A census record is a snapshot of information captured by an individual (census taker) who may not even have spoken to the individual being recorded.  Wow, there are a lot of things going against even finding the correct information on an individual.

Finding an individual in a census record works better if you know what was captured in the census record.  For example, are only head of households listed, if so, then looking for the name of a child would not work.

Reading a census record can also be challenging if the titles of the columns are not listed on each page.  Take the time to learn what each column means.  You may actually find a clue to a brickwall.

To obtain copies of blank census form for U.S., Canada, and the U.K., go to Rootsweb.com and read more about blank forms in The Official Guide to Rootsweb.com by Myra Vanderpool Gormley and Tana Pedersen Lord.