What is the Census Tree?
The Census Tree is the largest-ever database of record links among the historical U.S. censuses, with over 700 million links for people living in the United States between 1850 and 1940.
Why was it created?
These links will allow academic researchers to follow men and women throughout their lives, and to connect people to their family members and others. These links are essential for research on important topics like intergenerational mobility, the effects of early life experiences, and the impacts of public policy.
Who is included?
In a breakthrough for social sciences research, nearly half of the Census Tree links are for women. And because the Census Tree contains an unprecedented number of links, it includes large samples of people from underrepresented groups, including 41.5 million Black Americans.
How is this possible?
Many of the links in the Census Tree were created by people doing research on their own family histories, using the genealogy platform FamilySearch.org. We then build on these links using both traditional matching strategies and machine learning. Learn more here.