The People Behind The Indexing!

I had one final goal for my indexing of the 1940 U.S. Census and I was able to reach it last Sunday!  I wanted to reach 15,000 names, and I have officially indexed 15,540 names for the Census!  

Wow, what an amazing experience!

I did it ending at a 99% agreement.

(I wonder if I will be like Grace Makutsi and her 97%*)

*Reference to a character in the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency books.

My top states were California (1,560), South Carolina (1,040), Georgia and Tennessee (800), Massachusetts (720), and Connecticut, Kentucky, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia (600).

The numbers were fun to keep track of but the most important part to me were the people themselves.  What stories must come from those lists of families!

I got quite excited when I was indexing in Massachusetts and I saw the surname, Kennedy.  Hmmm, I wondered.  Then I saw a son named, John F.   But as you can see below, he was the son of Walter and Nora, not Joseph and Rose.  But there is probably an interesting story there as well!

Here are a few things I wanted to remember about all of the names I indexed for the Census:

1) The oldest person I indexed was 100.  Up until a couple of days ago it had been 93.

2) The most children in a family I indexed was 10 and they ranged in age from 18 to 4 months.

3) I typed the letter "D" very few time in the marital status category.

4) I did a batch of 40 people from California and they were born in 20 different states and countries--now that's a melting pot!

5) I indexed a 56-year-old man whose given name was "Babe" and a woman whose first name was "Joan D'Arc."

6) In one family the two sons were Brutus and Hercules.

7) One father named Elmer had a daughter named Elmer Joan.

8) In a Georgia batch, 9 of the 40 given names were initials ( such as HC, JW, etc.) and all of them were men.

9) I indexed a 69 year old man who was married to a 28 year old woman.  She had their first child when she was 16.

10) But the biggest difference in age was one from Missouri where the husband was 90 and the wife was 33.  Now there's a story for sure!

11) I indexed a Willie married to a Willie.

12) The two most interesting sets of twins I indexed were Pearl and Earl, and Catherine and Cathleen. (This is my sister, Cathy, and here's my other sister, Cathy?)

13) Among the most poignant situations I indexed were these two:

a) A man and woman age 32 and 30 had 6 nieces and nephews living with them who ranged in age from 18-6

b) A 34 year old widow had 9 children who ranged in age from 16 to 6 months.

14) The youngest married were a 16 year old boy married to a 15 year old girl in Kentucky.  They lived with the boys' parents and his Dad was 37.  It said the boy was a waiter in a cafe.  I wonder how that story played out?

15) I also wondered about this family: A 79 year old man and his 76 year old wife had 4 single daughters living with them who ranged in age from 37 to 52. Their names were Fannie, Estelle, Rosie and Thelma.  What's their story?

16) In Connecticut there was a family who had a live-in chauffeur and his wife and in Oregon, several families had live-in gardeners.

17) It was interesting to see all the extended family living together.  I don't think we have that as much these days.  

I feel quite overwhelmed by the peek I took into the lives of all these people!  I kept thinking that our country was on the brink of WWII and that these people's lives were going to be changed forever.  They had no idea when the census-taker came to their door and they gave their family information that within a few short years their families, their lives, and their country would never be the same again.  It was sobering.  

I tried to not think of them as just names on paper, and I am so thankful I was able to participate in this experience.  

We are family!

One final note:  There was one given name that I indexcd more than any other.  I didn't keep an official record, but after a few batches I started noticing that this name was in almost every batch!   It was interesting to me because I wouldn't have guessed it---but Dan did.  Can any of you guess the given name I indexed the most?  

(While you're guessing enjoy my attempt this summer at a red, white and blue garden!)

The given name I indexed the most was:  Charles!   With William a close second.