WHERE DO I START:  When starting to record your family tree, start with yourself and what you know about your immediate family and work backward.

ENTERING DATES:  Enter all dates in genealogy software using the ddMONTHyyyy format, e.g., 11 May 1943, to avoid confusion.

DATES AND PLACES:  When entering dates and places into your genealogy software, a guess is better than a blank. If you don't know the exact date, perhaps you can offer a best guess such as Abt.1928. If you don't know the exact place, just providing the state such as MICHIGAN would help. If you really don't have a clue, then leave it blank.

ENTERING LOCATIONS:  Enter locations using all jurisdictions, e.g., city (or township, if rural), county, state and country, going from smallest jurisdiction to largest. As an example, Beaverton, Michigan would be entered as Beaverton, Gladwin, Michigan, USA; Butman Twp. would be Butman Twp, Gladwin, Michigan, USA. If you don't know which county a city or township is in, use Google to find out. Most genealogy software will prompt you to enter a complete jurisdiction.

Enter the complete state name rather than postal codes to avoid mix-ups. As an example, CA is the postal code for California but it is also the abbreviation for Canada.

RECORDING WOMEN'S BIRTH NAMES:  Enter the females in your family tree with their maiden name. If you don't know the maiden name, either leave the space blank or enter five underscores. I prefer the underscores because if there is a first and middle name, e.g., Janice Scott, I cannot tell at a glance if Scott is the middle name or the last name.  But, if it is recorded as Janice Scott _____, I can immediately see that the last name is missing.  DO NOT enter the husband's surname or any other alpha-numeric characters in the wife's last name field if her maiden name is unknown. Doing so interferes with the hint system in genealogy software.

It is important to always use the same number of underscores. It can be three, five or whatever you choose. Just be consistent so that these will sort correctly in a list.

• The U.S. census privacy law is 72 years; therefore, the last U.S. census available to the public is the 1950 census.
• The Canadian census privacy law is 90 years; therefore, the last Canadian census available to the public is the 1931 census.
• The U.K. census privacy law is 100 years; therefore, the last U.K. census available to the public is the 1921 census.

1790: First U.S. census was conducted. Facts limited to name of head of household and number of individuals present (free or enslaved). Total loss of records for DE, GA, KY, NJ, TN and VA.

1800: Location of residence and additional age categories added. Total loss of records for GA, KY, NJ, TN, and VA.

1810: Total loss of records for GA, NJ, OH, TN and Washington D.C..

1820: Some occupational facts were collected; non-naturalized persons were counted. Partial loss of records for AL, AR, MO, NJ, and TN.

1830: Printed schedules were used for the first time. Partial loss of records for MA, MD, and MS.

1840: Facts regarding adult literacy were collected. Those who served in the Revolutionary War were identified.

1850: Non-enslaved people were now listed by full name. Questions were expanded to include age, race, gender, occupation, place of birth, and more.

1860: Information regarding the value of personal estates was added. Asked if married within year.

1870: Slave schedules were discontinued. Birth month was recorded for infants under one and for those.who married during census year. Asked if parents were foreign born.

1880: Additional facts were added to include birthplace of parents and relationship to head of household.

1885: A little known, partial census was conducted in a handful of states and territories.

1890: Several new inquiries were added including date of immigration and number of children. Near total loss of records for all states.

1900: Additional facts regarding home ownership were gathered. Recorded month and year of birth, number of years married, mother of how many children, number of living children and year of immigration to U.S.

1910: Questions regarding military service and employment were expanded. The native language of each individual was also recorded along with number of years of present marriage and whether or not person was a confederate or union veteran.

1920: For the first time, individuals were recorded by permanent residence rather than by location. Native Americans were no longer enumerated separately.

1930: Additional race classifications were added. Age at first marriage, birthplaces of parents and whether head of household served in military was specified. Also asked if they owned a radio.

1940: Supplemental questions were added for 5% of the population regarding military, employment, and children. The identity of the person who answered the census takers questions was sometimes specified by adding a circled X behind their name. The supplemental questions included such items as: did they have a SSN, were the women married more than once, and the number of children born.

1950: Supplemental questions were added for 20% of the population.