My father died when I was 16, and there weren’t many secrets about his life. I knew his birth date, birthplace, and many details about his large, loving family. Their names add life and color to my FamilySearch family tree.
So why am I so excited to find him in the 1950 U.S. Census?
When the 1940 Census was released by the National Archives and Records Administration in 2012, it was accessed by millions of us interested in family history. Over time, the records were indexed and enhanced by FamilySearch users just like you. Now the 1950 census index is nearly complete, and some states have been fully released on FamilySearch.org.
Navigating the Census Was Easier than I Thought
Though I have some experience with FamilySearch, I am quite a newbie when it comes to indexing and deep dives in the archives. As I’ve been learning recently about the 1950 release, I decided to take my own turn perusing those 1940 records. Thanks to what was ground-breaking technology back in 2012, I easily found the census and searched for the name of my grandfather, Frank. In just seconds, his name appeared on screen alongside his wife and their children.
Reading the Index, I Found a Surprise
There in the record, listed at just 3 years old, the third youngest child of Frank and Dora, was the little boy who would decades later become my father—William S. Wright.
Wait, what? My father’s name was Willard S. Wright, not William. Maybe there were secrets after all?
Naturally I felt intrigued by the mistake. But before I called my mother to report my late-father’s secret identity, I clicked on View the Image and was thrilled to find a high-resolution scan of the original hand-written census document.
Reading the Actual Census Document Caught My Imagination
In an official-looking, classic font, the form was labeled, “Department of Commerce—Bureau of the Census. Sixteenth Census of the United States: 1940. Population Schedule.”
From it I learned that on April 20, 1940, an enumerator named Hyrum E. Porter had indeed recorded my father’s family. I imagined Hyrum sitting on the couch in the humble living room of the Wright’s home in Blanding. Maybe my father, just a toddler, was bounding around the house asking even more questions than the enumerator. Perhaps Grandma Dora would insist a hungry Hyrum take a ham and cheese sandwich as he said goodbye and moved to the next house in their quiet neighborhood.
Staring at that digital image on FamilySearch, I saw that in his tiny, careful cursive handwriting, the dutiful enumerator had correctly added my family to his form. I smiled wide and felt a sweet peace at seeing the names of my grandparents and their children. J. Franklin, Dora B., Edward Earl, Dorothy, J. Bevan, Willard S., and Otis J. (In the 1950 Census, I should see the name of their sixth and last child, Lynn.)
Sure enough, our friend Hyrum had gotten it right. My father’s name was Willard in the actual document after all. Then, with another couple of clicks, and again with no previous experience, I was able to easily submit a correction to the index.
Isn’t Family History Wonderful?
With the full release of the 1950 Census index coming soon, I can’t wait to search for my family and discover what new mysteries await.
But mostly, I look forward to finding my father’s name. And whether Willard or William, the journey will be worth it.
Do you have someone you’d like to look up in the 1940 and 1950 census? Check the 1950 census page to see if your family’s state of residence is already released, or search 1940 census records here.
More about the 1950 Census
