By
Paul Kelsey Williams
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This was a typical census scene in 1930,
with a government-employed enumerator asking a resident
questions on that year's form.
Photo Courtesy of the Library of Congress
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Old-house
owners who are only vaguely familiar with census research might
view it as a somewhat crude record used only by genealogists
tracking down known family names. They may not know that it
can almost always be searched using a building number (although
not a U.S. post office address) to reveal a wealth of intriguing
information on the past occupants of their homes. It can even
assist in narrowing down a construction date or in finding relatives
of former residents.
Detailed personal listings and household information recorded
in the 1930 census for the United States was released in 2002
by the National Archives, following a period of 72 years in
which, by law, it was kept private. It contains questions asked
by census takers that typically recorded the following data
for each living person in a household: head of household, name,
age, relation (wife, brother-in-law, lodger), race, married
status, place of birth for individuals and for each of their
parents, spoken language, education, occupation, veteran status,
and immigration dates.
The 1930 census also asked all home occupants whether they were
renters (and how much rent they paid) or owners (and how much
the house was worth). The government even wanted to know if
you had a radio in your house!
The idea for a census dates from the establishment of the country
itself, as the Constitution mandated the first national roll
call in 1790. Taken every 10 years since, it has evolved over
time from a simple person count into a detailed record that
can be a fascinating snapshot into the lives of individuals
that once occupied your house and insights on the building itself.
The recently opened 1930 census and older versions also might
offer such surprises as second and third marriages, adopted
children, foreign-born occupants, a bevy of lodgers or roomers,
or even parents that did not have a name for their newborn children
for several months after their birth.
The census will reveal if any of your home's occupants served
in the military, and during what conflicts, from the Boxer Rebellion
to World War I. It will inform you of the race of the occupants,
something you can't determine from a city directory search.
It's brow-raising for us today to see how much 1930 social attitudes
dictated specific instructions regarding race. Any person with
the smallest amount of non-Caucasian blood was deemed either
"negro" or "Indian" (as opposed to native
American). There were also questions about national origin-German,
Chinese, etc.-which might be of interest if you are doing genealogical
research related to your house or neighborhood.
The Street Where You Live Copies of all census records are on
microfilm at the main National Archives in Washington, D.C.,
as well as at each of its 13 branch locations throughout the
country. An exception is the 1890 census, which was almost completely
destroyed by a fire in the Commerce Department in January 1921.
Many local libraries have purchased the census rolls that include
their communities, so you should call your local library or
history room first. Unlike genealogists, who typically search
the record using surnames, you can consult maps to search the
records to learn who previously lived in or owned your home.
The Census Bureau hired people it called enumerators to gather
the information. They usually walked down the street, interviewing
someone at each house. (In rural communities, residents might
have been gathered in a town meeting hall and lined up for interviewing.)
While the surnames from nearly every census have been digitized
and made available online through various subscription services,
actual addresses have not. You will need to locate a census
enumeration map for your locale. It will show the individual
squares or blocks where census takers were responsible for gathering
information-along with an Enumeration District (ED) number that
will pinpoint your house. You can then scroll through the microfilm
to find information pertaining to that ED number.
District numbers changed with each census, along with the districts'
shape and size, so you will have to obtain new numbers for each
year the census was taken. Looking at more than one census can
tell you when your house was built. Even if you already know
the construction dates, each progressive year the census was
recorded can help you to envision new households as they were
built along your block.
Each individual sheet will vary in clarity, due to sometimes
poor early microfilming techniques and variation in enumerators'
handwriting skills. Enumerators might have used ink pens, or
they might have used pencils, either of which could have faded
or smeared in rain or snow, or under a sweaty palm. If you are
very lucky, you might tap into one of the more ambitious enumerators
who typed their entries.
A frequent challenge in reading the census is interpreting the
old styles of handwriting. A simple rule is to compare letters
that you are sure you can identify, such as the capitol "P"
in publisher, and use it to determine what might be an unidentified
first name, such as Penelope. With a little assistance from
a librarian, exploring a census taken at your home decades ago
can lead to fascinating information. If you're lucky, it may
be worth an anecdote at the next family reunion-or even a novel.
Paul Kelsey Williams, of Kelsey & Associates
in Washington, D.C., often uses the census in his work of researching
and writing building histories.
