LINE NUMBERS
Many early censuses do not have line numbers, but you will enter line numbers on the spreadsheet template as if they did. The enumerator may have put anywhere from 20-50 names on a page, it just depends on how many he wanted on a page or how many he could fit onto a page. Begin each new page with Line# 1  if no line numbers are written on the census. Line numbering will help you keep track of your transcription progress and will help when a proofreader needs to refer to one of the names when contacting you.  Later on it will help researchers looking up your transcription on a census.

ENUMERATION DATES
Many of the earlier census years do not have an Enumeration Date.  If your census does, and if your template does not have a separate column for Enum/Date, either insert a column for this purpose to the left of the REMARKS column or type the Enum-Date in the REMARKS column of the first name on the page that does not already have something in the Remarks column.

Transcription Example:  Enum-Date: August 2, 1790

CITY, TOWN, OR ANY OTHER NAMED AREA DIVISION
Many of the earlier census years do not have named areas.  If your census does, and if your template does not have a separate column for this, either insert a column for this purpose to the left of the REMARKS column, or type the named area in the REMARKS column where it occurs.

When you complete the transcription of a division, we recommend that you send it to your proofreader so the proofreading can be started while you continue to work on the rest of your census.  That way, it can be placed online as "partial" while the transcription is still in progress.

HEAD OF HOUSEHOLD NAMES
Names must be entered EXACTLY as you see them recorded on the census.

• Do not abbreviate a name if the enumerator wrote out the entire name and do not spell out the full name when he abbreviated it. If you see Wm, enter Wm. If you see William, enter William.

• Do not correct the enumerator's spelling errors. Even if it is your own family and the name is terribly misspelled, enter it exactly as it appears on the census.
• When the enumerator used "ditto", ditto marks ( " ), or the word "do", please enter the name that the ditto mark represents. See example dittos marks the enumerator may have used.
• If a name was abbreviated, and the final letter is a little raised, add an apostrophe in place of the omitted letters in the name.
  Transcription Example:  Tho^s -  you would enter: Tho's
• Questionable letters in a name should be indicated by an asterisk * and you may want to put a note in the Remarks field of that line to note that some letters are hard to read or unreadable.
  Transcription Example - LAST NAME: D*e     FIRST NAME: Jo*n
• Titles (ie: Jr., Sr., Dr.) are to be entered at the end of the person's first name.
  Transcription Example - LAST NAME: Doe     FIRST NAME: John Sr.
• Enter NS (no surname) *ONLY* for names such as:
  • Brother Ignatius
  • Sister Mary
  • American Indian Names (Running Doe)
  • Servants (John A man of color)
  * Look closely for surname ditto marks before you use NS. See these examples.

The Remarks column
It is the right-most column on your template. Use the remarks field to enter anything on the census that needs to be brought to the attention of a researcher or any other information you feel is important. (ie: any additional writing on the census; if a name is hard to read or unreadable; a disruption in the page numbering sequence; etc.) If the comment you want to make is too long for the Remarks field, type your information on a separate worksheet if your software has multiple worksheets, or in a separate file and reference the page and line number so researchers will know what line you are referring to. When you submit your census transcription to the Census Project, you can include the extra comments file at that same time. If you do not have a Remarks column on your template, you may insert one on the right of the other columns.

How to Freeze the Template Column Headers
Using Excel, you can freeze the column headings of the first page, and several of the left columns. The frozen areas will remain visible while the entered data scrolls underneath the headers and off the screen. It is much easier to enter the census information when you can see the column header and row name for the line you are entering.

• To freeze the top horizontal header rows, select the row below where you want the split to occur.
  
  
• To freeze the left vertical columns, select the column to the right of where you want the split to occur.
  
  
• To freeze both the horizontal headers, and the vertical columns click the cell below and to the right of where you want the split to appear.
  
  Note: If you move the top census information block off the screen before you do step 2, it will leave more screen room for the rows you are entering. To do this, use the horizontal scroll bar and the up/down triangle pointer buttons at the top and bottom of the scroll bar and scroll so that you see only the column header at the top of the screen and not the 6 or 7 rows that contain the census info.
  
  
• On the menu-bar, click "Window".
  On the "Window" drop-down menu list, click "Freeze Panes".
  
  
• Later if you want to undo the frozen panes:
  On the menu-bar, click "Window".
  On the "Window" drop-down menu list, click "Unfreeze Panes".