In 1889 Congress directed the Department of the Interior's Superintendent of Census to "...cause to be taken on a special schedule of inquiry, according to such form as he may prescribe, the names, organizations, and length of service of those who served in the Army, Navy or Marine Corps of the United States in the war of the rebellion and who are survivors at the time of said inquiry, and the widows of soldiers, sailors, or marines..."  The Census Office prepared well for this task.  From the Pension Office, they obtained the names of 458,677 Union veterans.  Membership rosters were requested from Grand Army of the Republic posts throughout the country.  State records and other sources were consulted.
    In 1890, armed with these prepared lists, the enumerators worked from the first Monday in June until July 1.  From August 1, 1890, through June 30, 1891, the Census Office compiled, organized and verified the data collected by the enumerators.  During these eleven months thousands of letters were sent to obtain information missed by the enumerators and inquiries were published in about 500 newspapers seeking veterans who many have been overlooked.  Over all, it was a thorough job.
    Then Congress fumbled.  The 1893 act for the publication of the 1890 census data did not include funds for publication of the veterans census.  In 1894, at the suggestion of the Superintendent of Census, Congress authorized the transfer of the schedules of veterans information to the Commissioner of Pensions.  In 1930 the schedules were transferred to the Veterans Administration and then, in 1943, to the National Archives in Washington, DC.  Unfortunately along the way much of the material was lost or destroyed.  Today microfilm copies of the original handwritten 1890 schedules that survived are available from the National Archives.
       The veterans census is of extra importance because the 1890 general census records are gone.  In 1921 a fire in the Commerce Department Building in Washington, DC damaged the 1890 general census schedules stored there so badly that nearly all of them were discarded.  For North Carolina, the only 1890 general census schedules remaining are from South Point and River Bend Townships in Gaston County, and from Township #2 in Cleveland County.  Such veterans census as still existed at that time were in the custody of the Commissioner of Pensions, so they escaped this disastrous fire.
    Some conscientious enumerators exceeded their instructions.  Although they were supposed to record only survivors and widows of the Union forces, they also listed many Confederates.  These entries are often lined out or have the notation "Conf.".  However, there are also many entries not identified this way in which the regiment indicated is very likely a Confederate unit.  Besides Civil War veterans, these conscientious enumerators recorded veterans of the War of 1812 and the Mexican War.

CROATAN TOWNSHIP
L.S. Hooper, Enumerator

EAST LAKE TOWNSHIP
John B. Pinner, Enumerator

HATTERAS TOWNSHIP
John W. Meekins, Enumerator