1950 Census - Spreadsheet Research Log

     We are just days away from the release of the 1950 Census. I am working on finishing up some notes preparing for the moment it releases at Midnight on April 1st. I've been working on this since last year; looking up addresses, ED maps, and writing notes. I wrote a blog post about my process last year called How To Find Addresses Before Hand. Have you found all the addresses you need? How do you keep track of them? Thomas MacEntee of Genealogy Bargains released the Excel Sheet that he is using to keep track of his 1950 Census Research. You can download it here from his website.

    I created my own Spreadsheet (In Open Office) a while back. I've tried using other spreadsheets that people have created in the past, but they don't always work for me. So I usually make one from scratch, changing it as I go to accommodate the things I want it to include. This spreadsheet has been edited a few times as I went on. But I think I've got everything I need. Although after the census is released, I may add a column or two.

Screenshot of 1950 Census Spreadsheet

    This is just a small snippet of what is on my spreadsheet but listed below are all the columns I have included. The main person listed will be the ancestor that should be the Head of the House (HOH). I created a separate column for who else should be living in that household. It's divided up into two sections. The first section is preliminary research of addresses, sources, notes, EDs, links to maps, etc. The second section is for after the Census is released. Information in this section includes the repository where I got the Census, Image number, Link to image, etc.

First Section

• HOH Last Name
• HOH First Name
• HOH Middle Name
• Street Address
• City/Township
• County
• State
• Enumeration District
• Other family included (who else should be listed at this address)
• Sources Consulted for address
• Links to ED Maps on NARA site
• Notes

Second Section

• Repository
• Image #
• Sheet #
• Line #
• Link
• Other Family included

Sample Entry

    This is my 2nd Great Grandparents, Robert & Louise Strawhun. They passed away in the late 70s and family doesn't live at this address anymore, so there are no privacy concerns. The word "Map" is highlighted because it is a clickable link. It will take you directly to the map on the NARA website. I have downloaded the map as well, but I wanted the link documented as well. This should be everything I need to find the 1950 Census. The second section will be filled out after I find the Census.

    I know that there will be a lot of information included in the Census, but I'm not including that in this log. The point of this log is to find the census. Another spreadsheet can be used to transcribe the information on the census itself. 

    What are you doing to prepare? Are you using Thomas MacEntee's spreadsheet? Did you make your own? How many people are you hoping to find?

Are You Ready??