We have discussed the value of census records before. But were you aware that there are at least 5 hidden clues in the US Census? Here are the 5 things you might want to look for.

1. 1940 Census: The X in the circle. One of the challenges with the US census is that we don’t always know the source of the information. Did the informant know what they were talking about? In the 1940 census, the enumerators were instructed to mark the name of informant with an X that was circled. This clue can help you decide if the information given is accurate. But just a word of caution: Even if the informant if a member of the family, it doesn’t mean that the information is accurate. My aunt was the informant in the 1940 census for her family. She didn’t, however, know the correct age of her mother. If we were to believe the information given, then my other aunt would have been too old to be a daughter, more like a sister.
2. 1910 Census: Civil War Service. We almost always concentrate on the left-hand side of the census record. That’s where the names, ages, and other vital information. But if you will move t0 the far right of the entries, you will discover column 30: “Whether a survivor of the Union or Confederate Army or Navy.” If that column has letters in it, you might want to know what they stand for: UA of Union Army. UN for Union Navy, CA for Confederate Army, and CN for Confederate Navy.
3. 1840 Census: Military Pensioners. It’s easy to ignore the pre-1850 census records because they only list the name of head of household. On the right-hand side of the 1840 census there’s a column for “Pensioners for Revolutionary or Military Services, Included in the Foregoing.” The column next to it is for the person’s age. But this column is not just limited to the head of household! Anyone in the household who was a pensioner could be identified here. The key here is that you always look across the entire page for information. You never know what you can find!
4. 1880 Census: Disabilities. In the 1880 Census, questions 16-20 ask if the person was blind, “deaf and dumb,” idiotic, insane, or “maimed, crippled, bedridden or otherwise disabled.” If you find any of these columns checked, then you can look for the Special Schedule of Defective, Dependent, and Delinquent Classes. Once at this schedule, you can look for your ancestor. If listed, there may be other clues to help you find out about that ancestor such as the level of disability, possible school where the person might be lodged, etc.
5. 1850-1870 Census: Agriculture and Manufacturers. These three censuses had additional schedules for agriculture and industry. Look to see of your ancestor is listed as a farmer or an occupation where he or she was manufacturing some things. Then you can go to these schedules to get more information about them. Keep in mind that if your ancestor was a farmer he may also have had a second means of producing income like tannery or sawmill. Both of these schedules can be found on Ancestry and FamilySearch. [Source: Amy Johnson Crow, “5 Hidden Clues in the US Census,” 6 April 2018]