The 1940 census

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CHRISTINE SHARBROUGH, MSLIS ARCHIVAL STUDIES, CERTIFIED GENEALOGIST SM REFERENCE & OUTREACH LIBRARIAN DERRY PUBLIC LIBRARY The 1940 Census – For Librarians

description

1940 Census presentation for NH libraries.

Transcript of The 1940 census

Page 1: The 1940 census

CHRISTINE SHARBROUGH, MSLIS ARCHIVAL STUDIES,

CERTIFIED GENEALOGIST S M

REFERENCE & OUTREACH LIBRARIANDERRY PUBLIC LIBRARY

The 1940 Census – For Librarians

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Agenda

Welcome About Me/Housekeeping Genealogists – What do they WANT???!! Crash Course in Census Records/Ref

ResourcesBreak 1940 Census Faux data & forms, Webstuff Indexing Q&A

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Welcome

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About Me/Housekeeping

Certified GenealogistSM

Blog: www.genealogy2012.wordpress.comRef/Outreach Librarian/Archivist/GenealogistHousekeeping details

Bathrooms Break Telephones

Questions – contact me [email protected]

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Genealogists – What do they WANT??!!

We want it ALL.We want it for FREE.We want it NOW.Must be PERFECTEASYEndless amounts of time discussing my family with you.Gripped with interest…“Gimmee, take me, bring me, buy me galaxy.”Our Ancestors, ourselves (1940/1930/1920)Told to go to local public library for helpNewbiesOur job to educate/set expectations

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Crash Course in Understanding the Census

Goals:Understand importance to genealogistsWhy census is a clue not a factInherent problemsReference resources

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Purpose of the Federal Census

• Equal representation in government• First bicameralist government – 17th Century

England• Bicameral: Latin: bi=two; camera=chamber• Two chambers of Parliament• Two chambers of the legislature (Senate/House)• Senate same regardless of size• Count population for representation in the

House • Large states disproportionate representation

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Problem #1

Locating people can be difficultBoundary Changes:State/TerritoryCountyTownMay be looking in the wrong placeDollarhide, William and Thorndale, William,

Map Guide to the U.S. Federal Censuses, 1790-1920, Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Publishing Company, 2011. Reprint.

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Country Overview: US 1790

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US 1810

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US 1820

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US 1860

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OHIO – Crossroads of America 1810

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Recap

Constant boundary changesChanged states/territoriesChanged countiesChanged towns

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Problem #2

Boundary Changes (Problem #1)Lack of printed forms until 1830 in most

areasPrinted forms are illegible when filmedRecommend using a printed formForms available for free

Ancestry.com FamilyTreeMagazine.com

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1790 federal census, population schedule - Massachusetts

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1790 federal census, population schedule – New Hampshire

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Problem #3

Boundary Changes (Problem #1)Lack of printed forms until 1830 (Problem

#2)Handwriting is not 21st centuryBecause. it’s. NOT. 21st century.

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Handwriting – British and Early American

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17th Century Alphabet

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“Court Hand”

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Interpret Names/Terms?

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Handwriting Resource & Tips

Kip Sperry’s Reading Early American Handwriting, Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Publishing Co. 2008

Look for legible names on the same sheet/same enumerator

Look for neighbors in other censusesSearch for children/spouse

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Recap

Boundary changes (1)Lack of printed forms/illegible (2)Handwriting is illegible/unusual (3)Amazing that anyone is found…ever

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Problem #4

Inconsistent names/ages

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Francis Marion Bobo 1852-1931

8/23/1860 Francis M, 8 y.o. (b.c. 1852)7/14/1870 Francis M, 18 y.o. (b.c. 1852)6/17/1880 M, 25 y.o. (b.c. 1855)

Matilda, 22 y.o., (b.c. 1858)6/1/1900 Frank M, 48 y.o. (b.c. 1852)

Matilda, 43 y.o., (b.c. 1857) 6/1/1910 Frances M, 63 y.o. (b.c. 1847) Aged 15 years in

10. Matilda, 53 y.o. (b.c. 1857)

1/22/1920 Francis Maron, 63 y.o. (b.c. 1857) No age change Matilda, 53 y.o. (b.c. 1867) no age change

4/17/1930 Marion, 78 y.o., (b.c. 1852) Tilda, 74 y.o., (b.c. 1856) Aged 21 years in 10

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Problem #5

You don’t read the whole pageMiss family connectionsInfant baptism – sponsors/godparentsFamilyMarried daughtersNever crop a census page!

