That pesky 1890 census and the disastrous fire

How often do you wish that the United States 1890 census still existed for your ancestral areas? Sure, several thousand entries still exist and may be found on microfilm and various websites. I wrote about this census back in 2009 on this blog. It bears mentioning again because I have seen many new genealogists asking where to find that census or suggesting that someone go search it.

One of the pieces of advice I gave in the earlier post was to read a series of articles in the National Archives' publication, Prologue. The three part series by Kellie Blake "First in the Path of the Firemen" The Fate of the 1890 Population Census is filled with details on the fire, subsequent destruction of damaged portions, and also about the 1890 veterans census. For the veteran's census the articles detail why it was taken, that many were missed, and more about the loss of the enumerations for the states from A through part of Kentucky. 

Read Part I of Kellee's articles here.  The link to Part II is at the end of Part I.  

2020 census electronically? Census bureau modernizing?

Census takes on horseback over fields, avoiding snow or mud, missing people, and possibly asking the wrong person for the information might be changing further for the 2020 U.S. Census.

The [St. Paul] Pioneer Press has this story today:

"WASHINGTON—For the first time, the Census Bureau is giving U.S. households a chance to respond to government surveys over the Internet, part of a bid to save costs and boost sagging response rates in a digital age. The new online option will supplement the traditional census mail-out operation. It is a major shift for the agency, which has relied almost exclusively on paper forms since 1970 but is now moving toward a more Internet-based system after spending a record $13 billion on the 2010 census."

The article further states "The once-a-decade count has traditionally missed hard-to-count groups such as minorities, the homeless and the poor, who also may be less likely to have access to computers."

But it doesn't offer an answer to that. It does include a quote that says it doesn't mean that it alleviates the cost and work involved to reach those segments of the population.

 Click here to read the full story. 

The 1940 Census Community Project is FINISHED

We did it!

The word just received from the 1940 US Census Community Project is just that! It's a really good feeling to have been part of those 160,000 volunteers.

"Today just before 2:00 p.m. (MDT), the very last batch of the 1940 US Census was arbitrated and submitted for publication. The indexing portion of the 1940 US Census Community Project is officially done!

Just look at what we accomplished:

• The project was supposed to take at least six months, yet it was completed in just 124 days—two full months ahead of schedule!

•  An "army" of more than 160,000 volunteers participated. Plainly stated, there is nothing in the annals of the genealogical community that can compare with this achievement.

• Because of the familiarity of the volunteers with the names and places contained in the records, the resulting index is thought to be among the most accurate of any census ever published.

•  Tens of millions of people will benefit for generations. That's quite a legacy!

It will take a few more weeks to complete the quality audit of the remaining states and publish them online for searching; however, the majority of the 1940 US Census records are already searchable online at the sites of the consortium members. Meanwhile, we hope the feelings you have at this moment of accomplishment are satisfying and will motivate you to continue giving. Families are being united across the generations with every name you index or arbitrate."

Visit www.archives.com, www.familysearch.org, or www.findmypast.com for the results of this community effort. Hurray for us. These will be free searches!

A big community celebration will be held on Friday, August 31st in Birmingham, Alabama at the 2012 Federation of Genealogical Societies Conference. Click here for details.

Minnesota 1940 census index now available!

The index for the Minnesota 1940 census has gone live at www.findmypast.com! My plans for the day are now changed. I am guessing it will be at www.familysearch.org pretty soon. These indexes and images are FREE.

This index was created by volunteers from all over the world. Many volunteers from the Minnesota Genealogical Society participated and we were lead by Kathy Lund. More states need to be indexed. Check them out and sign up to help at FamilySearch.

Tracing your family history with the 1940 census and other tools

Join me and Mary Jo Webster from the St. Paul Pioneer Press at the St. Paul Public Library, Highland Park branch, for a free class next week. Mary Jo is a reporter and computer-assisted reporting editor for my hometown newspaper.

Mary Jo will talk about her first-ever experience in researching the free, online 1940 U.S. census and finding a neat capsule of her own family history. I will add more about the 1940 census, other censuses, and share tips on researching your family history via materials that are online and some that aren't. There are many free resources for starting to research your family history.

