Census Records Continued ~ Immigration, Education and Home Ownership

 

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

We apologize for missing last week.  Time got away from us and then Relative Race was on BYU TV.  We really enjoy this show as the contestants are discovering more family.  What an awesome Family History adventure!  If you have not seen it, check it out!  Sunday nights at 6 PM (Comcast lineup) on BYU TV. 

This week we are continuing our discussion of the information you can find on Census records.  The last blog posting covered the names of residents and the personal description that was included in the census form.  The description included parentage, birth place, naturalization, and if they spoke English.

Today, before we go further, let’s talk more about naturalization. The Census records prior to 1870 did not usually contain any information on place of birth or if the person was a naturalized citizen.  However, the 1870 Census records include the place of birth (if in the US, the enumerator may have also included the state).  If foreign born, we do not know if they were naturalized citizens.  By 1900 the forms added the Immigration year and number of years living in the United States.

In 1920 we have more information.  Under the Citizenship section, the form includes year of immigration to the United States, a column to mark if they are a naturalized citizen or “alien”, and, if naturalized, the year of their naturalization.  What a boon to our research this information is!  We have the birth country and can now trace them to the United States and obtain the naturalization documents if they were naturalized.  We also can check the Port of Entry records to see how and where they entered the United States.  Were other family members with them at the time or were they traveling alone?  Brother May’s father is a naturalized citizen.  It was helpful to find out the year so we were able to research the document showing his naturalization information.

As far as we can tell, the 1920 Census is the only one that has this information.  The 1940 Census goes more into detail on employment and does only a cursory mention of US Citizenship.

As we move on to the Education sections, we find that education was not included in the Census forms until around 1870.  The form had columns that the enumerator could mark with a slash that covered the following:

·         Attended school within the year

·         Cannot read

·         Cannot write

·         Whether deaf, dumb, blind, insane or idiotic

While some of this information may seem harsh by our standards today, it is helpful.  If our family members had a disability, it could lead us to a special school or institution that treats that disability.  Again, referencing Brother May’s family history, his grandmother was listed as insane by her husband.  Having no more than “post baby blues” he considered her crazy.  He moved from Canada to the Oklahoma area and left her in an institution for the insane, then took his 3 boys and moved to California.  She recovered from her “insanity” and stayed in that home as a nurse helping other patients the remainder of her life. Her death record states she passed away there at an old age.  (She never saw or heard from her boys again and they were told by their father that the reason she did not move to California with them was that she had died.) Thank goodness for the census records!  They were a huge help in locating Brother May’s grandmother. 

By 1900 the census forms just recorded if the person attends school, can read, write and speak English.  This information was also carried into the 1920 Census form. 

In 1940, the form added the following details:

·         Attended school or college any time since March 1, 1940

·         Highest grade of school completed

This is really helpful now that we have access to school yearbooks and college records. Did our family members graduate high school?  Many did not during that time period.  Did our college-bound family members receive a degree in a certain field of education?  Where were they living when they went to school?  All of this information is valuable as we do our research.

The last of the information we would like to discuss this week is home ownership.  Having the street name and house number is a great help when checking to see where the relatives lived.  The 1870 census included a section entitled Value of Real Estate Owned.  Within that section, were columns:  Value of real estate and Value of personal estate.  This information can lead you to the city directories and property records of the area in which your family members lived.   This may have been mainly for tax purposes or for city planning but is a great help to us as we gather sources for our tree.

 In 1900 the form included where the family owned or rented the residence, if it was a farm or house and if it was owned free or had a mortgage What a great help this can be when looking at the city or county records.

In 1940, columns were added under the Heading of Household Data that included:

·         House owned or rented

·         Value of home, if owned or monthly rent if rented

·         Does this household live on a farm (yes/no)

As we delve into our family history, we become detectives.  With the guidance of the Holy Ghost and the help from those on the other side of the veil as well as all the documents and sources available to us today through the blessing of technology, we can unravel the mysteries of our family trees.  It can seem overwhelming at times.  When we feel like it is “just too much” and get frustrated, remember the old adage – You Eat An Elephant One Bite At A Time.  Take it slow and ask for help from Heavenly Father.  This is His work and He will guide us each step of the way.  We are here to help as well.  More Census Records information next week…….

Have a great week!  Brother and Sister May