Genealogy Lesson #10: Reflection on U.S. Census 1940, 1930, and 1920

A critical part of learning is reflection; pausing to ask one’s self what did I do, what have I learned, what more do I need to know, what worked, what didn’t work.

At this point you have looked at 3 datasets; The U.S. Federal Census records for 1940, 1930, and 1920.

Alongside looking for your own family in these record sets through FamilySearch.org, we learned a lot when looking for my great grandfather, Abram Earle.

Based on the 1930 Census, we hypothesized that Abram’s wife’s maiden name was Losee because there was a man living in the household named Forest Losee and Forest was listed as Abram’s brother-in-law. In Lesson #9 you were asked to examine the neighbors which revealed a Losee family living right next door.

In the 1920 census, the Losee family next door to Abram Earle was comprised of the following people:

• Losee, John Jr. Head 48
• Losee, Flora Wife 45
• Losee, Luman Son 25
• Losee, Forrest Son 22
• Losee, Marion Daughter 21
• Losee, Fred Son 17
• Losee, Chancy Son 10
• Losee, Georgianna Sister 53

Ah, there we see Forrest Losee. Even though the spelling of his first name is different from what we saw in the 1930 census, we can conclude that this is the same man. His name is unique enough and his age lines up with the man listed as the brother-in-law to Abram Earle in the 1930 census.

Spelling never counts. Think about the situation in which this record was created. A census taker came to the door and hand wrote what was said to him or her. You’re going to find a wide variety of spellings of surnames and first names as you go through records. You have to use the other details to help confirm if you have the right individual.

Based on the 1920 census we can now say that Ethel Losee-Earle was the daughter of John Losee Jr. & Flora Losee; the couple that lived next door. We can also see that Ethel was the second oldest child of at least 6 siblings; Luman, Ethel, Forrest, Marion, Fred, and Chauncy. It also appears that John Losee Jr., who will likely be the son of John Losee, had an older sister named Georgianna.

From the 1920 record we can also do some math and determine approximate years of birth for the family member. Like spelling, these dates may be off for several reasons. Perhaps the person who answered the door wasn’t sure of the household member’s age. Also, these censuses were taken in the spring so sometimes the family member hadn’t had his or her birthday yet.

• Losee, John Jr. Head 48 (born about 1872)
• Losee, Flora Wife 45 (born about 1875)
• Losee, Luman Son 25 (born about 1895)
• Losee, Forrest Son 22 (born about 1898)
• Losee, Marion Daughter 21 (born about 1899)
• Losee, Fred Son 17 (born about 1903)
• Losee, Chancy Son 10 (born about 1910)
• Losee, Georgianna Sister 53 (born about 1867)

We learned a lot from the census about the family and its members.

In the next lesson we will continue to push back through the U.S. Census. For now though, take some time today to reflect on what you have learned thus far about your family by looking at them in the 1940, 1930, and 1920 U.S. Census.

Message me if you need any help at all.