From Barb Marshall <marchado(a)pacbell.net>
I spent Sat. at a NARA workshop on the 1930 Census.
We never got to see the Census, but spent the day
learning what "tools" are available - such as maps,
lists of Enumeration Districts, and city directories -
and how to use them to your best advantage.
Locating your ancestors on the 1930 census
won't be easy. I wish I had started a year
ago to prepare myself.
If your ancestors lived in small towns, you
will have to search "line by line, page
by page." If they lived in a large city,
look now for city directories.
I spent Thursday and Friday at Sutro
Library in San Francisco looking at
directories for Chicago, then coming
home and looking up the addresses on
"Map Quest" and then searching the 1920
Census on Ancestry. It's a great way
to understand the area each Enumeration
District covers. My great grandfather
lived in the Rogers Park district of
Chicago. I found him in E.D. 193. To
find my great aunt, I began with E.D.'s
on both sides, namely 192 and 194. Each
district went a bit farther away but
remained in the same neighborhood. The
streets and cross streets were on the
map. Checking the directory section
by street name, showed me not only where
the street was but, what other people
lived there. Sometimes, handwriting is
very hard to read. Having more than one
name to look for on each page, makes it
easier to locate the correct page.
All of this is going to be very important
in using the 1930 Census. Unless you're
searching in a very small town, it's
going to take a lot of time to locate
those missing ancestors. Anything you
can do now to prepare yourself will
make that search much easier. Please
feel free to pass this on to other
lists you belong to.
Happy ancestor hunting!
Barb Marshall