Census and Census Substitute Records

The census and census substitute records for the Hilton Head Island area are available online, or in our special collections at the library.

What are Census Substitutes? When there have never been any census, or when census records have been destroyed, almost any data base listing persons and families can be used as a substitute. A famous case is the 1790 census for Virginia which was lost and recreated from tax lists. This substitute has such credence that it is often accepted as a matter of course without caveat. This acceptance is in spite of it being data from six or eight years before 1790.

The 1940 Federal Census was longer than previous censuses, with more detailed questions about employment status and education, and questions directed specifically to women who are or have been married. Supplemental questions regarding the birthplaces of the mother and father and veteran status are asked only of the individuals who fall on specific lines within the census page.

An 1890 Census Substitute was created from the cemetery records of Beaufort County transcribed by members of the Emily Geiger and Captain William Hilton Chapters, NSDAR, compiled by Sunni Bond. These records are available, with DAR permission, on paper at the library.