Census

Census records provide a valuable resource in genealogy research.  It is possible to use the census records, to help you find a great deal of information about your ancestors.  It is important to note that census records from different census years provide different genealogy information. 

From 1790 until 1850, the census just listed the names of heads of households. Next to those names were typically columns with tick marks in them, indicating how many males and females within certain age groups were living in that household. This can be valuable information in confirming or establishing that an ancestor lived in a certain place at a certain time.
The census records from 1850 onward give detailed information on every member of a household. Each census has increasingly complex information on individual people, but at a minimum you should expect to find name, age, and place of birth listed. Later censuses also provide such information as the birthplaces of a person's parents, how long that person has been married, occupation, value of property owned, whether the person is able to read or write, and how many children that person has given birth to (if it's a woman).