It’s Been Confidential for 72 Years: The 1950 Census

There’s been great information published about the upcoming release of the 1950 US Census. I have been collecting it and want to share with you a reference of helpful resources, along with activities that you can do to prepare for the release!

Important date: 1 April 2022

What is going to happen

The 1950 US Census will be released, 72 years after it was taken.

The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Artificial Intelligence will give us an initial index including name and locations on the day of its release. The AWS artificial intelligence/optical character recognition (AI/OCR) Textract tool is being used to create that initial index. The index will be available for the P1 Population Schedule and the P8 Indian Reservation Schedule. Since the index will probably not be perfect at first, the National Archives asks us to submit name updates to the index using a transcription tool that will be available on the 1950 Census website.

Interesting facts about the 1950 Census

5% of those responding were asked additional questions, including those about where the person lived a year ago, education, employment, marital status, military service (for males) and the country of their parents’ births.

An exciting fact about this census was that it was the first time Americans abroad were enumerated. In practice the enumeration of Americans in the armed forces, US government employees and vessel crews were counted more reliably than others living aboard. Family and neighbors might report others living abroad.

It would also be the last time that enumerators went around to large multifamily dwellings. In future, the blank forms would be mailed.

What’s different from past census releases

Last release: 2 April 2012. We had to wait an extra day because 1 April fell on a Sunday!

The 1940 US Census was made available to us unindexed. Digital images are great, but without an index you had to identify a set of images to look at, then look at each image to see if your family member was on it. The process involved people figuring out the census enumeration district in which their ancestor lived, then going through the pages for that district page-by-page and line-by-line. Simultaneous with the release, volunteers and genealogical record companies began creating indexes, transcribing the census line-by-line and page-by-page. More than 163,000 volunteers were organized by FamilySearch and managed to create an index for the more than 3.8 million images in a lightning four months. (If you have not been part of a FamilySearch indexing project, please consider it. It is an amazing thing to do. Two indexers transcribe data, and a third arbitrates any differences between the two transcriptions.) This time, on the day of release we have an initial index of names and locations, which will be a good starting place.

This year, for the first time, those who have over 165 terabytes of available computer memory and download the whole census dataset in bulk.

What you can do now

1. Bookmark NARA’s 1950 Census Records webpage. That is where the link to the dedicated website will be posted.

2. View the Questions Asked on the 1950 Census and also view samples of all the Census Forms in the 1950 Census Dataset.

You will probably want to start with: Form P1 – Census of Population and Housing (front). The back of the page with housing information was not microfilmed, and only aggregate data exists.

3. Watch the videos at the National Archives Genealogy Series: 1950 Census and download the handouts. Previous presentations have been recorded for later viewing.

4. Gather blank questionnaires and fill in the censuses during your lifetime. Imagine how glad you would have been if your ancestors had done this for you! Head over to the US Census Bureau to learn more about the Censuses and Download census forms at the Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decades.

On each page for the decennial census, there will be a link to download that Decennial Census Questionnaire & Instructions. From that page you can download a sample questionnaire. Or you can go directly to the 1950 Census page where you can download blank forms and view the index of questions.

On the Through the Decades webpage you can find a link to download “Measuring America: The Decennial Censuses From 1790 to 2000” in that includes information and questionnaires from the 1790 up to the 2000 US Census in pdf format.

On 1 April 2022

Travel to the NARA’s 1950 Census Records web page, where there will be a link the dedicated website.

Many thanks to all those at NARA who worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic to bring this data to us on time.

RootsTech 2022 lives on

Another RootsTech has come and gone, but RootsTech 2022 is really is not over! The classes that were recorded for RootsTech 2022 are still available. In fact, RootsTech made a decision to keep classes online for 3 years (unless the content creator asks for them to be removed). That means you have access to content from 2021 and 2022. Be sure to have a free FamilySearch account so that you can create a playlist as you search for classes.

The web address is https://rootstech.org. Use the menu on the upper right corner and select the option “Sessions” to search for sessions, or “Speakers” to search for a particular speaker.

When you search for Sessions, there will be a search box on the top and a list of filters on the left side of the Session page. I find using the filters more cumbersome than searching, but viewing the topics available can be helpful. To use the filters, click on the down arrow next to a filter to see the options available. After selecting an option, the available classes will show up on the right side of the screen.

An example search for the term: military will have our military classes.

