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Iowa's State Census Years Transcription Priorities

Priorities based on inclusiveness and time distance from Federal Censuses.  You are NOT limited to doing only the higher priority years, these are just the ones we feel would be of the most interest to the greatest number of visitors.  We would be Extremely grateful for any census you would like to transcribe.

YEAR

COVERAGE

NOTES

PRIORITY

1836 Wisconsin Territorial Census: Includes the original counties of Dubuque and Demoines; covered the area to become Iowa. Lists the head of household and the number of males and females within certain age groups. Med Low
1838 Wisconsin Territorial Census: Includes the original counties of Dubuque and Demoines along with Cedar, Clayton, Clinton, Johnson, Lee, Louisa, Muscatine, Slaughter (renamed Washington) and Van Buren counties; covered the area to become Iowa. Lists names of masters, mistresses, stewards, overseers or other principal persons; white males, white females, free males of color and free females of color.  Only Van Buren county is available at the FHL. Med
1840 Territorial Census; 18 original counties and several precincts which comprised the area then known as Iowa.   Low
1841 Special Census: Includes head of household; Incomplete   Low
1844 Special Census: Johnson County. Lists the head of household and "Number of Souls". Low
1844 Special Census: Keokuk County only. Lists Head of Household and number of males over 21, males under 21 and females Low
1846 Special Census: Louisa, Polk, and Wapello counties. Lists the head of household and the number of males under 21, males over 21, females under 21 and females over 21. Low
1847 Special Census: Clinton, Davis, Louisa, Marion, Scott, Van Buren & Wapello counties. Lists head of household and the total number of persons living in the household. Low
1849 Special Census: Benton, Boone, Clinton, Jackson, Louisa, Madison, Poweshiek, Scott, Van Buren, & Washington counties.   Low
1850 Special Census: Black Hawk, Pottawatomie, Tama, Clarke, Taylor, & Page counties.   Low
1851 Special Census: Cedar, Clinton, Decatur, Guthrie, Iowa, Jackson, Jasper, Jefferson, Johnson, Madison, Mahaska, Page, Pottawattamie, Poweshiek, Scott, & Washington counties.   Low
1852 Special Census: Appanoose, Benton, Black Hawk, Boone, Bremer, Buchanan, Butler, Cedar, Clarke, Clayton, Clinton, Davis, Des Moines, Fayette, Fremont, Guthrie, Henry, Iowa, Jackson, Jasper, Jefferson, Johnson, Jones, Keokuk, Lee, Linn, Louisa, Lucas, Madison, Mahaska, Muscatine, Marion, Marshall, Mills, Monroe, Page, Polk, Pottawattamie, Poweshiek, Scott, Tama, Taylor, Union, Van Buren, Warren, Washington, Winnesheik, Wapello and Wayne counties.   Med High
1853 Special Census: Warren County only.   Low
1854 Special Census: Adams, Adair, Allamakee, Appanoose, Benton, Black Hawk, Boone, Bremer, Buchanan, Cedar, Chickasaw, Clarke, Clayton, Clinton, Crawford, Dallas, Davis, Decatur, Delaware, Dubuque, Des Moines, Fayette, Fremont, Guthrie, Hardin, Harrison, Henry, Iowa, Jackson, Jasper, Jefferson, Johnson, Jones, Keokuk, Lee, Linn, Louisa, Lucas, Madison, Mahaska, Marion, Marshall, Mills, Monona, Muscatine, Montgomery, Monroe, Page, Polk, Pottawattamie, Poweshiek, Scott, Shelby, Story, Tama, Taylor, Union, Van Buren, Wapello, Warren, Washington, Wayne, Webster and Winnesheik counties.   High
1856 State Population Census; First Iowa state census naming every member of the household. Also states years resided in state.   Very High
1859 Special Census: Adair, Adams, Allamakee, Appanoose, Audubon, Benton, Black Hawk, Boone, Bremer, Buchanan, Butler, Calhoun, Carroll, Cass, Cedar, Cerro Gordo, Cherokee, Chickasaw, Clarke, Clayton, Clinton, Crawford, Dallas, Davis, Decatur, Delaware, Des Moines, Dickinson, Dubuque, Fayette, Floyd, Franklin, Fremont, Greene, Grundy, Guthrie, Hamilton, Hancock, Hardin, Harrison, Henry, Howard, Humboldt, Ida, Iowa, Jackson, Jasper, Lucas, Madison, Mahaska, Marion, Marshall, Mills, Mitchell, Monona, Monroe, Montgomery, Muscatine, Page, Palo Alto, Plymouth, Pocahontas, Polk, Pottawattamie, Poweshiek, Ringgold, Sac, Scott, Shelby, Story, Tama, Taylor, Union, Van Buren, Wapello, Warren, Washington, Wayne, Webster, Winnebago, Winnesheik, Woodbury, Worth and Wright counties.   Med
1881 City/Town Schedules: Mason City, Cerro Gordo County only.   Low
1885 State Population Census   Very High
1888 City/Town Schedules: Algona, Kossuth County only.   Low
1889 City/Town Schedules: North Des Moines, Polk County; Cherokee, Cherokee County.   Low
1891 City/Town Schedules: Emmetsburg, Palo Alto County; Spencer, Clay County; Villisca, Montgomery County.   Low
1892 City/Town Schedules: Carroll, Carroll County; Wright and Eagle Grove, Wright County; Esterville, Emmett County; Jefferson, Greene County; Tama, Tama County   Low
1893 City/Town Schedules: Mystic, Appanoose County; Hampton, Franklin County; Ames and Nevada, Story County; West Union, Fayette County   Low
1895 State Population Census   Very High
1895 City/Town Schedules: Bloomfield, Davis County; Independence, Buchanan County.   Med
1896 Oelwein, Fayette County.   Low
1897 City/Town Schedules: New Hampton, Chickasaw County.   Low
1905 State Population Census; difficult to read.   Med
1915 State Population Census; filmed on 16mm with high reduction 42x filming & needs a high magnification reader to read it.   Med
1925 State Population Census; by townships; lists names, relationships, sex, age, marital status and date if married, parent's names and birth place of parents.   Very High
 
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