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Problem #6

IncompleteWeirdLeft off people who were therePut in people who weren’tImportant to know what enumerators were

told on how to interpret information!Google: “Measuring America”http://www.census.gov/prod/www/abs/

ma.html

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Examples

• Census law did not give a definition of “place of abode”

• Some persons reported in two places• Some not at all• Left to the judgement of the enumerator• “Seafaring men are to be reported at their land

homes, no matter how long they may have been absent, if they are supposed to be still alive.”

• “…sailors temporarily at a sailors’ boarding or lodging house, if they acknowledge any other home within the United States, are not to be included in the family of the lodging or boarding house.”

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More Oddities

• RE: # children born/living• In 1900 & 1910: mothers asked # of children

born and # living• Does NOT include stillborn children• If you have gaps – check it out• RE: Birthplaces• Canada English vs Canada French• Not language - DESCENT

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Conclusion

Census research is rife with issuesThere are reference resources that can helpHard work1940 will be worse (for awhile)1930 – 2 years to index1940 – 6-18 months

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Break time!Please return in 10 minutes.

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1940 census patron prep work/info

List of relatives/ancestors Pinpoint residencesIdentify the Enumeration District in 1940Only 1940census.archives.gov on April 2nd

NARA embargoed images for first release Ancestry.com; Archives.com,

Censusrecords.com, FamilySearch.org, MyHeritage.com companies: (myheritage.com, worldvitalrecords.com and familylink.com)

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1940 census – so what.

First time – almost everyone will have a family member alive in 1940.

Find themselves in the census.Track people moving due to Great DepressionEthnic group migrationOccupational group migrationHistorical context – where did they go?BrickwallWhat you know now – backwardsWhere did they live in 1935?? Pseudo-interim census

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1940 Census issues

THERE. IS. NO. NAME. INDEX.Won’t be one for 6-18 months.Arranged by state, county, enumeration

district (ED).Enumeration district number =

county-city/rural area (usually alphabetical)Large cities filed at the end (not alphabetical)Browse by ED to find anyone.Translate ED 1930 to ED 1940How??

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What’s in your collection?

City directoriesVital recordsNewspapersTown/county historiesCompiled genealogiesAny information that links people to a place in time

(1940)DiariesEmployment RecordsLettersSchool/Church RecordsScrapbooks

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How does your library go?

Electronic resources? Ancestry.com

No good for initial 1940 census images Good for locating

1930 census locations (every name index) City directories World War II Draft Registrations

Occurred in first half of 1940, address is likely to be where family lived in 1940

HeritageQuest.com No good for 1940 census images 1930 census locations (better index than Ancestry.com) Historical books

Database computers with no internet (no good for census images) Public internet access – good for SteveMorse.org Public internet access – bad for FamilySearch Indexing

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How??

Make a list of relativesGCPGEDCOM (like text file for GCP)LegacyFamilyTree.com (free)Report on who to look for Form by hand

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Enumeration District

What?Amount of territory that an enumerator (census

taker) could cover in a “set period of time”Rural – one monthUrban – two weeksTwo numbers: 31-1518

First part: county prefix (usually alphabetical) Second part: district number

1930 and 1940 may NOT be the same for the same location

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8-9 is now 8-11

8-10 is split into 8-12 and 8-13

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Boston, 1940. Image 30 of 771Urban vs Rural

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Where did they live?

1930 Census locationBrowse 1940 Census enumeration district

(ED)80-120 pages PER ED for almost ALL EDsBoston had 771 in 1940 = 61,680 pagesDerry had 5 = 400 pagesThere has to be a better way…There is.

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ED 13-447

Kirby Family

3 Channel Street, Boston, Mass.

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SteveMorse.org

Click on US Census

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http://www.stevemorse.org

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Indexing with FamilySearch.org

Must make an account with FamilySearch LDS Non-LDS

Must download the indexing programCan start a group indexing project (Derry has

one)Very easyExcellent user interface (UI)

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FamilySearch Indexing – Live!

Patrons/libraries looking to index:https://the1940census.com/?

cid=fsHomeT1940HelpText

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1870 – 7 years to compile; 1940 – 2 ½ years. Photo/Info Courtesy of Library of Congress

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Questions?