Story County, Iowa
1870 Federal Census



Search Story Co. 1870 Census Records

The census has been abstracted from microfilm (Series M593 Roll 420). This is the second federal census for Story County. The effective date of the census was 01 Jun 1870. Errors may have been introduced by the census taker or by my transcription.

Search results contain an abstract of the data for the individuals found. Views of the census pages, seen when selecting an individual in search results or when browsing the census, contain all of the census data found on that page excepting handwritten totals on each page.

The 1870 Census data is comprised of:

  • Page Number. The pages begin at number 44. Each page has two parts, which are here qualified with "a" and "b", thus the first page is 44a. Shown at the top of each census page view and on each surname search result line.
  • Location. Shown at the top of each census page view and on each surname search result line. The following townships had not yet been formed in 1870:
    Township    Later Formed From:
    RichlandEqual parts of Nevada and Sherman Twps
    WarrenEqual parts of Howard and Lincoln Twps
    In addition, New Albany Twp would lose part of its territory to Nevada township after this census.
  • Post Office. Shown at the top of each census page view and on each surname search result line.
  • Enumerator's Name. The entire 1870 Story County census was enumerated by V. A. Ballue, assistant Marshall. Shown at the top of each census page view.
  • Date of Enumeration. This is the date the information was collected. The date has been reformatted to the form "dd mmm yyyy." On some pages more than one date is shown making it difficult to know when certain households were enumerated. Shown at the top of each census page view.
  • Dwelling Number Numbered within township. Appears on all census lines under heading "Dw."
  • Family Number. Numbered within township. Appears on all census lines under heading "Fam."
  • Name. I have separated the surname from the given names so the surname can be used for searching.
  • Age
  • Sex
  • Color.
  • Profession, Occupation or Trade of each person, male or female..
  • Value of Real Estate. When present, this information is listed under the title "Various" on the census page view (not on surname search results).
  • Value of Personal Property. When present, this information is listed under the title "Various" on the census page view (not on surname search results).
  • Place of Birth. Place names are have been standardized (such as spelling out full state name instead of copy abbreviations) unless the name is ambiguous.
  • Father of Foreign Birth. When present, this information is listed under the title "Various" on the census page view (not on surname search results).
  • Mother of Foreign Birth. When present, this information is listed under the title "Various" on the census page view (not on surname search results).
  • Month Born if Born Within Year. The year is defined as 01 Jun 1869 to 31 May 1870. When present, this information is listed under the title "Various" on the census page view (not on surname search results).
  • Month Married if Married Within Year. The year is defined as 01 Jun 1869 to 31 May 1870. When present, this information is listed under the title "Various" on the census page view (not on surname search results). The month has been standardized to a three character abbreviation.
  • Whether married within the year. The year should be 01 Jun 1879 to 31 May 1880. When present, this information is listed under the title "Various" on the census page view (not on surname search results). The month has been standardized to a three character abbreviation.
  • Whether attended school within the year. The year should be 01 Jun 1879 to 31 May 1880. When present, this information is listed under the title "Various" on the census page view (not on surname search results).
  • Whether a person over 20 years of age who cannot read. When present, this information is listed under the title "Various" on the census page view (not on surname search results).
  • Whether a person over 20 years of age who cannot write. When present, this information is listed under the title "Various" on the census page view (not on surname search results).
  • Whether deaf and dumb, blind, insane, or idiotic. When present, this information is listed under the title "Various" on the census page view (not on surname search results).
  • Male Citizens of U. S. of 21 Years of Age and Upwards.. When present, this information is listed as "Male Citizen 21+" under the title "Various" on the census page view (not on surname search results).
  • Male Citizen of 21 Years of Age and Upwards, Where Right to Vote is Denied or Abridged on Other Grounds, than Rebellion or Other Crime.. When present, this information is listed as "Male Citizen 21+" under the title "Various" on the census page view (not on surname search results).
The following information is included in the transcription but is not taken directly from the census:
  • AKA. This is a name that the person was also known as. Often this results from the census enumerator incorrectly recording the surname. No attempt was made to correct this. However, where the surname seems to be incorrect or may known to be changed at a later time, the alternative surname is included in the AKA field. When present, the AKA is shown directly after the recorded surname.
  • AKA Source. When an AKA is given, this is the source for that surname. It is shown is parenthesis under the AKA name. The meaning of the sources listed in the transcribed data are given here:
    1856 CEN
    1856 Story County, Iowa Census
    Alt Read
    Sometimes a name can be read more than one way. This is a possible alternative reading of the surname.
    Cem Rec
    Family names on grave markers. See the excellent publications "Story County Grave Marker Inscriptions" which are for sale by the Iowa Genealogical Society
    Ed Guess
    My educated guess based upon knowledge of Story County family names. Take it for what it is worth!
    Mar Rec
    Story County marriage records.
    W.G. Allen
    "History of Story County" by W.G. Allen published 1887.
  • Transcriber comments. When present, this information is listed under the title "Various" on the census page view (not on surname search results).

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