1890 U. S. Census of Bosque County
On January 10, 1921, a fire in the Commerce Department building, Washington, DC, resulted in the destruction of most of the 1890 census, to the woe of researchers ever since. For more detailed information, see Kellee Blake, "'First in the Path of the Firemen:' The Fate of the 1890 Population Census," Prologue: Quarterly of the National Archives, Vol. 28, No. 1, pp. 64-81 (Spring 1996), Part 1 and Part 2. Some fragments of the 1890 census did survive, however, and can be very useful to researchers. The surviving parts include: (1) General population census schedules for 6,160 persons in 10 states though none in Bosque County (2) Schedules of Union Civil War Veterans or their widows in a number of states including Texas (3) Oklahoma territorial schedules (4) List of selected Delaware African-Americans, (5) Statistics of Lutheran congregations, and (6) Statistical information for the entire United States.
As an alternative to the 1990 census, the 1888 Bosque County Directory of real estate owners, available at the Collection, may be helpful. It lists the owners and the owners' assessed values, occupation, and post office.
1890 Census Data Summary
| General Population Characteristics | |
| Total Population | 14,224 |
| Total Number of White Persons | 13,583 |
| Total Number of Colored Persons | 641 |
| Total Number of Males | 7,442 |
| Total Number of Females | 6,782 |
| Total Number of Native-Born Persons | 13,375 |
| Total Number of Foreign-Born Persons | 849 |
| Number of White Males | 7,120 |
| Number of White Females | 6,462 |
| Number of Colored Males | 322 |
| Number of Colored Females | 319 |
| Number of Dwellings | 2495 |
| Number of Families | 2521 |
