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DSelvey
Starting member
USA
8 Posts |
 Posted - 29/12/2013 : 01:08:25
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| From what I can determine, the year of arrival was first asked on the 1900 census. For some of the early immigrants, their answer to this question may have been a best guess 50 or so years later. |
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slaleike
Junior member
USA
57 Posts |
Posted - 01/04/2014 : 06:24:49
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| I don't know about when the census takers started asking 'year of arrival.' What I do know is that, even with the most easily tracked of my relatives, the ones from Gjerpen, there are varying dates for immigration (census and a caption in a book with photos taken by Andrew Dahl - many of which are archived by the Wisconsin State Historical Society), dates of birth (census and gravestones), and so on. I have actually come to trust the old church records from Gjerpen more than some of the census data. But who knew way back then that we would all want to learn so much.... |
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JaneC
Norway Heritage Veteran
USA
3020 Posts |
Posted - 01/04/2014 : 16:15:30
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1890 US federal census, which was mostly lost to a fire, asked: "How many years has the person been in the United States?" 1900 US federal census would be the first US federal census that we can reliably access, that asked this question. The 1900 also asked, "What year did the person immigrate to the United States?"
On this link, click on the year to see the questions asked on the US federal census in that year:
http://www.census.gov/history/www/through_the_decades/index_of_questions/
Another reason (among others) that census data varies so much is that the informant in each case varied. Helps to have an understanding that the further away (in time and in location) from the actual person and the actual event, the more the likelihood of error or misleading info. |
Edited by - JaneC on 01/04/2014 16:23:34 |
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U.S. Year of Arrival
