Article 1, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution requires that a nationwide count of the population of the United States be taken every ten years. The First Federal Population Census was prepared in 1790. To ensure privacy, access to the census is restricted for 72 years. The 1930 census was released in 2002.
Censuses are the backbone of most genealogical research. They hold a wealth of information. Just by finding your realatives on the 1900 census you can see their birth dates, birth place, occupation, if they owned their home, and how many children they had. The 1790-1840 censuses only show the names of the heads of household and not the names of other family members so most researchers start with the 1850 census. It was the first census to record each person's name, age, and place of birth.
Where can you access the censuses? A trip down to your local library and you can usually have free access to Heritage Quest census images. Some libraries and most Family History Centers also have free access to Ancestry.com census images. Some libraries even have an online link to Heritage Quest allowing subscribers with a library card to search records from their own homes. There are census images available online for a fee. USGenWeb Volunteers are working to put census transcriptions online free of charge.
| Federal Population Census | Where are Payette, Fruitland, and New Plymouth? |
Series | Roll Number | Notes |
| 1930 | Payette County, Idaho | T626 | 403 | Most Current Census Record Available |
| 1920 | Payette County, Idaho | T625 | 294 | Payette County was established on February 28, 1917 so this is the first census with an actual "Payette County" |
| 1910 | Canyon County, Idaho | T624 | 223 | Payette, Fruitland and New Plymouth were part of Canyon County from March 7, 1891 until February 28, 1917 |
| 1900 | Canyon County, Idaho | T623 | 232 | Payette and New Plymouth were part of Canyon County from March 7, 1891 until February 28, 1917. Fruitland is not on this census, but John Hall, the first settler in Fruitland, is the last person listed on the Payette Precinct, Canyon County census page |
| 1890 | Ada County, Idaho Territory | Idaho became a state in July 1890. Most of this census was destroyed. Find out more about the loss of the 1890 census at the National Archives |
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| 1880 | Ada County, Idaho Territory | Payette, Fruitand, and New Plymouth have not yet been founded, but many people lived in Payette Valley. It this census, the Payette County area was in Ada County with a small section in Boise County. Idaho was known as the Idaho Territory |
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| 1870 | Ada County, Idaho Territory | The Payette area is found in Ada County with a small section in Boise County. President Lincoln signed the act establishing the Idaho Territory on March 4, 1863 | ||
| 1860 | Washington Territory | Idaho became part of the Washington Territory in 1859 | ||
| 1850 | Oregon Territory | Idaho became part of the Oregon Territory in 1848 | ||
| 1840 | The Idaho area is not part of the census | Idaho is under joint U.S. and British occupation | ||
| 1830 | The Idaho area is not part of the census | Idaho is under joint U.S. and British occupation | ||
| 1820 | The Idaho area is not part of the census | Idaho is under joint U.S. and British occupation | ||
| 1810 | The Idaho area is not part of the census | Fort Henry, the first American fur post west of the Rocky Mountains was established in what is now St. Anthony, Idaho | ||
| 1800 | The Idaho area is not part of the census | The area of Idaho was part of the land claimed by Spain. Lewis and Clark will first enter Idaho over the Lemhi Pass in 1805 | ||
| 1790 | The Idaho area is not part of the census | The area of Idaho was part of the land claimed by Spain |
