The 1940 census
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Transcript of The 1940 census
CHRISTINE SHARBROUGH, MSLIS ARCHIVAL STUDIES,
CERTIFIED GENEALOGIST S M
REFERENCE & OUTREACH LIBRARIANDERRY PUBLIC LIBRARY
The 1940 Census – For Librarians
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
Welcome
About Me/Housekeeping
Certified GenealogistSM
Blog: www.genealogy2012.wordpress.comRef/Outreach Librarian/Archivist/GenealogistHousekeeping details
Bathrooms Break Telephones
Questions – contact me [email protected]
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
Crash Course in Understanding the Census
Goals:Understand importance to genealogistsWhy census is a clue not a factInherent problemsReference resources
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
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.
Country Overview: US 1790
US 1810
US 1820
US 1860
OHIO – Crossroads of America 1810
Recap
Constant boundary changesChanged states/territoriesChanged countiesChanged towns
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
1790 federal census, population schedule - Massachusetts
1790 federal census, population schedule – New Hampshire
Problem #3
Boundary Changes (Problem #1)Lack of printed forms until 1830 (Problem
#2)Handwriting is not 21st centuryBecause. it’s. NOT. 21st century.
Handwriting – British and Early American
17th Century Alphabet
“Court Hand”
Interpret Names/Terms?
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
Recap
Boundary changes (1)Lack of printed forms/illegible (2)Handwriting is illegible/unusual (3)Amazing that anyone is found…ever
Problem #4
Inconsistent names/ages
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
Problem #5
You don’t read the whole pageMiss family connectionsInfant baptism – sponsors/godparentsFamilyMarried daughtersNever crop a census page!
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
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.”
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
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
Break time!Please return in 10 minutes.
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)
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
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??
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
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
How??
Make a list of relativesGCPGEDCOM (like text file for GCP)LegacyFamilyTree.com (free)Report on who to look for Form by hand
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
8-9 is now 8-11
8-10 is split into 8-12 and 8-13
Boston, 1940. Image 30 of 771Urban vs Rural
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.
ED 13-447
Kirby Family
3 Channel Street, Boston, Mass.
SteveMorse.org
Click on US Census
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)
FamilySearch Indexing – Live!
Patrons/libraries looking to index:https://the1940census.com/?
cid=fsHomeT1940HelpText
1870 – 7 years to compile; 1940 – 2 ½ years. Photo/Info Courtesy of Library of Congress
Questions?