The population censuses of previous landowners provide a great deal of information about the families that previously lived on the land.  For example, the census tells of the size of the family at the time of the census, as well as where each family member was born and after 1880, where the parents of each member were born. This allows for a general recreation of the migration pattern specific to this family. The later the census, the greater the amount of information documented.  The 1930 census even asks if the family owns a radio.