enumerated the following seven counties: Beaver, Canadian, Cleveland, Kingfisher, Logan, Oklahoma and Payne. In 1907 a census of Indian and Oklahoma territories, comprising the proposed state of Oklahoma, was also taken. However, only the schedules for Seminole County exist. These schedules are also included in this database.

  The 1890 U.S. Federal Census was damaged and destroyed by fire in 1921. None of the Oklahoma population schedules survived. In fact, less than 1% of all the schedules are available for research today. Because of this problem, the Oklahoma Territorial Census is a highly valuable source, as it provides a wealth of information that would otherwise be found in the Federal Census.

• U.S. Indian Census Schedules, 1885-1940: This database contains an index to the Indian census rolls from 1885-1940. Other information about an individual, such as degree of Indian blood, as recorded in the later census years, may be available on the original record. Be sure to view the corresponding image in order to obtain all possible information about an individual. The Indian Census schedules are census rolls usually submitted each year by agents or superintendents in charge of Indian reservations, as required by an act of 4 July 1884 (23 Stat. 98). The data on the rolls varies to some extent. For certain years – including 1935, 1936, 1938, and 1939 – only supplemental rolls of additions and deletions were compiled.

  There is not a census for every reservation or group of Indians for every year. Only persons who maintained a formal affiliation with a tribe under federal supervision are listed on these census rolls. Most of the rolls for the year 1940 were retained by the Bureau of Indian Affairs and are not included in this database. Rolls were not required to be submitted after 1940 so only a few post-1940 records are included here.

• U.S. Native American Enrollment Cards for the Five Civilized Tribes, 1898-1914 : In 1893 a Congressional law was passed that established what became known as the Dawes Commission. This Commission was responsible for negotiating agreements with the Five Civilized Tribes – the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, and Seminole. The agreements provided for the dissolution of the tribal governments and the allotment of land to each tribal member. In 1898 the Commission began preparing tribal membership rolls which were the basis for the land allotment. In the years following, the Commission oversaw applications for tribal citizenship. In 1907 the tribal membership rolls were officially closed. However, under a 1914 act, an additional 312 individuals were enrolled.
• Census & Voter Lists - A census is an official list of the people in a particular area at a given time, while voter lists show those who were registered to vote in a certain area. The valuable information found on census records helps you to understand your family in their time and place. Voter Lists serve as a confirmation of residence in between the years that the census was taken.

Since 1790, the U.S. government has taken a nationwide population count every ten years. Unique in scope and often surprisingly detailed, the census population schedules created from 1790 to 1920 are among the most used of records created by the federal government. Over the course of two centuries the United States has changed significantly, and so has the census. From the six basic questions asked in the 1790 census, the scope and categories of information have changed and expanded dramatically.

Early censuses were essentially basic counts of inhabitants; but as the nation grew, so did the need for statistics that would reflect the characteristics of the people. In 1850, the focus of the census was radically broadened. Going far beyond the vague questions previously asked of heads of households, the 1850 census enumerators were instructed to ask the age, sex, color, occupation, birthplace, and other questions regarding every individual in every household. Succeeding enumerations solicited more information; by 1920, census enumerators asked twenty-nine questions of every head of household and almost as many questions of everyone else in the residence. (Only a very small segment of the 1890 census remains; a fire in the Commerce Department destroyed the vast majority of the original records for that year. Because of privacy considerations, census records less than seventy-two years old are not available to the general public; thus, the 1930 census is the most recent available to the public.)

Few, if any, records reveal as many details about individuals and families as do the U.S. federal censuses. The population schedules are successive “snapshots” of Americans that depict where and how they were living at particular periods in the past. Once home sources and library sources have been exhausted, the census is often the best starting point for further genealogical research. Statewide indexes (see “Indexes,” below) are available for almost every census; they are logical tools for locating individuals whose precise place of residence is unknown. While some inaccuracies are to be expected in census records, they still provide some of the most fascinating and useful pieces of personal history to be found in any source. If nothing else, census records are important sources for placing individuals in specific places at specific times. Additionally, information found in the census will often point to other sources critical to complete research, such as court, land, military, immigration, naturalization, and vital records.

The importance of census records does not diminish over time in any research project. It is always wise to return to these records as discoveries are made in other sources because, as you discover new evidence about individuals, some information that seemed unrelated or unimportant in a first look at the census may take on new importance.

When you can’t find family, vital, or religious records, census records may be the only means of documenting the events of a person’s life. Vital registration—the official recording of births, deaths, and marriages—did not begin until around 1920 in many areas of the United States, and fires, floods and other disasters since have destroyed some official government records. When other documentation is missing, census records are frequently used by individuals who must prove their age or citizenship status (or that of their parents) for Social Security benefits, insurance, passports, and other important reasons.

How to Find Census Records - All available federal census schedules (those made from 1790 to 1920) have been microfilmed and are available at the National Archives in Washington, D.C.; at the National Archives’ regional archives; at the Family History Library of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS church) in Salt Lake City and LDS family history centers throughout North America (see chapter 8, “The Family History Library and Its Centers”) ; at many large libraries; in genealogical society libraries; and through companies that lend microfilmed records. Some state and local agencies have census schedules for the state or area they serve. Generally, microfilm copies may be borrowed through interlibrary loan.

Starting With the Census - It is usually best to begin a census search in the most recently available census records (1920) and to work from what is already known about a family. With any luck, birthplaces and other clues found in these more recent records will point to locations of earlier residence.