We are now less than a year away from the release of the 1950 US Federal Census. Are you prepared for it? You are probably saying, "Yes!" but have you really sat down and prepared for its release? Don't forget it won't be indexed immediately after it becomes available. That will take time. And if you are like me, after waiting 10 years (since the release of the 1940 census) you don't want to wait any longer than you have to. So you better get to work.
Census Bureau enumerator interviewing mother with two children
What can you do to prepare?
There are a few things you can do to prepare for the release of the 1950 census. That way when it does become available, you can dive right in.
- Make a list of the ancestors you definitely want to look up on this census
- Review the facts and sources you currently have to find your ancestors' addresses around 1950
- Once you have those addresses, visit SteveMorse.org to find the Enumeration Districts (EDs) and the maps for those locations
- Write down all the Enumeration Districts (EDs) you will need to look up once the census goes live
- Plan some easy meals for yourself and your family for those days cause we know you are not going to want to stop to cook dinner. haha!
Where to Find Addresses for Your Ancestors
There are plenty of sources you can check out to determine approximately (or exactly) where your ancestors were living during the time the 1950 census was taken. Some are more obvious while others are more obscure. I compiled this list from my own research and from some suggestions from Lisa Louise Cook of Genealogy Gems. She has a great video on the 1950 census available now on her YouTube Channel. Now, what is available to me, not always be available to you or others. So after you take a look at this list, make your own list of possible sources you could look up. But here is my suggested list.
- City Directories (The obvious first choice)
- If you are lucky, you can find your ancestors listed in the city directory for the year 1950 which will give you the address of your ancestor
- If there isn't one available or you can't find them in the 1950 city directory, look at years before and after; if they are listed at the same address before 1950 and after, then there is a good chance they were still living there in 1950
- If you check city directories before and after and get two different addresses, check EDs for both addresses; you might come up lucky
- Previous Census
- Even though it is 10 years in between the censuses, it's at least a place to start
- If you are lucky, your ancestor didn't move around a lot so they could be at the same location; I have a couple of families that lived in the same house for 20+ years
- Death Certificates/Registers
- If your ancestor died soon after the 1950 census (Like my husband's great-grandfather) the address where he lived prior to his death should be written on it; same for the spouse or a child of an ancestor
- Did your family have a relative living with them (like my Papa's Aunt Agnes) during the time of the 1950 census? Check their death certificate as well for the address
- Don't forget to look at the informants on Death Certificates; Sometimes they list their addresses
- On Registers, sometimes an address is given where the person lived or died
- Military File/Records
- The Korean War began in the year 1950, so any military records from that time could contain an address
- Just like WWI and WWII the draft (or Selective Service System) was still active, so there are Korean War Draft Records available at the National Archives in St. Louis, Missouri; If you know for sure your ancestor/relative fought in the Korean War, you can write to the National Archives. Click here for more information. Written requests should be mailed to: National Personnel Records Center, 9700 Page Ave., St. Louis, MO 63132-5100 - Source: FamilySearch.org Wiki (At this time, there is no known info on whether or not these cards will be made available to the public like the WWI & WWII Draft Cards)
- The National Archives in St. Louis also maintains the Korean War Official Military Personnel Files (OMPF)
Note: In 1973, there was a disastrous fire at the National Archives building that destroyed approximately 18 million Personnel Files, so be prepared if they do not have the OMPF of your ancestor/relative - Baptismal/Church Records
- Sometimes addresses are listed on the records or if anything a town; on my dad's baptism in 1952 the town of Times Beach, MO was listed (It's a small town that I was able to find the ED Map for to get the EDs from the area)
- If no address is given, check the address of the church to narrow down the District your ancestor may have lived in (If they lived in a farming community, this may not be an option)
- Don't forget about siblings who were born, baptized, or even died around this time
- Newspapers
- Birth; Birth announcement could contain an address
- Death; Sometimes funerals were held in the family home or notice of a gathering at the relative's home after the service is mentioned
- Marriage; a celebration could have taken place at someone's place of residence
- Family Gatherings were mentioned in newspapers especially in smaller towns
- Other mentions such as a crime, fire, advertisements (if the relative worked out of the home), retirement, etc; Glean all newspaper clippings about your ancestor for possible address
- Social Security Records
- There are social security indexes online, but you can access the original applications for your ancestors; these applications will have addresses listed on them
- To order a copy of the original application, use the Social Security Administration's online request form
- If the Social Security Number is known, the cost is $27 per form; without a Social Security Number, the cost is $29 per form - Source: Ancestry.com
- There is a Social Security Death Index available online, but sometimes the last known address is incorrect so beware
- Ask Living Relatives (Of course!)
- You would be surprised how many living relatives will be on the 1950 census (My mother and in-laws will be; dad passed away this year); they might be able to give you some clues as to where they lived
- Even if they can't give you an address, ask them to tell you stories/memories from their childhood; maybe some of those can lead you to where they were living (based on where my dad said he was attending school, I was able to determine where they lived in 1950)
- Your Own Personal Collection of Records
- It is always said, Begin your research first at home; glean what you can from the records that are already in your possession or in living relatives
- Items such as these are not available anywhere else, but in your house; these are suggestions from my own personal collection
- Union Dues Book (I have my Papa's; based on the dates stamped, that could tell you if and when he lived at the address in the front of the book)
- Business Cards (I have an old Business card of my Papa's; he was a carpenter)
- Tax Returns (My Aunt Patty has the family's old tax returns from around 1950 which has the address listed)
- Passports (We have the original passports that belonged to my Hubby's grandparents)
- Letters (I have a few letters that were sent during WWII and Vietnam which list addresses on the envelope, so check with your parents for things such as this)
- Occupational Records (You might be able to access these from an old place of employment, such as my Great-grand father who worked at the St. Louis Post Dispatch)
- Photographs
- The backs of photos could have a location (and date) written on the back; sometimes they are written on the front
- Check the backgrounds of photos for any details that will help you determine the location (I have some photos of my Uncle when he was born taken in front of the house and you can see the house numbers in the background; based on previous city directories I can determine if this is an address I already have)
Now there may be some families that moved around a lot (like my dad's family between 1945-1952) or some that no matter what you do, you just can't find a recent address for. For some families, you may just have to wait until the census is indexed and hope that they will show up. You may still run into some problems, but do the best you can. For more information on the 1950 census, click here to see my blog post: "The 1950 Census - Everything You Need To Know".
What are you waiting for?? Get researching!
You only have less than a year left!
