FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  Oct. 17. 2007
CONTACT:  Chelle Somsen, (605) 773-5521

 State Census found at the South Dakota State Archives 

PIERRE, S.D. – In recognition of October being Archives Month 2007, the State Archives of the South Dakota State Historical Society at the Cultural Heritage Center is issuing press releases on various topics relating to archives, research, and genealogy.

The four topics covered during Archives Month include: how to write a useful obituary, Naturalization Records, South Dakota State Censuses, and care of family collections. The South Dakota State Census is the third of four topics. 

The South Dakota State Census was taken in the years 1905, 1915, 1925, 1935, and 1945.  Each year, census enumerators went house-to-house throughout South Dakota and collected in-depth records on South Dakota citizens.

General information found in the censuses includes:  name, county, city, address, (township, section, and range if applicable), age, occupation, place of birth and parents’ place of birth. The census enumerators also marked if the individual was male or female, white, black, red, or yellow, married, single, widowed, or divorced, whether they could or could not read or write, and if they were blind, deaf, idiotic, or insane. Some census cards also give military service, years in South Dakota, church affiliation, and maiden name.

“The State Census cards offer a lot of detailed information and can lead genealogists to different avenues of research,” said Chelle Somsen, State Archivist for South Dakota.  “The census cards are another important record for finding family data.”  

The South Dakota State Census is in alphabetical order by last name. The surname group is then placed in alphabetical order by first name. The census cards are microfilmed and easily accessible for individuals who come to the archives to do their own research.

Other census years available at the State Archives include the Federal Census from 1860-1930 (minus the 1890 Federal Census which was destroyed by a fire), census taken in South Dakota in 1885 and 1895 (but only in certain counties), and the BIA Indian Census from 1880 to 1940.

You can read the microfilmed census cards at the South Dakota State Archives in the Cultural Heritage Center in Pierre. The State Archives is open Monday through Friday and the first Saturday of the Month from 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. You can contact the archives by phone at (605) 773-3804 or e-mail archref@state.sd.us