| Adventures in Genealogy: 1930 Census or Rednecks, New Data and 32 Questions |
Every 10 years a new census is released, and every genealogist in the country goes wild, trying to add another layer of sources to their research. One of the biggest questions is always, 'what new info will be included in the census'? Thanks to the Van Zandt County Genealogical Society, I can answer that question for yall. So let's sit back and take a look at the 32 questions on the 1930 census. Section One: Place of Abode 1) Street, Avenue or Road 2) House number (when available) 3) Number of dwelling house in order of visitation (Supplied by Census Taker) 4) Number of family in order of visitation (Supplied by Census Taker) Section Two: Name 5) Name of each person who lived in that dwelling on 1 April 1930 (Note: they may not have been living with the family the day of the census but they were living with them on 1 April 1930) Section Three: Relationship 6) Relationship of each person to the Head of Household (i.e. Spouse, daughter, son, etc.) Section Four: Home Data 7) Home owned or rented (Hint: If they owned the home you need to get a copy of the land deed from the courthouse. This little tidbit of info is a wonderful addition to the census for all of us genealogists) 8) Value of Home, if owned, or monthly rental, if rented 9) Radio Set 10) Does the family live on a farm Section Five: Personal Description 11) Sex 12) Color or Race (The terms in this section are those used by the 1930 census, not this writers) White (w), Negro (n), Mexican (mex), Indian (In), Chinese (ch), Japanese (jp), Filipino (fil), Hindu (hin), Korean (kor) all other races spelled out in full. 13) Age at last Birthday (first clue in your quest for Birth Certificates) 14) Martial Condition 15) Age at first Marriage (This question replaced the years married question) Section Six: Education 16) Attended school or college any time since Sep 1, 1929 17) Whether able to read and write Section Seven: Place of Birth 18) Place of Birth - Person (second clue in your quest for Birth Certificates - You now know the year they were born and where) 19) Place of Birth - Father 20) Place of Birth - Mother Section Eight: Mother Tongue (or Native Language) of Foreign Born 21) Language spoken in home before coming to US Then there are 3 columns of code to assist in statistical info and provide no other info beyond the stuff in columns 18-21. (Note: I would love to know what these codes meant) Section Nine: Citizenship 22) Year of Immigration to the US 23) Naturalization (Questions 22 and 23 should provide crucial clues to aid you in your research if your ancestor emigrated to the US before 1930 and was still alive) 24) Whether able to speak English Section Ten: Occupation and Industry 25) Trade (i.e. The person's job) 26) Industry (Where the person worked) 27) Class of Employee Section Eleven: Employment 28) Whether actually worked, yesterday or last regular working day, Yes or No 29) If Not, Line number on Unemployment schedule (Keep in mind this census was taken during the great depression) Section 12: Veterans 30) Whether a veteran of US military or Naval Forces, Yes or No (As of this writing I don't know if a Confederate Vet would be listed as a yes or no.) 31) What war or Expedition? World War (ww), Spanish American War (sp), Civil War (civ), Philippine Insurrection (phil), Boxer Rebellion (box), Mexican Expedition (mex). I can't begin to tell you how valuable this section might turn out to be for all of us. The clues given by question 30 and 31, should lead you straight to NARA. Section 13: Farm Schedule 32) Number of Farm Schedule I want to take a moment here and thank the Editor of the Van Zandt County (Texas) Genealogical Society's "Our Heritage" newsletter for publishing this list of questions. Please take a moment to visit their website (http://rootsweb.com/~txvzcgs/vzgs.htm) Adios and Keep Smiling Uncle Hiram
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