Seeking population of Evanston, Illinois in 1880

Dear Ms. Keck,

Thank you for posting your request on History Hub!

Information about the population of various localities of the United States in 1880 may be found in 1880 Census: Volume 1. Statistics of the Population of the United States that is available on the website of the U.S. Census Bureau. Look under the heading “General Population Tables” for “Table III. Population of Civil Divisions less than counties, in the Aggregate, at the censuses of 1880 and 1870.”  Table III data for Illinois is here.  Table III is arranged by state, thereunder by county, thereunder by town, city, or other minor civil division. The listings for Evanston township and its constituent villages are on page 132. 

We searched the National Archives Catalog for 1880s pictures of Evanston, Illinois without success. To request a search for photographs not yet listed in the Catalog, contact National Archives at College Park - Still Picture (RDSS) via email at stillpix@nara.gov. 

Please note that as a repository of federal records, NARA’s holdings rarely include material about purely local topics. Therefore, we suggest contacting state and local organizations, such as the Illinois State Archives, Illinois State Library, Illinois State Museum, Illinois State Historical Society, Evanston History Center, Cook County Public Libraries, and the libraries of area universities. 

You also may be interested in the Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Evanston, Cook County, Illinois, published October 1883, which is available online through the Library of Congress. For questions about Library of Congress holdings, please use their Ask a Librarian online form.

We hope this information is helpful.  Best of luck with your research!