Massachusetts State Censuses, 1855-1915 (ICPSR 38179)

Version Date: Mar 9, 2022

Cite this study |

Principal Investigator(s):
Michael R. Haines, Colgate University

https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR38179.v1

Version V1

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Summary

This is a compilation of the Massachusetts state censuses from 1855 to 1915. The results are given by state, county, and town. The references are taken from U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census. U.S. Library of Congress, Reference Dept. State Censuses: an annotated bibliography of censuses of population taken after the year 1790 by States and Territories of the United States. Prepared by Henry J. Dubester, Chief, Census Library Project, Library of Congress. Washington, U.S. Government Printing Office, 1948. There was a special tabulation of the 1880 U.S. Census for Massachusetts with detailed town-level data. The state censuses of 1855, 1865, 1875, 1885, 1895, 1905, and 1915 are covered. The state census of 1925 had more limited information and was not included.

Citation

Haines, Michael R. Massachusetts State Censuses, 1855-1915. Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2022-03-09. https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR38179.v1

Export Citation:

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Funding

Colgate University Banfi Chair

Subject Terms

Geographic Coverage

Smallest Geographic Unit

Town

Distributor(s)

Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research
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Time Period(s)

1855-01-01 -- 1915-12-31

Date of Collection

1855-01-01 -- 1855-12-31, 1865-01-01 -- 1865-12-31, 1875-01-01 -- 1875-12-31, 1880-01-01 -- 1880-12-31, 1885-01-01 -- 1885-12-31, 1895-01-01 -- 1895-12-31, 1905-01-01 -- 1905-12-31, 1915-01-01 -- 1915-12-31

Data Collection Notes

  1. The variable COUNTY refers to ICPSR County Codes. This is a four-digit code number which uniquely identifies each county within a state; the first three digits of the code correspond to the Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) code number assigned to counties in the contemporary period, with a fourth digit added to allow for the insertion of counties which existed in the past but have disappeared. Users can find more information about ICPSR County Codes in the study-level documentation for ICPSR S00002 (Candidate Name and Constituency Totals, 1788-1990) and S00003 (Historical, Demographic, Economic, and Social Data: The United States, 1790-1970).

  2. For additional information on the Massachusetts State Censuses Study, please visit the State Library of Massachusetts website.
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Study Purpose

The Massachusetts Legislature authorized a state census every ten years beginning in 1855. This study contains a compilation of the Massachusetts state censuses of 1855, 1865, 1875, 1885, 1895, 1905, and 1915, as well as a special tabulation of the 1880 United States Census for Massachusetts with detailed town-level data.

Study Design

The 1855, 1865 censuses were taken by the mayors and aldermen of each city and town, who transmitted the returns to the Secretary of the Commonwealth. In 1875, city and town officials began appointing enumerators and assigned them to districts; they collected the data which was later tabulated by clerical workers at the Bureau of Statistics and Labor. For the 1885, 1895, 1905, and 1915 censuses, the Bureau of Statistics and Labor appointed enumerators who were residents of the cities and towns in which they were performing their duties and approved by local officials.

Time Method

Cross-sectional

Universe

Population of the state of Massachusetts.

Unit(s) of Observation

Geographic Unit

Data Type(s)

Mode of Data Collection

Description of Variables

The results are given by state, county, and town. The 1855 data include the total population broken down by age, race, gender, and birthplace, as well as the number of families and dwellings in each area and the number of paupers. The 1865 data include a more detailed breakdown of the population by age, as well as information about residents' occupations and the number of illiterate residents. The 1875 data further expand to include the number of unoccupied dwellings, numbers of family members, marital status, convicts, voters, numbers and ages of children in school or working, whether residents were born in the same or a different Massachusetts town (or in another state), total numbers of children ever born, and valuations of property and products for the year ending on May 1st, 1875. The 1885 data contains information on the construction materials of occupied dwellings; numbers of boarders, lodgers, and servants; and residents who are unemployed or not gainfully employed. The 1895 data includes information on dwelling houses and tenements and whether residents have U.S.-born or foreign-born parents. The 1905 data includes numbers of Civil War and Spanish-American War veterans, as well as numbers of residents in the Massachusetts volunteer militia. The 1915 data further break down information on U.S.-born vs. foreign-born individuals and illiterate individuals by race, gender, and whether they have U.S.-born or foreign-born parents.

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Original Release Date

2022-03-09

Version History

2022-03-09 ICPSR data undergo a confidentiality review and are altered when necessary to limit the risk of disclosure. ICPSR also routinely creates ready-to-go data files along with setups in the major statistical software formats as well as standard codebooks to accompany the data. In addition to these procedures, ICPSR performed the following processing steps for this data collection:

  • Checked for undocumented or out-of-range codes.

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Notes