Most of the classes have a downloadable syllabus or handout, and you should be able to find contact information for the instructors if you have questions.

RootsTech Connect was an overwhelming success, with 700,000 people officially registered. More viewed sessions without registering. Expect that there might be a virtual component in any upcoming RootsTech, which is great news for anyone who cannot travel.

Thanks to those who stopped by virtually to visit my classes at RootsTech, and left a greeting or a question.

You can find my sessions at:

• 3-part series Researching Ancestors in the U.S. Military: Online and in Military Archives (2022)
• 2-part series Write Their Story: From Timeline to Young Readers Book (2022)
• Tip: Learning from US Military Records That Did Not Burn (2021)

or find them all by clicking on: Dr. McMahon’s RootsTech classes.

Genealogical Education

One of our assignments in the Professional Genealogy (ProGen) Study Group was to devise an educational plan. It may be daunting to figure out how to know what you don’t know. You can focus on a specific individual, a geographical area or topics you want to use in your research, and fill in the gaps of your knowledge in those areas. Examples: how to map property in land records or mapping tools. Picking a topic like DNA would be too large, so identify a facet of that field you want to learn. Examples would be what test(s) are available or how to triangulate matches.

Try some of the resources listed below. For maximum benefit, apply the knowledge and use the techniques you learn as soon as possible.

Where to find resources

There are a wide variety of resources to support your genealogical education. Below are some resources that I find useful when tackling a new area. This list does not include genealogical courses or conferences, but for in-depth coverage of topics you should consider them.

Articles. Useful information can be found in genealogical journals, society publications and popular publications. A membership subscription is usually required for journals and society publications. Use an internet search engine to find articles on the web, but you will want to take some time to assess the credibility of the source.   

Books. There are plenty of publications available. You can search for what is held in your local library using their catalog, or for a loner reach search in WorldCat. Be sure to check for reviews and timelessness of the information in them.

Learning Centers. All of the major record providers (e.g. Ancestry Academy, MyHeritage Knowledge Base and FindMyPast) have learning centers on their websites. These companies want to attract your business, so they provide useful information with subjects’ background and on how to use their websites.

Tourist information. Be sure to pick up tourist information about historic sites in an ancestor’s home area. Be of the lookout for useful maps that may be available, as these may have markers for regions and locations of interest that would not be available on driving maps. Look for this information when you visit, or order by mail, or download from a tourist website.

Webinars and Videos. Webinars are a great way to learn. The speakers can offer are more animated explanations than reading words. If you attend live, you may also have an opportunity to ask questions.

There are several places on the web to find webinars. There are many societies that are still having their meetings online and welcome guests. Registration is usually required. The GeneaWebinars page has a calendar of webinars . Conference Keeper contains a listing of genealogy events online. Societies and libraries often advertise their webinars on Facebook, so be sure to like and follow their pages.

The National Archives has a landing page with Resources for Genealogists. NARA hosts a family history conference each year. Since there was no 2020 NARA Family History Day, the National Archives Genealogy Series lectures were broadcast during May and June 2021.

Definitely search YouTube for topics of genealogical interest. For example, Ancestry has a YouTube channel and there are many other videos that could be helpful to you.

NARA’s past Family Genealogy Fairs presentations are also on YouTube, but it is easier to access them and their handouts on their Genealogy Fair Page.

Wikis. A wiki is an online encyclopedia that can be edited by members of the wiki community. With 96,217 articles as of this blog post, the FamilySearch Wiki is the first stop for many genealogists. The articles are educational and contain actionable information to help your research. When researching an ancestor in a new geographic location, consider using this wiki as your first stop to find out the history of the locale and what records are available.

Happy Learning!

“DNA Detectives”

“DNA Detectives” is a New Zealand genealogy program that presents the DNA stories of two celebrities per episode. Two seasons of the program were created, in 2015 and 2017.

Host Richard O’Brien introduces each celebrity, asks about the anticipated DNA results, then briefs the celebrity on the DNA testing results. Finally, he hands the celebrity a device to stay in communication with him. The mysterious device is a smart phone.

The celebrities are given cryptic and entertaining clues as they are sent on missions around the world based on their DNA results. On those missions, they travel all over the planet to meet people with whom they share DNA to explore the stories locked in that DNA. These people sharing DNA matches have information about their shared ancestors.

