Daily AncestorDwelling number
The dwelling number counted houses in the order the census taker visited them, so it shows which families lived under one roof and who lived next door.
From 1850 the first column numbered dwelling houses in order of visitation: the first house visited was 1, the next 2, and so on. A hotel, jail or poorhouse counted as one dwelling.
The number is not a street address. When two families share one dwelling number they lived in the same house. In 1900 the instructions said to write the dwelling number only on the line for the head of the first family in the house, so later families in the same house have a blank.
How to cite this page
Daily Ancestor. "Dwelling number." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/census-terms/dwelling-number. Last checked 2026-10-03.