Bringing to life the US 1950 Census

The 1950 census was released last week and locating census records for family members has already instigated some great conversations.

Using the census to spark conversations with elderly relatives

Looking at the 1950 census may spark memories for those whose names are found on the records. Information about them and their families might remind them of stories. Seeing the names of neighbors may take them back to that time and place, surfacing other stories from that time period. This is a great way for you or your older relatives to start (or continue) telling stories from the past that can be documented for posterity.

One relative of mine had a lodger living with his family and he started telling me stories from his childhood and how having a lodger helped him gain independence at an early age. Because the lodger was often home, his mom felt comfortable leaving for hours at a time and he learned how to take care of himself, knowing he could always get the lodger if there was an issue.

Finding a census for family members still alive can help start conversations about that time period. Information on the census can help jog their memory, and can help bring the past to life.

Learning about where you currently live

I live in NYC which has changed a lot over the years. I was curious what occupations the people who lived in my building had for the 1950 census. My building was easy to find since the census sheets went in order by address. The 1950 census instructions required enumerators to list every address in order and if no one was at home, to write not at home and then write what sheet and line number their entry was included.1 This systematic way of recording allowed enumerators to visually see which dwellings needed to be revisited and likely helped prevent addresses from being forgotten. I could not find my 1920s era building on previous censuses and I think enumerators missed it for both the 1930 and 1940 censuses.

Neighborhoods change over time and it is interesting to see the places of birth and the occupations of those that live in neighborhoods now versus then. My neighborhood was a mix of native New Yorkers, those born in other parts of the US, and those foreign-born. The enumeration district for my building consisted of half a block. There were a lot of actors, musicians, secretaries, clerks, and restaurant workers living on the block. I know we still have similar occupations, but I don’t think to the same degree and there are now a lot of business professionals in the neighborhood. While my neighborhood does not seem to have changed much in the last 72 years, your neighborhood may be very different now compared to 1950 and it might be fascinating to explore.

Image Availability

As of now, I have only used www.ancestry.com and www.familysearch.org to look at census images. Ancestry.com has an enumeration district finder where you can put in an address and it will tell you which district it was in. It isn’t a perfect system.2 I put in a street address in San Francisco and the district it provided was not the correct one. But I was able to look at the map and find the correct block (you may have to use a current map website to find the correct location before looking at the enumeration map). The map finder didn’t work for another address (also in San Francisco) but I was able to zoom in on the map and find the address manually. Maybe there is just an issue with San Francisco, as I was able to easily get the correct district for the other addresses I put in. One of the sets of census images wasn’t available on Ancestry.com at the time, but I was able to go to familysearch.org and find it there. Familysearch.org is easier to use if you know what enumeration district they lived in. By now, I suspect Ancestry.com has uploaded all of the images.

Index availability

Some indexes are just now starting to pop up online. Familysearch.org says computers are indexing the records and being checked by people. They have a great map showing their progress.3 This process will take a while, but each day more and more records will become available. Ancestry.com and other major genealogical websites will likely follow suit.

Why aren’t indexes available yet?

Censuses are required to remain confidential for 72-years.4 The 1950 Census was taken 1 April 1950, allowing the census to be released 1 April 2022. It takes a long time to load all of the images online and then even longer to get them indexed. Familysearch.org is looking for volunteers to check the indexes created by computers. Keep checking back to whichever genealogy website you prefer (or check multiple) because the index may pop up for your area of interest at any time.

  1. Enumerator Reference Manual for the 1950 Census of the United States, Appendix 1-469, section 108, United States Census Bureau (https://www.census.gov: accessed 5 April 2022). ↩

  2. You have to have an ancestry.com account use the map. https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/district-map/62308 ↩

  3. Indexed by Computers, Reviewed by People, Family Search (www.familysearch.org: accessed 5 April 2022). ↩

  4. The “72” Year Rule, United States Census Bureau (www.census.gov: accessed 5 April 2022). ↩

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