Jumping in the 1940 Census Pool

After two days of doing genealogy work for others, I finally found a chance to peek at the 1940 census this evening. I decided to start with my paternal grandparents, since I knew where they were supposed to be then.  My grandparents were living in Los Angeles, near USC. It was in this house, as it is seen in present day:

I used Steve Morse's easy peasy tool to determine the  enumeration district (ED 60-1205). Then I clicked on the link provided and went right to that ED. On page 32 of 33, I found them!

No big surprises here. It's my grandparents and uncle. My dad and his sister would come later. The family was living in a house they owned. I knew this, too, because they had it built. The house was worth $4250. Both of my grandparents had 4 years of college noted in the education column. In 1935, they were single, both living in their respective Oklahoma hometowns. Also not new information to me.

My grandfather's occupation was "feed man." The census says he was the owner of a feed store. I happen to know it was South Vermont Feed & Seed, named for the street it was on in Los Angeles. It's hard to believe this now-crammed (and kinda scary) part of Los Angeles once had a need for feed, but it did. On this census, my grandpa reported working 48 hours a week.

But wait, what is this on the census form I spy with my little eye?

I hit the supplemental questions lottery on my very first ancestor search! For my family, this means every 20th person in the 1940 census was asked a series of supplemental questions. My grandpa was one of those selected. These questions included the birthplaces of his parents, veteran status (no), and possession of a federal social security number (no, not until 1951 or so). Unfortunately no surprises here, either.

So there you go. One family down in the 1940 census, many more to go. Some will have to wait for the index, because they moved a lot and I have no idea where they might have been in 1940.

As for these grandparents, when the 1950 census becomes available, they'll be in Pomona, California. And get ready, dad, because you'll be in that one.

1940 U.S. Census Community Project: Call for Volunteers

1940 U.S. CENSUS COMMUNITY PROJECT ANNOUNCES CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS TO CREATE FREE, SEARCHABLE DATABASE OF 1940 U.S. CENSUS RECORDS

Most Informative Record of American Life prior to U.S. WWII Involvement Has Potential to Unlock New Insights into the Past, Discovery of Unknown Family Connections
 
WASHINGTON, D.C. (April 2, 2012) – The 1940 U.S. Census Community Project—a joint initiative between the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), Archives.com, FamilySearch.org, findmypast.com, and other leading genealogy organizations—announced today a national service project to create a free, high quality, searchable database of the 1940 U.S. census records. Through the indexing efforts of online volunteers across the U.S., records from the 1940 census that were closed by law for 72 years will be easier to find. These census records capture countless untold stories of those who lived through the Great Depression—great men and women who have been called “the greatest generation.”
 
With the support of NARA, the 1940 U.S. Census Community Project is leading the digital transformation effort to create an index entirely by online volunteers. Fueled by the joy of discovering fascinating surprises from their own family history, volunteer indexers are excited to join many thousands of Americans in an online community effort to make the historic 1940 U.S. census readily searchable for others.
 
“Many of us living today know someone in the 1940 U.S. census, but we may not know much more than their name or the town in which they lived,” said David S. Ferriero, archivist of the United States. “The 1940 census will unlock some of these mysteries for us. We are delighted to join with the U.S. Census Community Project to produce an index which will make this census much more user-friendly.”
 
When complete, the index and images will also be available online for free through the sponsoring organizations’ websites. Those interested in lending a hand can learn more and sign up to be an official 1940 U.S. census volunteer indexer at the 1940 census website (the1940census.com). The project aims to make available to the public a fully functional, free, and searchable record database by the end of 2012.
 
“Many parallels exist between life in 1940 and 2012: international conflict, the political intrigue of an election year, and efforts to rebuild a flagging economy,” said Dan Lynch, spokesperson for 1940 U.S. Census Community Project. “Our goal is that through the work of online volunteers across the nation, a fully digitized and searchable database of the 1940 census records can help strengthen connections between Americans, their families, and an important time in our collective history while bringing renewed understanding of the resolute courage past generations had in restoring America.”

The 1940 U.S. Federal Census is the largest, most comprehensive, and most recent record set available featuring the names of people living in the U.S. at the time. In fact, the census contains more than one million pages and features a depth of detail that paints a more complete portrait than was previously available of the 132 million people living in the U.S. during the Great Depression. From this new vantage point, we can learn about the life and times of our people living 72 years ago. Several new census questions appeared for the first time in 1940, including:
 
·         Where people lived five years prior to the census
·         Highest educational level achieved
·         Detailed income and occupation
 
Perhaps more so than at any other time in American history, these individuals taught us lessons in hardship and survival. The Great Depression, the Dust Bowl, and the subsequent New Deal programs have left an indelible footprint on American history. In addition, many of these men and women listed in the 1940 census went on to support the fight or actually fought in World War II. Helping index the census, for many, is a way of giving something back to this great generation and rightfully preserving their place in our nation’s history.

For more information, see The1940Census.com. I'm an indexer and I hope you will be, too! --A

Who Do You Seek in the 1940 Census?

The countdown to the 1940 census release is approaching quickly. I was talking to my dad about this and he pitched an awesome blog topic on the subject, so I'm posing the question to you:

When the 1940 census becomes available in April, who will you look up first?

I'll be looking for my paternal grandparents in suburban Los Angeles. My uncle will be in the census for the first time, and it marks my parents' generation being in the census. I'll have to wait for the 1950 census to find my own parents.

Special thanks to my dad for asking such a good question. Comment with your own answers below, or answer the question on your own blog and leave a link in my comments. I'd like to know who you want to find.

Speaking of the 1940 census, here's a great ad to get the word out that indexers are needed. I'm an indexer. Will you join me?

The1940census.com - Be a part of the nation's largest community service project.