Census records list the name and occupation of the head of the household along with basic information about anyone else who lived there. You may find that your grandfather was married before your grandmother because the records list his wife as someone else. These records should also tell you the names and ages of anyone else who lived in the home. For example, you might see that your grandmother was a domestic servant who lived with her employer during one census and then lived with your grandfather during the next census.

Census records are occasionally hard to read because of the handwriting that older generations had. Many sites ask volunteers to take the data from the records and type them into files. You have the chance to enter a name and view all census records that contain that name.