It's a free class on Wednesday, May 23d at 6:30 p.m.

Click here to see directions to the Highland Park Library: http://bit.ly/KxPIBg
Click here to see the library calendar http://bit.ly/MqfIPO

Minnesota 1940 census is 19% indexed

That is amazing news. In less than a month since the 1940 census was made public, volunteers have indexed 19% of the 1940 U.S. census for Minnesota. I love indexing my home state. I recognize many names or can easily figure out what the enumerator wrote in most cases. I love seeing the multi-generation families all living in the same house. Yesterday I indexed four batches.

I do have to use other databases and indexes to help figure out the given or surname for some of the entries. Those names have to be indexed as the census enumerator wrote them. For Minnesota  and other place names, the spelling is to be corrected to the proper spelling. One helpful Minnesota place name guide is Minnesota Place Names: A Geographical Encyclopedia (3d ed) which is also online in expanded and searchable format at http://mnplaces.mnhs.org/upham/index.cfm

A bit of bad news, there is still 81% of the 1940 census for Minnesota to be indexed. It takes many people to accomplish 100%. On average, how many batches (pages) are you indexing in a week? My work and other volunteering schedules have kept me from doing as many as I want to do. But, I am averaging a dozen batches a week. Promise me you will try indexing at least a couple batches in the five days. Then tell me you were able to stop with just two!

A friend in Arizona sent me an email to tell me that since her home state of Indiana is all indexed and Arizona, her state of residence, is also indexed, she is now indexing in states that mean something to her genealogy friends. I love that she is helping to index Minnesota!

To sign up visit www.familysearch.org and click on the 1940 census image. That will take you to a page where you can quickly sign up. You may also indicate that you are doing this under the auspices of the Minnesota Genealogical Society or any other group.

Mount Sterling, Iowa on the 1940 but disbanding in 2012

I just viewed all 4 pages of the Mount Sterling, Van Buren County, Iowa 1940 census. Not a huge town then and today it only has 44 residents. It's in Southeastern Iowa on the Missouri border.

I read an article in today's St. Paul Pioneer Press about the town disbanding. The Associated Press article even says that it has never been a big town. Still, it has been home to generations of people. The article said "Looking back on their town's history, people say the biggest event was in 2003, when then-Mayor Jo Hamlett suggested at a city budget meeting that they could raise plenty of money by adopting a local ordinance to fine people for lying. Although he was joking, Hamlett put the idea in a monthly column he wrote for an area newspaper, and from there it was picked up by other news outlets and soon became an international story."

So sad when towns go away. Many ended up as ghost towns in past years as mines ran dry, after disasters, and especially when railroads, state highways, and later interstate highways bypassed them.  

Take a look at the Mt. Sterling Town 1940 census in Vernon Township, Van Buren County, Iowa, Enumeration District 89-23. It's only four pages long. I'm willing to bet that the 1940 enumerator, 20 year old Vinton Rankin [James Vinton Rankin], did not foresee the loss of this town. Nor did his parents Paul and Gail (Helen Gale/Gail Gordon) Rankin.

Media, hype, and the 1940 census

During the last couple of weeks network television, cable TV, AM, FM, and public radio stations, newspapers, websites, blogs, Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and other forms of media have talked about today's opening of the 1940 census population schedule. The news has been covered at the local, state, and national level. I have seen some international reports too. They have interviewed the "man on the street," family history researchers in libraries and historical societies, librarians, archivists, historians, and professional genealogists.

The media coverage worked. The U.S. National Archives reported a while ago that "Since 9 a.m., we've had 37 million hits to the 1940 Census site." 

Might we have a slim hope that the media will see the audience is there and continue to help us by:

• sharing the news about genealogy educational events BEFORE they take place so people can actually be informed and make plans to attend
• promote the importance of databases (like the Social Security Death Master File aka SSDI) and help encourage legislators to keep the access open
• promote the need for funding for our historical and archival instutions so that hours and staffing levels may be restored.
• promote the need for funding to preserve records all across the U.S.
• tell readers and listeners about the efforts to index, preserve, and share records that are undertaken by genealogical societies and their fantastic volunteers
• tell readers and listeners where to find more help in using the 1940 census and other records

What have I missed?

