The census is, without a doubt, the most used resource for genealogists. Thus, researchers must sift through thousands of pages of these records looking for individuals arranged by the random routes taken by census enumerators. While the federal government made several efforts to index these census records, most were not indexed. Until now, there has been no guide to all census indexes.
Tom Kemp's new book, The American Census Handbook, is the first general guide to the thousands of published census indexes currently available in print and online and is sure to be used by beginning and experienced genealogists alike. This essential reference lets researchers quickly see what is available for their area of interest and lets them know what records, indexes, and abstracts are available on microfilm, on CD-ROM, on the web, or published as books or articles.
Arranged chronologically by year, geographically, and by general topics (this section includes indexes that focus on ethnic groups as well as indexes to current and former military personnel and their families),
The American Census Handbook includes information on
federal, state, county and
town census records. This one-stop source for census research is an essential purchase for all genealogists who want to save time and effort as they search for valuable information about their ancestors.
Thomas Kemp, a well-known librarian and genealogist, is the chair of the Genealogy Committee of the American Library Association and serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the Federation of Genealogical Societies. He is also the author of the best-selling Virtual Roots: A Guide to Genealogy and Local History on the World Wide Web and The Genealogist's Virtual Library: Full-Text Books on the World Wide Web as well as many other books.
