Census Records
If you would like to transcribe census records for USGenWeb, please visit the Census Transcription Project .
Folks with free accounts can search and view census records at FamilySearch.org.
Bee county wasn't created until 1857 so the first US census for the county was in 1860. The 1850 census for the area is included in one of its parent counties - Goliad, Live Oak, Refugio, San Patricio - depending on where the family lived.
During the years from 1793 through 1834 - as Texas evolved from a province in the declining Spanish
empire to a state (in combination with Coahuila) in the independent Mexican nation - local Mexican authorities
attempted to conduct censuses on an annual basis1. The results are found in microfilm copies of the
Bexar Archives collection in the Briscoe Center for American History at the University of Texas at Austin. We have some
of that work transcribed on this site, the 1835 Census, and you can find original images
for some of the work at the
Portal to Texas History
The 1850 Federal Census gives names, ages, places of birth, values of real estate, Color (White,
black or mulatto) and occupations but also has columns for married within the year, attended school within the year,
person over 20 who cannot read or write and "Whether deaf and dumb, blind, insane, idiotic, pauper or convict"; which
can make interesting notes.
In addition to the 1850 columns, the 1860 Federal Census asked for value of personal property. We
have an index for the heads of households on this site and we have an index and
images of the 1860 in the Archives.
The 1870 Federal Census added columns for born within the year (asking for the month), whether
parents were foreign-born and two questions about men over 20 (voting information). We
have an index for the heads of households on this site.
In 1880, the the Federal Census is further broken into enumeration districts. This is the first
census to ask for marital status and relationships within a household. We
have a complete index on this site. You can search and view this census at
FamilySearch.org.
The 1900 Federal Census is the first census to ask for years married and asks women how many
children they've borne and how many are living. It also asked for the month and year that each person was born, the year
they immigrated and whether they own or rent their homes. There are also columns for street addresses but they were not
generally used in rural areas. We
have a partial index on this site.
1910 - This is the second census that asked for number of years married, number of children borne by
females and number of living children. The index to this census is available to everyone with a free account at the LDS
on-line library.
The 1920 Census was enumerated in January and many families were missed, likely due to weather. It
offers very little in the way of extra information except for the names of the roads on which the people lived. The
index to this census is available to everyone with a free account at the LDS on-line library.
The 1930 offers addresses for folks in town, age at first marriage and veteran status. The index to
this census is available to everyone with a free account at the LDS on-line library.
The 1940 offers addresses for folks in town, education level, residence in 1935, employment status
and total income for 1939. The index to this census is available to everyone with a free account at the LDS on-line
library.
[1Handbook of Texas]