Population Schedules are detailed records of the federal government's decennial census of American households. Because they include names and personal information they are not released until 72 years after the census is taken. These microfilm records, copies of the schedules held by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), are located in the Microforms Room (first floor west) in the Holland Library building.
1790-1890 (1st-11th): all states, located against the west wall of the Microforms cabinet area. Note that the 1890 census was largely destroyed by fire in 1921 in Washington, D.C. and only small portions of it remain.
1885-1940 Indian Census Rolls: west wall of Microforms cabinet area.
1890 includes Special Schedules of the Eleventh Census (1890) Enumerating Union Veterans and Widows of Union Veterans of the Civil War: west wall of the Microforms cabinet area.
1900-1930 (12th-16th): Washington, Oregon, Idaho only: call numbers HA 331.5 through HA 691.5 in cabinet 15 in Microforms Rm.
There are census worksheets on top of the 1790-1890 cabinets (west wall of Microforms Rm).
Microfilmed indexes are available for the 1880-1930 censuses using the Soundex indexing system. While WSU Libraries does not have the Soundex indexes, Spokane Public Library's Genealogy Research service and NARA's Pacific Alaska Region Genealogy Research resources are two places in Washington State that do. The Soundex Indexing System site explains the coding rules.
Indexes to the 1790-1870 censuses have been published by various companies and can be found at larger libraries.
"Federal decennial population census schedules contain a wealth of information for genealogists as well as for historians and social scientists. They are of use to the family historian and researcher interested in westward expansion, the status of free and slave labor, regional and local history, immigration, and so forth. Often they contain evidence for proving citizenship.
As a rule the information gathered in each successive census is progressively more detailed. The schedules for the period 1790-1840 show the names of enumerated heads of families only, other members of the family being simply tallied by age groups, sex, and race (white or Negro). All subsequent enumerations, however, list each individual in a household by name with exception of the slave schedules for 1850 and 1860, which show only the name of the owner and the number of his slaves by age group and sex. The 1850 census was the first to record each person's age, occupation if over age 15, and place of birth. If the parent of a person enumerated in the 1870 schedules was of foreign birth, that fact is indicated. The 1880 census adds the relationship of each individual to the head of the family."
"Most of the 1890 population schedules were destroyed or badly damaged by fire; the few surviving segments have been microfilmed. The 1890 special census of Union veterans and widows of Union veterans of the Civil War gives information about the military service of each veteran named and the post office address of each listed person who was living at the time of the enumeration."