During the years from 1793 through 1834 - as Texas evolved from a province in the declining Spanish empire to a state (in combination with Coahuila) in the independent Mexican nation - local Mexican authorities attempted to conduct censuses on an annual basis¹. The results are found in microfilm copies of the Bexar Archives collection in the Briscoe Center for American History at the University of Texas at Austin. We have some of that work transcribed on this site, the 1835 Census, and you can find original images for some of the work at the Portal to Texas History

The 1850 Federal Census gives names, ages, places of birth, values of real estate, Color (White, black or mulatto) and occupations but also has columns for married within the year, attended school within the year, person over 20 who cannot read or write and "Whether deaf and dumb, blind, insane, idiotic, pauper or convict"; which can make interesting notes.

In addition to the 1850 columns, the 1860 Federal Census asked for value of personal property. We have an index for the heads of households on this site and we have an index and images of the 1860 in the Archives.

The 1870 Federal Census added columns for born within the year (asking for the month), whether parents were foreign-born and two questions about men over 20 (voting information). We have an index for the heads of households on this site.

In 1880, the the Federal Census is further broken into enumeration districts. This is the first census to ask for marital status and relationships within a household. We have a complete index on this site. You can search and view this census at FamilySearch.org.

The 1900 Federal Census is the first census to ask for years married and asks women how many children they've borne and how many are living. It also asked for the month and year that each person was born, the year they immigrated and whether they own or rent their homes. There are also columns for street addresses but they were not generally used in rural areas. We have a partial index on this site.

1910 - This is the second census that asked for number of years married, number of children borne by females and number of living children. The index to this census is available to everyone with a free account at the LDS on-line library.

The 1920 Census was enumerated in January and many families were missed, likely due to weather. It offers very little in the way of extra information except for the names of the roads on which the people lived. The index to this census is available to everyone with a free account at the LDS on-line library.

The 1930 offers addresses for folks in town, age at first marriage and veteran status. The index to this census is available to everyone with a free account at the LDS on-line library.

The 1940 offers addresses for folks in town, education level, residence in 1935, employment status and total income for 1939. The index to this census is available to everyone with a free account at the LDS on-line library.