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An Introduction to the 1940 Census and
Searching the Census.
Created by the Reference Staff at the
Washington County Public Library
Census Records
The Census through history
The oldest existing
census in the world
comes from China
during the Han
Dynasty. This census
was taken in the year 2
A.D. and is considered
to be quite accurate. It
recorded the
population as 59.6
million, the world’s
largest population. The
best known reference
to a Roman census was
when the birth of Jesus
occurred in Bethlehem
because Mary and
Joseph had travelled
there to be enumerated
in the census.
The Domesday Book
The most famous
historic census in
Europe is the
Domesday Book
which was
undertaken by
William the
Conqueror in 1086.
In the 15th century,
the Inca Empire had
a unique way to
record census
information as they
did not have a
written language.
Census information
was recorded on
quipus which were
strings from llama
or alpaca hair or
cotton cords with
numeric and other
values encoded by
knots in a base-10
positional system.
Census Day in the United States was August 2, 1790. The first census began more than a year after the inauguration of President Washington and shortly before the second session of the first Congress ended. Congress assigned responsibility for the 1790 census to the marshals of the U.S. judicial districts under an act which, with minor modifications and extensions, governed census taking through 1840. The law required that every household be visited, that completed census schedules be posted in "two of the most public places within [each jurisdiction], there to remain for the inspection of all concerned..." and that "the aggregate amount of each description of persons" for every district be transmitted to the president.
Census records are the only records that describe the entire population of the United States on a particular day. The 1940 census is no different. The answers given to the census takers tell us, in detail, what the United States looked like on April 1, 1940, and what issues were most relevant to Americans after a decade of economic depression.
A Day in the
life of a
country
caught
between
The Great
Depression
and the
Second
World War
The 1940 Census
A companion resource
to the 1940 Census
just released by the US
National Archives,
This is Who We Were,
provides the reader
with a deeper
understanding of what
life was like in
America in 1940 and
how it compares
statistically to life
today. Using both
original material from
the 1940 Census
(reprinted here in a
different color),
readers will find
richly-illustrated
Personal Profiles,
Economic Data, and
Current Events to give
meaning and depth to
what life was like in
1940 R330.973 DER;
in-library use only
This is Who We Were: Companion to the 1940 Census
The 1940 census reflects economic tumult of the Great Depression and President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal recovery program of the 1930s. Between 1930 and 1940, the population of the Continental United States increased 7.2% to 131,669,275. The territories of Alaska, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, Hawaii, the Panama Canal, and the American Virgin Islands comprised 2,477,023 people.
Besides name, age, relationship, and occupation, the 1940 census included questions about internal migration; employment status; participation in the New Deal Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), Works Progress Administration (WPA), and National Youth Administration (NYA) programs; and years of education.
Source:
National
Archives:
http://1940cens
us.archives.gov/
about
The 1940 Census
Questions recorded on the schedules were similar to those found on earlier Census schedules. As enumerators went door-to-door they recorded the location of the household and provided additional household data, such as the names for each member of the household and their relationships to the head of the household. Enumerators also recorded a personal description for each member of the household, which included their age and sex, information about the individual’s education, their birthplace and naturalization status, and specific place of residence in 1935.
How was
it
different?
1940 Census
In addition, all individuals over the age of 14 were asked questions about their employment, and 5% of the population, those on lines 14 and 29, were asked fifteen supplementary questions. These questions asked about their parents’ birthplace, earliest language spoken in the household, questions relating to veterans, social security, occupation, and a final section specifically for women which recorded marital status and number of children born.
Source: Charlotte County Genealogical Society, Inc. 2012
How was it
different?
(cont.)
1940 Census
The name of your relative or ancestor, and the state he or she resided in, is enough to get you started searching Census records.
The first Federal Population Census was taken in 1790, and has been taken every ten years since. However, data from recent censuses are not available after 1940 because of a 72-year restriction on access to the Census. Most researchers find it most helpful to begin with the 1940 Census and work backwards to locate people in earlier generations.
The National Archives has the census schedules on microfilm available from 1790 to 1930. (Note: Most of the 1890 Census was destroyed in a Department of Commerce fire, though partial records are available for some states.)
Part II:Searching the Census
Census records can provide the building blocks of your research, allowing you to both confirm information, and to learn more.
From 1850 to 1930, details are provided for all individuals in each household, such as:names of family members their ages at a certain point in
time their state or country of birth their parent's birthplacesyear of immigration (cont.)
What can the Census tell me?
street address marriage status and years of
marriage occupation(s) value of their home and personal
belongings the crops that they grew (in
agricultural schedules), etc.Not all of this kind of information
is available in every census. Before the 1850 Census, few of these details were recorded. From 1790-1840, only the head of household is listed and the number of household members in selected age groups.
What can the Census tell me (cont.)
Stephen Morse Unified 1940 Census ED Finder http://www.stevemorse.org/census/FAQ’s about the 1940 Census:http://www.archives.gov/research/census/1940/index.htmlSearchable 1940 Census (provided by the Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) https://familysearch.org/1940census/Join the 1940 Census Indexing project:https://the1940census.com/
Websites:
Searching the Census Using HeritageQuest Online
The Collection consists of six core data setsU.S. Federal Census from 1790 to
1940Genealogy and local history booksPeriodical Source Index (PERSI)Revolutionary War recordsFreedman’s Bank RecordsU.S. Congressional Serial Set
Is a
comprehensi
ve treasury of
American
Genealogical
resources—
rich in
primary
sources, local
and family
histories and
finding aids
HeritageQuest Online
Take a short
tutorial. Our
Reference
staff is
prepared to
show you in
more detail
how to use
HeritageQu
estJust ask!
HeritageQuest Online
Who will you find?
For
additional
assistance
stop by the
library or
email:
RefDesk@wc
pl.net
Please Note:
HeritageQuest
Online is
accessible at all
branches of the
Washington
County Public
Library. It is also
available remotely
for WCPL card-
holders. It must
be accessed
through the
library’s webpage:
www.wcpl.net
Other resources
The library
offers links to a
variety of
History and
Genealogy
websites. Visit
our “Selected
Sites”
webpage:
http://www.wcpl.net/eshelf-research/selected-sites/more-help