In 1889 Congress directed the Department of the Interior's Superintendent of Census to "...cause to be taken on a special schedule of inquiry, according to such form as he may prescribe, the names, organizations, and length of service of those who served in the Army, Navy or Marine Corps of the United States in the war of the rebellion and who are survivors at the time of said inquiry, and the widows of soldiers, sailors, or marines..."  The Census Office prepared well for this task.  From the Pension Office, they obtained the names of 458,677 Union veterans.  Membership rosters were requested from Grand Army of the Republic posts throughout the country.  State records and other sources were consulted.
    In 1890, armed with these prepared lists, the enumerators worked from the first Monday in June until July 1.  From August 1, 1890, through June 30, 1891, the Census Office compiled, organized and verified the data collected by the enumerators.  During these eleven months thousands of letters were sent to obtain information missed by the enumerators and inquiries were published in about 500 newspapers seeking veterans who many have been overlooked.  Over all, it was a thorough job.
    Then Congress fumbled.  The 1893 act for the publication of the 1890 census data did not include funds for publication of the veterans census.  In 1894, at the suggestion of the Superintendent of Census, Congress authorized the transfer of the schedules of veterans information to the Commissioner of Pensions.  In 1930 the schedules were transferred to the Veterans Administration and then, in 1943, to the National Archives in Washington, DC.  Unfortunately along the way much of the material was lost or destroyed.  Today microfilm copies of the original handwritten 1890 schedules that survived are available from the National Archives.

Some abbreviations used:
Cav=Calvary
CH=Courthouse
ED= Enumertion District
Inf.=Infantry
USC Inf.=United States Colored Infantry
US CI= United States Colored Infantry
USCT=United States Colored Troops [read more about the US Colored Troops here]
 

Permission kindly given by Sandra Lee Almasy.  You may visit her website here.

© 2005  Kay Midgett Sheppard