Census Information

Census records containing personal information are restricted for 72 years to protect individual privacy. For small geographic areas, even statistical data may be withheld. The most recent census with publicly available individual records is from 1950.

Earlier censuses were created in three versions: a local (county) copy, a state copy, and a federal copy. The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) holds and has microfilmed the federal copies, while many state archives maintain their own versions, either on microfilm or as manuscripts. Local copies rarely survived, but our Archives Department has some for Brown County. While the content should be the same across versions, minor differences may exist.

Checking multiple electronic versions can also be helpful, as indexing and image quality may vary.

Most records from the 1890 census were lost in a fire.