Special Topic: Union County, MS

Finding Primary Sources in Government Documents

Census: Aggregate Statistics

Internet Resources  

Historical Census Browser (University of Virginia) Provides demographic variables at the county level from the decennial population censuses from 1790-1960; also includes key economic and agricultural variables through 1950.

U. S. Census Bureau "Publications" page links to PDFs of many decennial population census reports from 1790-2000. Detailed data is available in tables and datasets for 1990 and 2000 population censuses, and economic censuses from 1992, 1997, 2002.

Print and Microfilm:

Original or facsimile editions of all federal census statistical volumes are located in GIS. The years from 1790-1910 are in the “cage” or Fed. Gov. Archives, while the 1920+ volumes are in the documents stacks.
The call numbers vary, but catalog records are easy to find with a title search “[date] census” or “census of [date]” or "census of population [date]," "census of agriculture [date]," "census of manufactures [date]," etc.

Mississippi census volumes from 1900-2000 are at the GIS/Media desk.

A microfilm copy of federal decennial censuses from 1790 through 1960 is filed under “U.S. Decennial Census.” [catalog record]

Other Federal Documents Sources

Our library is the regional depository for U.S. government documents, and we have an extensive retrospective collection. Documents published since 1976 have records in the online catalog. Print indexes covering the period from 1789-1976 are now searchable in the Public Documents Masterfile database. Retrospective cataloging of the pre-1976 collection is ongoing, with over 60,000 titles cataloged.

Federal documents are classified in the SuDocs system, which reflects the agency hierarchy of the federal government.

United States Government Documents on Women, 1800-1990 (2 v.) is a comprehensive bibliography of federal documents on women’s social and labor/employment issues. (Docs. Ref. HQ1410 .H85 1993) [catalog record]

Specific sources include:

Women in Mississippi Industries: a study of hours, wages, and working conditions. (U.S. Dept. of Labor. Women’s Bureau: 1926) (Fed. Docs. L 13.3:55 ; Spec.Coll. HD6096.M7 U5) [catalog record]

Condition of Woman and Child Wage-earners in the United States (19 v.)(U.S. Bureau of Labor, 1910-1913) Available in print with links to online version in its catalog record.

Source material for Mississippi History (87 reels microfilm filed under: U.S. WPA. Miss.- by county) [catalog record]

Lexis/Nexis Congressional indexes Congressional publications from 1789 to the present. SuDocs call numbers are given for depository items.

The LexisNexis U.S. Digital Serial Set Collection provides full text access to the serial set and American State Papers from 1789-1969.

See the page on Federal Government: Legislative Branch for more detailed information about researching Congressional publications.

Mississippi State Documents

The Library is also a depository for State of Mississippi government documents. These are cataloged in the LC classification, and reflected in the online catalog. The Mississippi Web Resources page provides links to state government resources online and primary sources in print in the state documents collection, suich as the Department Reports (J87 .M7, bound state agency reports from 1870-1965.

Statistical Abstracts

County and City Data Book (1949-2000) GIS Ref. C 3.134/2:C 83/2/ [catalog record]

County Data Book (1947) GIS Ref. C 3.134/2:C 83/947 [catalog record]

Mississippi Statistical Abstract. 1950-52, 1969-date HC107.M7 .M46 [catalog record]

Statistical Abstract of the U.S. 1878-date GIS Ref. C 3.134: [catalog record]

County Business Patterns online 1993-date print 1947, 1948-1962, 1964-2001 Mississippi

Dates & Call numbers for the Censuses of Manufactures and Agriculture

Census of manufactures:

1840-1900: part of decennial census I 7.5 – I 13. (fed archives)

1905: Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas C 3.3:48 (fed archives)

1910: v. 10 of the 1910 decennial census C 3.16:10 (fed archives)

1920: v. 8-10 of the 1920 Census C 3.28/5:

1929: 3 v. of the 1930 decennial census C 3.37/5:M 31/

1939: 3 v. of the 1940 decennial census C 3.940-5:M 31/

1947-1954-1958, 1963, 1967, 1972, 1977 C 3.24:

1982 Geographic Area Series: Mississippi C 3.24/3:MC 82-A (20-27)

1987 Geographic Area Series: Mississippi C 3.24/3:MC 87-A-25

1992 Geographic Area Series: Mississippi C 3.24/3-24:MC 92-A-25

1997 Economic census. Geographic area series: Mississippi

2002 Economic census. Geographic area series: Mississippi

Census of Agriculture:

Historic (1840-1950) and recent (1992-date) agriculture censuses are available online at the USDA Historical Census Publications website. The print versions were also part of the decennial censuses, 1840-1950:

1840-1900: I 7. – I 13. (fed archives) online at USDA Historical Census Publications

1910: C 3.16:v.5-7 (fed archives) online at USDA Historical Census Publications

1920: C 3.28/5: (fed stacks) online at USDA Historical Census Publications

1930: C 3.37/5:AG 8/ (fed stacks) online at USDA Historical Census Publications

1940: C 3.940-5:Ag 8/ (fed stacks) online at USDA Historical Census Publications

1950: C 3.950-9: (fed stacks) online at USDA Historical Census Publications

Also taken mid-decade beginning in 1925:

1925, 1935: C 3.31/1: (fed stacks)

1945, 1954, 1959, 1964 1969, 1974, 1978, 1982, 1987 (linked to catalog records) (shelved in C 3.31/4: (all but 1969), C 56.227:969/)

1992: Mississippi print copy: C 3.31/4:992/v.1/pt.24

1997: Mississippi print copy: A 92.53/24:AC 97-A-24

2002: online only