52 Ancestors Challenge Week 37: "High and Low" - Not in the 1950 Census

Every presentation I attended regarding the recent release of the 1950 U.S. Federal Census has gone on and on about the great lengths the government went to ensure that every household and individual was recorded accurately. Welp, my dad is not there, nor are his parents, or his paternal grandparents who were, by all accounts, living together. I have searched "High and Low" for my father in the 1950 census with no success.

I know the exact address they were living at in 1950, 15 Berkshire Road, Merrick, New York in Nassau County. My grandfather bought the house shortly after he returned from service in the U.S. Navy during World War II. I believe he purchased it in 1947. He lived there until his death in June of 2001. In fact, my grandparents met on that block.

The story goes that there was a terrible blizzard while my grandmother was at her sister's house on the very same block. My grandfather went over to help his neighbor, my grandmother's brother-in-law, shovel and that is when they met in the great blizzard of December 1947 which began on December 26. You can read the Life magazine coverage of the storm here in this blog post by Ben Cosgrove: https://www.life.com/nature/snow-blizzard-of-1947-photos-of-new-york/  My grandparents were married less than 2 years later in February 1949. In late December of 1949, they had their first child, my dad.

Now, my grandmother's sister, brother-in-law, and their two eldest children are on the 1950 census as are all the even numbered houses on the block. But the odd numbered homes aren't there.

Everyone I have asked to look have told me, "Well, they lived very close to the boarder of the next enumeration district (ED)." Yes they did. They are very close to the southern boundary of ED 30-338, in Nassau County, New York. However, the block south of them is recorded in ED 30-338. The house directly behind my grandparent's is there, where expected, in ED 30-338 but not my grandparents and not any of the other odd numbered houses on the block.

Now, let's for a minute consider that perhaps they weren't living where I know they were. Maybe for that month they were all living somewhere else. I don't know. Let's pretend the house was being renovated and they were staying with some friends somewhere in a whole other state. Didn't happen but let's pretend.

Where are their neighbors? Where are the odd numbered houses on their block? Not there. Not in ED 30-338 of New York; not in any of the surrounding EDs either.

I am 100% convinced that the people I so eagerly waited to see recorded in the 1950 census (my dad, his parents, and paternal grandparents) were missed. 

Mistakes were made, people. Mistakes were made!

Prove me wrong. I dare you. And I would be eternally grateful if you could find them.