Census FAQ

1. Who is included in the Census tables on this web site?
   
   The census summaries on this site include information on households that include at least one individual with the Hollingsworth surname, or one of the common variants (Hollingworth, Hollandsworth, etc.)
   
   
2. What census data is included on the site and how frequently was the census taken in the included countries?
   
   Census data is included for states and territories in the United States and for Provinces in Canada
   
   Census information was collected every ten years in  the United States, starting in 1790. However, some early census data was lost when the British burned Washington DC in the War of 1812. Also, the almost the entire 1890 census and much or the original data for the 1800 and 1810 census was lost in a 1921 fire in the Commerce Department Building in Washington, DC. The most recent US census released to public domain was the 1930 census. The 1940 census is due for release in 2012
   
   Canadian census information is available from 1841 on, with the  1901 census the last in public domain. The 1911 census is due for release in 2011.
   
   It is the intent to eventually expand the census area to include Hollingsworth census summaries for England, Austrailia and South Africa.
   
   
3. How are families grouped in the census listings on this site?
   
   Households are grouped at a minimum by county within each state or province listing, and often are further broken down by towns, cities, wards, etc. within that county.
   
   Each household is grouped together on successive lines within each geographical subdivision, with a blank line always separating each unique family group. In many cases, individuals with different last names are part of a single household.  Residents in a family group share the last name of the Head of Household unless there is different name listed in the "Last Name" column. If a last name different from the Head of Household appears in the "Last Name" column, then subsequent residents with a blank in the "Last Name" column also share that "different" last name.
   
   
4. Why are the headings different on various census listings?
   
   The federal government determined the data that was to be collected in each census. This changed from decade to decade and thus the headings for census data from different years will often be different.
   
   
5. Where did the census info on this site come from?
   
   Doug Hollingsworth has distilled the relevant Hollingsworth census info from each census using a variety of sources. Attribution for census data where applicable is listed at the end of a census summary.
   
   
6. What is the purpose of the ancestral information listed after many of the household groups?
   
   Where it can be identified, Doug has included information to show how each Hollingsworth head of household (or other senior Hollingsworth member of the household) is descended from earlier Hollingsworth ancestors, back to Valentine or other original immigrant where possible. This should help researchers determine if an individual in the census is related to their branch of the family.
   
   

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