Census Records
Donley was created in 1876 but wasn't organized until 1882. The first census here was in 1880 with 160 residents.The 1880 Federal Census is the first census to ask for marital status and relationships within a household. You can search and view this census at FamilySearch.org. We have a copy of the 1880 census images in our Archives.
The 1890 Federal Census burned before it could be copied. There are no surviving records for this area.
The 1900 census is the first census to ask for years married and asks women how many children they've borne and how many are living. It also asked for the month and year that each person was born, the year they immigrated and whether they own or rent their homes. There are also colums for street addresses but they were not generally used in rural areas.
1910 - This is the second census that asked for number of years married, number of children borne by females and number of living children. The index to this census is available to everyone with a free account at the LDS on-line library.
The 1920 census was enumerated in January and many families were missed, likely due to weather. It offers very little in the way of extra information except for the names of the roads on which the people lived. The index to this census is available to everyone with a free account at the LDS on-line library.
The 1930 offers addresses for folks in town, age at first marriage and veteran status. The index to this census is available to everyone with a free account at the LDS on-line library.
The 1940 offers addresses for folks in town, education level, residence in 1935, employment status and total income for 1939. The index to this census is available to everyone with a free account at the LDS on-line library.
The 1950 Census gives us the names and ages of the folks in the families but doesn't help with much else.