While not all the celebrities may be recognizable to US audiences, the host may seem a bit familiar. He wrote the musical stage show, “The Rocky Horror Show” and co-wrote the screenplay of the film adaptation, “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” in which he appeared as Riff Raff. Additionally, Jacinda Ardern, the Prime Minister of New Zealand, is featured on an episode in Season 2.

This program differs from other genealogy programs because of its focus on the personal connections with living people as well as the shared stories. Even when a celebrity visits an archive, personal connections are involved. Even though the majority of the celebrities may not be recognizable to US audiences, the stories are entertaining, interesting and at times very touching. Thinking about the connections we all share around the world can be inspiring. The forgotten stories are also thought provoking. I am not sure that I had heard the word “grancestors” (ancestors of grandparents) used on a genealogy program before.

Two seasons are available on Amazon Prime (2015, 2017), with Season 2 having commercials.

Book Review: “The Sleuth Book for Genealogists”

For those who have been genealogists for many years, the name of Emily Anne Croom is recognizable. With books like “Unpuzzling Your Past” and “The Genealogist’s Companion & Sourcebook,” she has written several genealogical library fundamentals.

Although first published in 2000, this latest publishing of “The Sleuth Book for Genealogists” is as valuable to genealogists as it was when it was first published. The difference between the two versions is that the 2008 version is printed on thinner paper and has an errata notice about unavailability of the catalog and rental program of Heritage Quest.

While the book’s content has not changed, the concepts taught in the book are absolutely timeless; they do not rely on a current set of links to websites. In fact, taking a step back from clicking on links can encourage genealogists to develop skills and approaches used by detectives to locate and analyze data about their ancestors.

The hunt is on for the “missing persons” who are our ancestors, guided by quotes from famous literary detectives and real people. This is a full-strength guide to genealogical research, written in an approachable manner that even a beginning genealogist can appreciate. The book takes genealogists through important concepts in research, potentially brick wall-busting strategies and examples. It contains important topics, such as census research, but digs into deeds and the complications of dates. One appendix reviews the basics of genealogical studies, while the other appendix contains a guide to documentation that steers a genealogist through the important task of citing sources with extensive examples. Although the book is thorough, the information in it is not presented at the potentially intimidating depth of other comprehensive books about genealogical research.

From planning, through a variety of techniques including cluster research, to reporting results, this book walks you through the research process. An important part of meaningful research is asking questions, and throughout the process a genealogist is presented with sets of meaningful questions to ask at each stage of solving a mystery. The book also stimulates the critical thinking process by covering what a genealogist can do with what is found, no matter how it is found.

Three thorough case studies are presented in the book to illustrate the research methodology. Each begins with an inventory of what was known prior to beginning the research, then shows the questions that were asked, how they were answered and what was learned at each step. Genealogists can follow along with Ms. Croom investigating these cases to experience the process, think about the questions that should be asked and how to organize, interpret and analyze the results of each step. After studying this book, genealogists can take what they have learned and apply it to their own research problems.  

For all the useful content in this book, there is some matter that could benefit from being updated. The idea that a computer is only useful in genealogy for storage and presentation of results is outdated. The use of computers to support genealogical research has been transformed by valuable software programs written to organize and analyze data. In addition to family tree building computer programs, even common applications such as word processing and spreadsheets programs are useful to a researcher. Sadly, for newer genealogists, an anecdote about using Soundex codes to look up a census entry may not be meaningful in this age of online databases.

I was relatively new to genealogy when I read the first version of this book, and rereading it reminded me of the many good practices that I still follow in my own research. It was good to review those example questions to ask at each point of the research process. It would be great to have an automated system with this knowledge that would help me throughout my research activities, but until that happens, I am happy to have this book on a nearby shelf.

“The Sleuth Book for Genealogists” by Emily Anne Croom is available from the Genealogical Publishing Company.

Speaking at RootsTech Connect 2021!

This year RootsTech is all virtual and free to register! Have you registered?

I hope you will have a chance to check out my lecture: “Write Their Story: From Timeline to Young Readers’ Book” (Lecture Session 471160). 

For RootsTech Connect 2021, each lecture session will be 20 minutes long. My lecture will be split across two 20-minute sessions.  I hope you will join me!

Session ID: 471160
Session Title: Write Their Story: From Timeline to Young Readers’ Book
Session Type: Lecture Session

When more details are shared, I will post them on Facebook, too.

See you at RootsTech Connect!