“Making Sense of the Census: 1950" at the Davenport Public Library Main Street Branch -- March 10.
Thursday, March 10, 1:30 p.m.
Davenport Public Library Main Branch, 321 Main Street, Davenport IA
After an incredible 72-year wait, the 1950 Federal Census will finally be released on April 1. And three weeks earlier, on March 10, the Davenport Public Library and presenters Anne Thomas and Karen O'Connor will explore the significance of its release in the presentation Making Sense of the Census: 1950, providing a historical overview and detailing what information the 1950 census could potentially provide for your family's history.
Taken every 10 years since 1790, the United States census provides a snapshot of the nation's population, and because of a 72-year restriction on access to the records, the most recent census year currently available is 1940. On April 1, however, the 1950 Census will be released, and users will be able to access it for free through the Archives.gov Web site. The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) has digitized and will provide free online access to the 1950 Census population schedules for U.S. states and territories, enumeration district maps, and enumeration district descriptions, and because the 1950 Census won't be fully indexed by April 1, Davenport Library presenters Thomas and O'Connor will explain how to find enumeration districts to narrow down the search for your ancestors.
The United States census of 1950, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States to be 150,697,361, an increase of 14.5 percent over the 131,669,275 persons enumerated during the 1940 census. This was the first census in which more than one state recorded a population of over 10 million; every state and territory recorded a population of over 100,000; and all 100 largest cities recorded populations of over 100,000. As stated at Ancestry.com, "The 1950 Census provides an intriguing snapshot of the country as a whole. But it can also provide you with rich details about the lives of your family members who were living in the U.S. at the time and were among the 151 million people enumerated, or counted, in the census.
"In addition to biographical details like their age in 1950, their address, gender, race, and if they were married, the 1950 Census also can give you a detailed picture of what they did for a living. The 1950 Census also included supplemental questions. On each census page, the fourth person and then every subsequent fifth person was asked supplemental questions – for a total of six people per page. This means that for households with five or more members, presumably someone would get the additional questions. These supplemental questions included deeper life details such as the birthplaces of both parents and the highest grade of school attended. And based on the responses of family members who answered the supplemental questions for those 14 and older, you could get a really detailed picture of your family’s finances back in 1950, including how much money that person earned in 1949 and how much money they and other members of the household each received from interest, dividends, veterans’ allowances, pensions, rents, or other income."
Making Sense of the Census: 1950 will be presented at the Davenport Public Library's Main Street Branch on March 10, participation in the 1:30 p.m. event is discussion is free, and more information is available by calling (563)326-7832 and visiting DavenportLibrary.com.
