Census Records for Wyoming
This entry was originally written by Dwight A. Radford in Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources.
Federal
Population Schedules
• Indexed'1850 as Utah Territory; 1860 as Nebraska Territory; 1870; 1910, 1920, 1930.
• Soundex'1880, 1900, 1920
Mortality Schedules
• 1870, 1880 (indexed)
Industrial and Agricultural Schedules
• 1880
Union Veterans Schedules
• 1890 (indexed)
The 1850 U.S. census schedule recorded residents of Fort Bridger in 1851 as part of the Green River Precinct, Weber County, Utah Territory. Green River County was never organized and was discontinued in 1868 when Wyoming Territory was created. Persons residing at Fort Laramie were enumerated as part of the unorganized portion of Nebraska Territory. The census of 1870 was the first federal schedule of Wyoming Territory.
In 1880, Wyoming Territory included seven counties as well as Yellowstone National Park. All counties are extant in the 1880 census. Mammoth Hot Springs of Yellowstone National Park was enumerated with Uinta County. All census years are indexed either through printed indexes or online subscription database services (see page 17).
Territorial
A relatively unknown source is the First Wyoming Territorial Census, which was enumerated soon after formation in 1869. This comprehensive census includes names, lengths of residency, and place of origin. This census is available on microfilm at the Wyoming State Archives and FHL. There are censuses for the city of Cheyenne for 1875 and 1878 that include name, age, sex, birthplace, occupation, and nationality. These are at the state archives.
External Links
- Wyoming Census Records - free up-to-date guide to accessing Wyoming census records. Identifies federal, state, and territorial censuses, as well as substitute records (FamilySearch Research Wiki).