1940 Census: non-resident form

One form that is part of the 1940 U.S. census the whole world seems to be trying to access today is the Non-Resident Schedule. This is for enumerating people where they were on the day the census taker visited, but who said that wasn't their usual place of residence. An example of this form is found for Alturas, Modoc County, California on Ancestry.com: http://bit.ly/H50Ssm. The people are enumerated in in Alturas, Enumeration District 25-4, but state that they live in Delmorma School District in Modoc County, E.D. 25-7. This was found at the end of E.D. 25-7.

The enumerator instructions on the National Archives website shows this for this non-resident schedule:

Thank you to Cyndi Ingle Howells of Cyndislist.com for pointing this form out to me.

Finding addresses for the 1940 census search

I recently posted on Facebook that I am working on my family addresses in preparation for the 1940 census opening next week. A couple people sent me private messages asking how I was doing that. So, here are some tips.

1. Did your family live in a city or town that published annual city directories? Don't know? Check the collections at a large city or county public library for these. The county or state historical society may also have the 1940 era directories in book form or on microfilm. You will need to make an in-person visit to view these. Don't forget that a 1940 directory might reflect a 1939 address. I have two ancestral families that moved a lot. I have gathered 1939, 40, and 41 city directory addresses for them.
2. Some major libraries such as the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Library of Congress in Washington, DC, Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Wisconsin Historical Society in Madison, Wisconsin, and others have city directories for other cities in their onsite collections.
3. Check the websites of places like libraries, historical societies, and big genealogy libraries in your family's various cities of residence to see if they have digitized 1940 era directories. 
4. Ancestry.com, Fold3.com and other subscription website have some city directories.
5. Other institutions and libraries have digitized directories including those for Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Rochester, New York
6. Check out the helpful United States Online Historical Directories links by Miriam Robbins.
7. Some major cities such as Los Angeles and Chicago no longer had city directories published after the 1920s due to the size of the population. I need both of these cities for 1940!
8. Other city directories for the time period we need for the 1940 census research are copyrighted publications and it takes time to get permissions to digitize. It also costs money for this project.
9. Family photo albums, old letters, memories, birth or death certificates are just a few things the might provide a 1940s era address.
10. If your family lived in a more rural area or small town, it will likely be easier to just look page by page in the town or township.

Armed with the address, then visit Steve Morse's website for the "Unified 1940 Census ED Finder (Obtaining the Enumeration District for a 1940 Location in One Step)." Using this will enable you to determine the Enumeration District in which your family lived.

For example it showed me that the St. Paul, Minnesota address where my paternal grandparents lived (Stuart, 2019 Princeton) is in E.D. 90-245. I don't have to look through the entire city of St. Paul to find them. I have it narrowed down to a segment of pages. My maternal grandaunts lived at 358 Marshall Avenue in St. Paul and they are in ED 90-131, or 133. My 14 year old mother is probably at 486 So. Hamline Avenue which is an apartment in ED 90-80. For those of you who know St. Paul, these apartments are above the Nook and across the street from Cretin High School (today Cretin-Derham Hall).

And those actual census searches can be done starting Monday, April 2d at several sites, including http://www.archives.gov/research/census/1940/

Help index the 1940 Census so we can find people like these!

A 1940 article about the census enumeration for that year is titled "Census Recheck Total is 2,421" and that means people not originally enumerated in Dade County, Florida. How many times was this repeated around the United States? In this case, the census supervisor was forwarding the information to the census bureau.

Click here to read the full article in the Miami Daily News of Sunday, 7 July 1940, Section D, page 1, column 4.

Newspapers across the country carried articles into July of 1940 urging people to come forward if they had been missed. Others reported that school children were being instructed to make sure their families had been counted. The St. Petersburg Times of 27 June 1940 (page 5, column 4) said "Friday's Your Last Chance to Be Enumerated!"

The Prescott, Arizona Evening Courier of Monday, 29 July 1940, page 2, columns 3-4 even carried a coupon that you could fill out and send in. It stated that you had been missed! The newspaper would then send it to the state census supervisor. Now I wonder if anyone filled these in, were they actually added to the enumeration, and were these forms saved!

