This dataset comprises crosswalks to link census records for men and women in the United States from 1850 to 1950. It covers 42 million Americans who are linked across 186 million census records. The dataset tracks individuals across multiple censuses despite name changes (e.g., due to marriage) by combining historical census records with Social Security Number application data. The resulting panels are representative, making them particularly valuable for including women in the study of intergenerational mobility.
Working paper: America’s Rise in Human Capital Mobility (with Harriet Brookes Gray and Hugo Reichardt)