Museum volunteers have transcribed census records on microfilm from 1880 to 1940 for Fishing River Township, Clay County, and Fishing River Township, Ray County, Missouri.

Individual census records were taken from 1790 to 2010 by the U.S. Census Bureau and are maintained by the National Archives and Records Administration.

The 1960 and later censuses are not available to the public due to a statutory 72-year restriction on access for privacy reasons.