Were all the late additions added in the pages where the rest of their enumeration district was listed? Will we find them next week if we zero in on the enumeration district where we expect to find them? Are they on a later set of pages? This is why we need to index the census. Sign up today to help with the indexing. It's easy to do while sitting in your own home, at your computer, and in your fuzzy slippers. For more on the volunteer indexing project please click here.


All of these articles were accessed through Google News Archives.

Be part of the 1940 census opening!

Just received this Press Release from the National Archives:
 
March 26, 2012

National Archives Launches 1940 Census April 2 Online at 1940census.archives.gov 

Live webcast of Opening Event, 8:30 A.M. EDT 

Follow the 1940 Census on Twitter (using hashtag #1940census), Facebook, Tumblr, Flickr, and YouTube, and subscribe to our blogs: NARAtions and Prologue: Pieces of History.

The launch event is open to the media and to a limited number of members of the public on a first come, first served basis, by emailing 1940census@nara.gov.

WHAT: Washington, DC…Special ceremonial launch of the 1940 census. The National Archives’ largest single release of digitized records will be online at 1940census.archives.gov. For the genealogical community, the 1940 census is the most eagerly-anticipated records release in the past decade. Following remarks, the Archivist of the United States David S. Ferriero will launch the first search.

Beginning April 2, 2012, users will be able to search, browse, and download the 1940 census schedules, free of charge, through the new 1940 census website: 1940census.archives.gov. National Archives partnered with Archives.com to build and host the site.

The launch event will be webcast live online starting at 8:30 A.M., please visit 1940census.archives.gov, closer to April 2 for the link.

WHO: Archivist of the United States David S. Ferriero; U.S. Census Bureau Director Robert Groves; Archives.com Executive Vice President John Spottiswood; University of Maryland U.S. History Professor David Sicilia

WHEN:          Monday, April 2, 2012, 8:30 A.M.    

Electronic media preset 8:15 A.M.

WHERE: William G. McGowan Theater, National Archives Building, Washington, DC; Enter through Special Events entrance on Constitution Avenue and 7th Streets, NW
View the National Archives 3:13 minute video short on its YouTube channel (http://tiny.cc/1940Census) and on www.1940census.archives.gov. The video provides a “behind-the-scenes” look at staff preparations and gives viewers tips on how to access the 1940 census data. This video is in the public domain and not subject to any copyright restrictions. The National Archives encourages the free distribution of it.

Background on the 1940 Census

When the Founding Fathers mandated a decennial census in the U.S. Constitution, the intent was to use this as a basis to determine how many representatives each state was entitled to send to the U.S. Congress.  It is now a vital tool for Federal agencies in determining allocation of Federal funds and resources. The census is also a key research tool for sociologists, demographers, historians, political scientists and genealogists. Many of the questions on the 1940 census are the standard ones: name, age, gender, and race, education, and place of birth. But the 1940 census also asks many new questions, some reflecting concerns of the Great Depression. The instructions ask the enumerator to enter  a circled X after the name of the person furnishing the information about the family; whether the person worked for the Civilian Conservation Corps, Works Progress Administration, or National Youth Administration the week of March 24–30, 1940; and income for the 12 months ending December 31, 1939. The 1940 census also has a supplemental schedule for two names on each page. The supplemental schedule asks the place of birth of the person's father and mother; the person's usual occupation, not just what they were doing the week of March 24–30, 1940; and for all women who are or have been married, has this woman been married more than once and age at first marriage.

For the release of the 1940 census online, the National Archives has digitized the entire census, creating more than 3.8 million digital images of census schedules, maps, and enumeration district descriptions.

Minnesota societies involved in 1940 Census Indexing

I just checked the website to see which Minnesota based organizations are involved in the project to index the 1940 U.S. Census. I have signed up to index under the Minnesota Genealogical Society. I have been an MGS member since 1982 and continue to support their endeavors.

I was pleased to see a number of organizations from my home state are involved:

Anoka County Genealogical Society
Carlton County Genealogical Society
Crow Wing Genealogical Society
Freeborn County Genealogical Society
Germanic Genealogy Society
Kanabec Genealogical Society
Martin County Genealocical Society
Minnesota Genealogical Society
Olmsted County Genealogical Society
Otter Tail County Genealogical Society
Pine County Genealogical Society
Polish Genealogy Society of Minnesota
Stevens County Historical Society

What organizations from your state of residence or where your ancestors lived are involved? Click here to find out.

