1850 or 2020 Census? I'd Rather Have the 1850, Please

In March, 2020, our mailbox received not just one but three pieces of mail from the U.S. Census Bureau.  Two were envelopes, the other a postcard.  All three announced that our response was required by law.  And census day wasn't until April 1.  With so many deaths from this pandemic I wonder if the descendants of some early responders to the census questions might be confused by seeing an ancestor listed as alive in the census on April 1, 2020, yet finding a death certificate for the ancestor dated sometime in March, 2020.

Responding to the questions online, all 13 of them, brought to mind the 1850 U.S. census with its 13 questions.  They rival each other for brevity, if not content.  I know the U.S. Census was not created to benefit family historians but from a family history viewpoint I'd rather have the 1850 census over the 2020 any day.  You? 

Just for interest's sake, here are the questions from each of these two census years.  The questions asked on the 1850 U. S. Census (and all other years except 2020) can be found at United States Census Index of Questions.  The questions on the 2020 U.S. Census can be found at United States Census 2020 - Questions Asked on the Form where you can read why the questions were asked and a guide for responding if you have any doubts.

1850 U.S. Census, Questions for Free Inhabitants  (Census date was June 1.)

1. Number of dwelling house (in order visited)
2. Number of family (in order visited)
3. Name
4. Age
5. Sex
6. Color  (This column was to be left blank if a person was White, marked "B" if a person was Black, and marked "M" if a person was Mulatto.)
7. Profession, occupation, or trade of each person over 15 years of age
8. Value of real estate owned by person
9. Place of Birth  (If a person was born in the United States, the enumerator was to enter the state they were born in. If the person was born outside of the United States, the enumerator was to enter their native country.)
10. Was the person married within the last year?
11. Was the person at school within the last year?
12. If this person was over 20 years of age, could they read and write?
13. Is the person "deaf, dumb, blind, insane, idiotic, pauper, or convict?

2020 Census Questions  (Census date was April 1.)
Questions 1-5 were household questions.  Numbers 6-13 were to be answered for each individual living at the address.

1. Number of people living or staying at this address
2. Name of each person who was living or staying at this address
3. Was the house, apartment, or mobile home owned by you or someone in this household with a mortgage or loan; owned by you or someone in this household free and clear (without a mortgage or loan); rented; or occupied without payment of rent?
4. Your telephone number
5. Person's name
6. Sex
7. Age and date of birth
8. Of Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish origin (with option to answer yes or no)?
9. Race (Each option has a space to claim a more detailed ancestry such as Black or African American; American Indian or Alaska Native; Chinese; Asian Indian; Samoan; etc.)
10. Name of Person 2 living at this address
11. Does this person usually live or stay somewhere else?
12. How is other person living in the home related to the first person?  (Respondent can choose from sixteen relationship options.)

There's not much overlap in the questions:  name, age, sex, color.  And location.

Paper-lover that I am, it's hard to imagine what this 2020 census would look like if it had to be compiled into a form other than online.  I love the paper census pages with columns of questions and rows with names and responses to the questions.  The organization makes it easy to view quickly as well as comb through carefully.  This 2020 Census will probably never be presented in such a simple format.

As brief and uninformative as the 2020 Census is (from a genealogist's viewpoint) there's a good chance that any of you reading this post and many others who won't but who are family historians, are already keeping records for yourself and your immediate family members which will give more information than a U.S. Census ever could.  Pity the new researcher in 2092 who's just beginning, hoping to find helpful information in the 2020 census.

–Nancy.

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