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| 1950 US Census manual |
My prep for this Census release includes understanding what the enumerators were instructed to do (and not do).
I'm browsing through the Urban & Rural Enumerator's Reference Manual so I can . . . "Think Like an Enumerator." (You can read the manual here.)
Enumerators were told, for example, that if no one was home at time of their visit and that household was expected to be away for some time, talk with a neighbor and record as much detail as possible. Then add the notation: "Information given by a neighbor."
Now, 72 years later, we should take such information with a grain of salt because it was not first-hand. How many neighbors can recite the proper age or birth year for anyone or everyone in my household? None. Same holds true for 1950, even though neighbors might have been living near each other for many years. But I'm happy that the Census will contain such notations to alert us to be cautious in accepting the information as factual.
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| Enumerator instructions on p. 10 of 1950 Census manual |
Be aware that 1950 Census enumerators were instructed to visit residences in a particular order and to ask neighbors where houses were located, so they wouldn't miss any. Read more on the U.S. National Archives blog here.
P.S.: I'm putting all of my 1950 Census blog posts into one summary page, with header found at top of my blog. The direct link is here. Thank you for reading!
P.S.: I'm putting all of my 1950 Census blog posts into one summary page, with header found at top of my blog. The direct link is here. Thank you for reading!
It will be good to have this information instead of just speculating that it could be the cause of conflicting or incorrect information. I'm so curious to see where my dad and his parents were enumerated, they moved from Chicago to Middletown, CT sometime between XMas '49 and the summer of 1950.
ReplyDeleteGlad for the footnote, but really, asking neighbors seems like a crazy plan. Still, that applies only to families that will be away for a long time - wonder how "long time" was defined. I look forward to seeing where everyone was in 1950. I won't be in it but my husband will, and some of my cousins too.
ReplyDeleteMarian, this is very interesting & surprising. I hope the enumerators remembered to make that notation so we know how reliable the "facts: are. Thanks for sharing this!
ReplyDeleteLadies, many thanks for reading and commenting. This week I attended a community meeting where two reps for the 2020 Census spoke--and believe it or not, enumerators are still empowered to skip a household and ask the neighbors in case of prolonged absence or when a household doesn't answer the door.
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