1940 Census St. Paul, Minnesota Focus for me.

I won't be on the 1940 U.S. census when it is released on April 2d but both my parents will be on there. My dad will be among the workforce in St. Paul and my mother will be in the 8th grade at St. James grade school in St. Paul. The picture above is her 8th grade class. She is the girl with the longer hair and dress with jacket standing to the left of the George Washington picture. My high school Latin teacher is in the photo, too. The names of the students are listed on the reverse of the photo.

All four of my grandparents (Stuart & Hanley) will be in St. Paul as will five of my great grandparents (Stuart, Carlsen, Hanley, and Cook). Two of my other three great grandparents were on the 1930 census but died in 1932 and 1937. They died in St. Paul and one had died in 1905 in Winona, Minnesota. None of my great great grandparents are on the 1920, 1930, or 1940 censuses.

How many ancestors do you have alive then and who should be on the 1940 census? I look forward to all 11 of mine.

2 weeks/3 weeks: A Genealogist's and Fan's Delight

I am looking forward to April. April 2 and April 9 to be exact. Two and three weeks from today.

April 2d
This is the day the 1940 U.S. decennial census is open for research. Not only does it open on Monday, April 2d, but it will be online and free. I mentioned this earlier but now that it's just two weeks away I am getting more excited. Was my maternal grandfather in the U.S. or was he in another country? Was his brother in jail? Was my father-in-law in New Mexico, Montana, Minnesota, or where? For more info on the census and the website to view it, check the National Archives website. I signed up to be a volunteer indexer and I hope that all my readers will join me in this. How quickly can we accomplish this task and how accurately? Sign up here. This project is sponsored by FamilySearch, brightsolid, and Archives.com.

Click here for a detailed listing of the questions asked on this census and for special explanatory notes. I am looking forward to seeing how many children each of my grandmothers had given birth to but it won't include

Research in the 1940 census is 36 days away!

April 2, 2012 is the date the 1940 U.S. census images will be released online. The census forms are released 72 years after they were taken. I am looking forward to looking at the households of several relatives and am trying to be patient. Patience is not one of my good qualities!

To see a short video that will help you prepare for the research click here. Connie Potter, an archivist from the National Archives makes a short presentation to help you get ready for April 2d. The census won't yet be indexed, but you can narrow down the area to search by using known addresses, addresses obtained from old city directories or telephone books, or old family letters from the time period that might be around your home.I have a list of addresses from city directories and have begin to narrow down the area to search by using the census enumeration maps.

Wish it were fully indexed? I do too, that's why I signed up to help index this important research resource. Archives.com, brightsolid, and FamilySearch are partnering to promote this volunteer indexing project. Please join me and other family historians in this endeavor by signing up here. Our indexing results will be FREE and online.

I just know that two neat parts of the 1940 census will help my research tremendously. First, it identifies who supplied the information for the household. Second, it lists where someone was living in 1935. Oh, I hope the latter part solves some location issues.

For more on the 1940 census, visit these websites:

• http://stevemorse.org/#us  click on several articles at the top of the list

• National Archives http://www.archives.gov/research/census/1940/

• https://www.familysearch.org/node/1520
   
• Blank 1940 census form http://www.1940census.net/1940_census_form.php 

Cyndi's List of family history websites is 14 years old today!

Right at your fingertips -- more than 270,000 live and quick links to websites related to family history. How long would it take to you compile such a list? And sort each link into the proper category. And check the link to make sure it is what it should be. And update the link when the webmaster or site owner changes their URL. And change the description of the website when that needs to change. And. And. And. Well, breathe easy. You don't have to do this work -- it has been done for us at Cyndi's List.

Today is the 14th anniversary of this list. Cindy Ingle Howells began this list of helpful websites for herself and for fellow members of the Tacoma-Pierce County Genealogical Society in Washington State. Lucky for the rest of us she began to share the list with other genealogists.  

