Searchable database of the
1860 US census of N. Aroostook County, Maine

You can now search the transcriptions of the 1860 US census of the communities of northern Aroostook County, Maine in two ways.

In addition to the traditional online name index arranged by name, by township or by page number, with links to the relevant pages, you can now also search using the new online searchable database, accessible through the database search form. The information in the database is taken directly from the online transcriptions.

Searches using the database

You can search by any of a number of fields (explained below). The database contains only the names as written and spelled in the original census. It does not include corrections, nor does it include the information in the popup boxes. Therefore you should always go to the transcriptions themselves to verify the information.

Each resulting name in the search results is linked to the transcribed page on which the person appears; clicking on the number in the "Stamped page no." column brings you to the top of that page of the transcription.

Using the search form, you can search by last name, first name, age, sex, occupation, birthplace, and place of residence. In order to search most effectively, please read the notes below about each of the fields. You must enter at least one search term for the form to work.

Last names. You can search by full last name (exact), parts of the last name (contains), or the first letter or few letters of the last name (starts) . If you are searching for particular last names you should consult my page on French names in the 1860 US census. For example, the last name Fongémie was consistently written Forjimi. Gagnon was sometimes written Gonyou, etc. Check the page on French names in the 1860 census for more such examples. Be sure to also check the online name index, where I have included the variations of French names. (If you know the soundex code value of the name you are searching, you can also search by that using the "Soundex" box in the lower right hand corner of the search form.)

First names. Searchable by full first name (exact), part of the first name (contains), first letters (starts) of the first name. As with last names, the census taker often misspelled names. Sometimes the French names were anglicized (Pierre becomes Peter), sometimes they were spelled phonetically (Hortense becomes Artans). Check the page on French names in the 1860 census for more such examples.

Age. You can search by specific age, or by a range of ages:

Sex. You can search by sex by using the pull-down menu.

Township of residence. This transcription covers only communities in the northern part of Aroostook County. The pulldown menu gives you a list of townships (1860 names) included in the transcription. For a list of the current names of these townships, go to the list of townships.

Occupation. The census includes the occupation of every adult over the age of 21. The vast majority of men were listed as "farmer". Other occupations were also included however, especially farm laborer, carpenters, blacksmiths, etc. For example, entering "smith" into the box will bring up any occupation that includes the worth "smith" in it.

Birthplace. The state, province or country of birth of each person was included. In 1860 "Canada" referred to Quebec (sometimes also referred to as "Lower Canada"; what is today Ontario was "Upper Canada"). New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island were common, as was Maine. Other states also are included.

Soundex. Soundex is a way to find names that are misspelled in the transcription.

 

Search Results

Once you have entered information into at least one search area (you must enter something on the page), hit the "search" button. That will bring you to the search results page.

Here you'll see a listing of all the entries that match your search request. The last link, "details", brings you to a page with all relevant information for that person.

(NOTE: If you use Internet Explorer or Opera, you can only open one "details" window at a time; in order to open a new one, you must close the old one. If you want to be able to open more than one details window (or tab) at a time, please use Firefox.)

The number under the "Stamped page no." is a link to the page in the online transcription on which that person appears. Be sure to note the line number (under the "Line" column) for the person in order to find them on that page.

If you'd like to refine your search, hitting the "Back" button on your browser should bring you back to the search form with your original search request still included. If you'd like to start a totally new search, hit the "Reset" button at the bottom of the page.

Verify against the online transcription! As mentioned above, in the column "Stamped page no." you'll see a page number that is also a link. Clicking on the number brings you to the census transcription, to the top of the page on which the person in that row appears; they will appear on the line number that is listed in the "Line" column of the search results.

The search result page does not include all of the information from the transcription, so you should always check out the actual linked transcription. The transcriptions also include genealogical information on most families, in the popup boxes. If there is a descrepancy between the search results and the transcription, the transcription is always the correct source.

Go to the Search Form


Return to the 1860 census main page

Return to the Upper St.John Valley main page

Last revised 19 Jan 2006
©2005-2006, C.Gagnon