Just read this
A Pennsylvania genealogist, Tammy Hepps, has a lesson for us all, The Legal Genealogist included.
It’s about that census…
… And, more particularly, about that census taker.
It’s an absolutely brilliant study of one enumeration district, District 144, in Homestead, Pennsylvania, in 1920. Read it here: “When Henry Silverstein Got Cold: Fraud in the 1920 Census,” by Tammy Hepps.
And the lesson it teaches is that as long as people are involved, there are gonna be errors.
Some of them, quite deliberate.
I promise. You won’t regret the time it takes you.
Well done, Tammy. Well done.
Cite/link to this post: Judy G. Russell, “And about that census…,” The Legal Genealogist (https://www.legalgenealogist.com/blog : posted 22 Mar 2022).
Amazing…. and not so amazing…. I have learned to ALWAYS question Census entries with other documentation if possible… as the Census takers were “interesting'” to say the least! We should always recall Norman Rockwell’s Saturday Evening Post cover of the Census Taker- 27 April 1940… could the young fella understand her; could she recall what he asked!!
An excellent piece of detective work, and one worth keeping in mind as we review census records – and not because of census takers taking creative license, but from the respondents not being totally truthful as to who was living at the residence. Perhaps it is how the questions are asked, but regardless, census records are just one piece of the genealogical puzzle.
Great sleuthing and a great write-up. Tammy should be nominated for an NGS award!
What a fascinating read. Along those lines, I have a number of relatives I cannot locate in the 1930 census, despite them having lived in Chicago for decades. It turns out there was a huge blizzard in Chicago in late March 1930 and can’t help wondering if people were missed because of it.
Thank you, Judy!
Thank YOU for a stellar job! Lordy, I hope you’re putting this together as a lecture…
Haha, I am now! Thanks for the encouragement.
Wow! This guy was so good at making up minute details that he reminds me of the WWII double agent codenamed “Garbo”. Henry could have gone far in the right profession.