The links are categorized. Among the 180+ categories are: adoption, Africa, Beginners, Canada (and by province), Census, City Directories, Ellis Island, Genetics, Lutheran, Military, Newspapers, Organizing Research, Passports, Poorhouses, Schools, Scotland, Ships and Passenger Lists, nd divisions for many other countries and for each of the states in the United States. Bookmark this list now and use it as the great tool it is for finding helpful websites.

1930 Census Free during August at Footnote.com

I received this press release from Footnote.com yesterday. Today on Facebook, Footnote.com is saying that they are receiving a lot of traffic and that the site is operating a bit slowly but they are working on improving it. Footnote is a great subscription site. Just browse their content list that is constantly expanding.


1930 Census Free Through the Month of August

Dear Footnote Member,

The 1930 US Census is one of the most powerful resources available to anyone who wants to learn more about their ancestors.

During the month of August, we're giving everyone free access to Footnote.com's one-of-a-kind, interactive 1930 US Census.

With Footnote's interactive census, viewing, downloading and printing images from the census are just the beginning. You can also add images and comments, spotlight interesting finds, create pages for your ancestors and tell their stories.

Let your family and friends know by simply forwarding this email to them or by pointing them to
http://www.footnote.com/1930census/

The Footnote Team

If only I had that 1890 Census . . .

I would guess that is one of phrases used by most family historians over and over. I absolutely need it for my Dow family in Superior, Wisconsin. Were my Great Grandmother's brothers still living? What would be the relationships given for people living in that household? Were any of the other relatives from Canada in the household? Alas, that is not one of the surviving portions.

Stories abound concerning the population schedule of this census and why the majority of it does not exist. The initial loss was in a fire in 1921 in the Department of Commerce building in Washington, DC. Other portions were destroyed later due to the smoke and water damage. The remains include just over 6100 people. For Minnesota it includes just one family in Enumeration District 224, Rockford, Wright County, Minnesota.** The page with George, Florance, Morris, and Grace Wolford can also be viewed at Ancestry.com if you are a subscriber, Ancestry.com at your library or at HeritageQuestOnline, also via your local library.

The special schedules of this census (mortality, paupers, deaf, blind, dumb, insane and other) were damaged in a 1896 fire and were subsequently destroyed.

For a great article on the 1890 census and the loss of it, read Kellee Blake's article "First in the Path of the Firemen: The Fate of the 1890 Population Census" in Prologue, Spring 1996 issue. It is online at the National Archives Website. This is a must read for everyone working on the history of their family. Be sure to look at all three parts of the article. Prologue is a quarterly publication of the U.S. National Archives and can be ordered online.

** However, there is more of the Minnesota 1890 census that survived. I can still remember the day back in the 1980s when one of the archivists told me that a portion of the 1890 census had been turned over to the state archives. It covers part of Rockville Township, Stearns County, Minnesota. It has been microfiched but few genealogical guidebooks share this information. I will write more about it in a future blog post.

Prizes for filling in 2010 census questionnaire?

I happened to see the front page of the USA Today newspaper this morning and saw this story headline "Census considers rewards for data." Of course I read the article which is also here. One of the persons commenting on the matter alluded to the problems of census cooperation that stems from the "fear and suspicion of government." Family historians already know that may be the reason for missing people and/or information on the early census enumerations.

Maybe if our ancestors had been given a store gift card or some monetary reward, none of them would be missing on the census. The article reported a concern for people filing multiple returns to obtain more prizes. At any rate, I thought the article was interesting and humorous at the same time. All that is needed is to turn everyone into a family historian and teach them about the other wonderful uses of the census. Surely, everyone residing in the U.S. would all cooperate. I wonder what could be offered to U.S. citizens residing in other countries? I am almost sitting on my hands to keep from commenting on the problems of the government and record keeping whether on paper or electronically.

I thought about the incentives that might have been offered to entice our ancestors to cooperate with the enumerator. What about a horse and buggy ride into town rather than having to ride horseback? Here are a few more ancestral incentives:

• free horseshoeing for a year
• discounts on meals at the town hotel
• marriage by a circuit rider of your choice
• one hot lead to where a mother lode of gold is located in California
• five chickens
• two bolts of non-scratchy fabric
• two bins of coal
• excavation of a new root cellar
• new bonnet or suspenders in the latest fashion