Release:
April 1, 2002
Size: The 1930
census consists of 2,667 rolls of population schedules and
1,587 rolls of Soundex indexes for 12 southern states, totaling
4,254 rolls. The other states, however, do not have Soundex
indexes.
Information: The
1930 federal census provides a wealth of socio-economic information,
such as the following: names of all persons living in each
home; relationship of each person to the head of household;
whether the home is owned or rented; value of the home; if
the family owns a radio; if they own a farm; whether they
attended school or college; if they can read or write; place
of birth; citizenship status; and occupation.
Step-by-Step:
How Do I Find My Family in the 1930 Census?
Find your ancestors in the 1930 Census.
The
best way to get started exploring the 1930 census is with
a 14 day free trial to Ancestry.com. That way you'll have
access
To
Search:
-
Check the drop-down list under "Filter Your Search
By:" and see if your state is listed.
- If
it is, enter your search criteria and click "Search."
Hint:
Start with just the basics (name and state). Entering
too much criteria can sometimes eliminate important search
results. If you receive too many results, you can always
go back and add more information.
To
Search By Location:
When an ancestor can't be found through an index for some
reason, it is also possible to search by location. It is helpful
to have an address if your ancestor lives in a large city,
but if they are in a small town, often, just knowing the town
or township can often narrow it down enough to facilitate
a manual search. Addresses and location information can be
found in a number of places. Here are some ideas:
Ask
older family members.
Check
vital and other records. (e.g., birth certificates
for individuals born around 1930; passports, directories,
probates, etc.)
Check
personal belongings, such as inside the covers
of books.
Review
correspondence, postcards, return addresses, etc.
See
labeled photographs, which may include addresses,
or may have captured house numbers in the photograph itself.
Study
scrapbooks and diaries.
Once
an address or general location has been determined:
- Scroll
down past the search box and select the state your ancestor
lived in.
- Select
the county your ancestor lived in. (HINT: If you're not
sure of the county, but know the name of the city, try RootsWeb's
Town/County finder.)
- Select
the city, town, or township your ancestor lived in.
- Browse
through the list of Enumeration Districts for the area your
ancestors lived in.
a.
If you are searching in a large city, you may need to
consult a map to locate streets around the one where your
ancestor lived. (Hint: Free online services like MapQuest—www.mapquest.com—can
be extremely helpful in this aspect, although it is important
to bear in mind that some street names may have changed
over the years.)
b.
Once you have locate the address, search the Enumeration
District descriptions that accompany the list of districts
for each city for surrounding streets and plot them on
the map until you locate the district that your ancestor's
address falls in.
-
Begin
browsing through the images for that district searching
for your ancestors, with an eye to addresses. By looking
at the addresses on the census (found in columns 1 and
2), and charting them in relation to your ancestor's address,
you may be able to bounce around and zero in on them without
having to browse through all the images.
-
Commence
"happy dancing" upon location of your ancestor!
Other
Helpful Tools
For more information on searching geographically, see the
National Archives' 1930 Census search information at:
1930census.archives.gov/searchStrategiesGeographic.html
Obtaining
EDs for the 1930 Census in One Step (Large Cities)
www.stevemorse.org/census
The
History of The 1930 Census
The
1930 Census was begun on 2 April 1930, with the exception
of Alaska, where the official start date was 1 October 1929.
The following questions were asked by enumerators for all
states and territories excepting Alaska: Name of street, avenue
road, etc.; house number; number of dwellings in order of
visitation; number of family in order of visitation; name
of each person whose place of abode was with the family; relationship
of person enumerated to the head of the family; whether home
owned or rented; value of home if owned; if rented, monthly
rental; whether family owned a radio set; whether family owned
a farm; sex; color or race; age at last birthday; whether
single, married, widowed, or divorced; age at first marriage;
whether attended school or college any time since 1 September
1929; whether able to read or write; person's place of birth;
father's place of birth; mother's place of birth; language
spoken in home before immigration; year of immigration to
United States; whether naturalized or alien; whether able
to speak English; trade, profession, or particular kind of
work done; industry, business, or establishment in which at
work; whether employer, salary or wage worker, or working
on own account; whether actually at work the previous work
day; if not, line number on unemployment schedule (which no
longer exist); whether veteran of U.S. military or naval forces,
if yes, which war or expedition; number on farm schedule.
The
date of the enumeration appears on the heading of each page
of the census schedule. All responses were to reflect the
individual's status as of 1 April 1930 (or 1 October 1929
for Alaska), even if the status had changed between the official
start date and the day of enumeration. Children born between
the official start date and the day of enumeration were not
to be listed, while individuals alive on the official start
date but deceased when the enumerator arrived were to be counted.
Due
to boundary modifications in Europe resulting from World War
I, some individuals were uncertain about how to identify their
national origin. Enumerators were instructed to spell out
the name of the city, state, province, or region of respondents
who declared that they or their parents had been born in Germany,
Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, Russia, or Turkey. Interpretation
of the birthplace varied from one enumerator to another. For
the 1930, distinction was made between the Irish Free State
and Northern Ireland, and also between Canada-French and Canada-English.
There
are no separate Indian population schedules in the 1930 census.
Inhabitants of reservations were enumerated in the general
population schedules but some minor differences in reporting
were used: in place of country of birth for the father, the
degree of Indian blood was listed and for the country of birth
for the mother the tribe was listed.
Enumerators
were instructed not to report servicemen in the family enumerations
but to treat them as residents of their duty posts. The 1930
census includes schedules for overseas military and naval
forces.
Enumeration
district numbering was altered for 52 of the 56 states and
territories enumerated. Within each state, each county was
assigned a number based on the alphabetical order of the county.
That number would then be followed by the specific enumeration
numbers for that county: i.e., 1-1, 1-23, 5-2, 10-73. American
Samoa, the Canal Zone, Guam, and the Virgin Islands did not
use this system.
The
microfilm images may have defects that affect legibility.
The original schedules have been destroyed.
Taken
from 1930 Federal Population Census: Catalog of National Archives
Microfilm, National Archives Trust Fund Board (Washington,
DC, 2002)
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