Historical Demography Longitudinal Data Series

The datasets in this series are products of an NICHD-funded project to archive, preserve, and disseminate historically and demographically significant data about the United States. Most of these studies consist of longitudinal data describing life histories, and some cover multiple generations. Recent developments in population-related sciences, such as the bio-demography of aging and the evolutionary biology of reproduction, have renewed interest in data that follow individuals throughout their lives and across generations. Some of these datasets were created in the early days of quantitative historical research, and their contents depend upon the availability and quality of sources. When appropriate, datasets have been transformed into the Intermediate Data Structure (IDS), an emerging standard for longitudinal historical demographic data which facilitates event history analysis and international comparisons.