32. 1950 American Census – Coming Soon!

 

Heck, some of us were alive in 1950 so when the 1950 Census is released in April 2022, we might be able to see our own names in the data.  Census records are an absolute treasure trove for genealogists and a primary tool for family history research.   Census records in the USA are kept locked up for 72 years.  Other countries have different lock down periods, for example, 100 years in Ireland.  These new census records are already causing immense excitement among the genealogy crowd.  

 

Census questions include street and house number, name of each person in the household, relation of each person to the head of household, sex, color or race, age, marital status.  Some questions are only asked on a sampling basis.  In other words, not every household might be asked these sampling questions.  For example:  Is the property a farm?  Is this person a veteran?  How many marriages?  How many live births?  In school?  Highest grade completed?  This was the last census wherein folks were asked if they were US citizens!  The auxiliary questions can sometimes help us better understand the lives of our ancestors.  

 

These critical USA census records will be available through most major family history websites like Ancestry, Family Search, Find My Past, My Heritage, etc.  New Artificial Intelligence engines will enhance the process for researchers once the indexing is completed.  Get ready!  Find your Enumeration District now (the basic geographical jurisdiction you will need for your search).  Engage with your local genealogical society to learn more.  

 

 

Ron Gilmore

Email:         rvg3@me.com

Website:     https://www.rgenealogy.ca