1940 Census Sheets Are Different For Hawaii
I have had a chance to peek at the census sheets for California and Hawaii. As with previous censuses, a different sheet was used for Hawaii than the rest of the United States.
Here are some of the differences:
The first columns pertaining to residency are the same, but in a different order.
Race or Color: While this column is the same, the abbreviations are different. W is used for people of European descent in California, but Cau (caucasian) is used in Hawaii. (At the bottom is a guide to which codes to use. The groups listed vary from the Hawaii sheet to the California sheet.)
In the column that asks about highest grade of education, enumators noted high school differently. In Hawaii, they only noted the amount of years (i.e. 12). In California, they noted H-1, H-2, H-3, H-4 for high school years. I don’t know if the Hawaii school system was set up differently. Was their high school in 1940?
The citizenship section is different. On the California sheet it asks for the “Citizenship of the Foreign Born”. On the Hawaii sheet it asks “US Citizenship Status of the Foreign Born”. I’m guessing that because people in Hawaii could have gained citizenship prior to annexation that would not count as US Citizenship, hence, the different wording. I’m only guessing here! A second question asks “Territorial Citizenship Yes or No”. I’m not sure why after noting the citizenship in the first column, one also had to further declare it in the second.
The section that pertains to where you lived in 1935 is non-existent on the Hawaii census sheet. I guess they didn’t expect the Hawaii folks to move around much.
The occupation section varies. On the Hawaii sheet there are 3 questions versus the 5 on the California sheet. There is no question about whether the individual was employed in government work on the Hawaii sheet. That makes me wonder if those programs were not extended to the territories. Also missing in this section is the question that asks why a person was not working.
There are more questions in the last section about wages on the Hawaii sheet. There is an extra question that asks whether the person was a wage or salary earner. This column is missing on the California sheet.
The Hawaii census sheet is missing the supplemental questions at the bottom of the sheet that were asked of two people questioned.
In all the Hawaii census sheet has 28 columns and the California sheet has 34 (not counting the supplemental) This includes code columns.
I find it interesting that they chose to create two different sheets. I wonder if all the US territories used a similar census sheet to Hawaii or if they designed a different one for each territory.
Making A Research Chart For 1940 Census Research
The minute the 1940 US Census was online I was there! I knew where I wanted to start (E. 25th Street, Oakland, CA), so I didn’t really have to do much preparation. All I needed was the enumeration district.
Now that I’ve exhausted the East Twenty Fifth Street Gang, delved a little in Kilauea, Kauai, HI, I need to have a better sense of who I’ve found and who I need to find.
I’m concentrating on my Portuguese roots for now as they lived mostly in clusters in three cities. That doesn’t mean it will be easy. My Grandfather had over 40 first cousins on the Pacheco side alone who reach adulthood. And, I plan to find every single one of them!
I’ve devised this chart to help me keep track of what I’ve accomplished and what I need to work on. I’ve set up this spreadsheet in MsWorks:
I’ve organized it by family groups. The bold type first column represents my grandfather’s parents and his aunts and uncles.
Column 2 is their children and their spouses. I’ve noted if the person is deceased so I know only to look for their spouse.
Column 3 is the street I expect to find them on. For now, I’ve gone through and noted everyone I’ve located. Next, I’ll go through and list the street for those I have not found yet.
Column 4 will be marked F (found) or NF (not found). I’ll have to figure out how to note if I look up multiple street names.
Column 5 is for noting which of their children and/or grandchildren I find listed with them. This is important because by 1940 many of my Grandfather’s cousins have married–and some of their children have too.
You’ll notice that some names in column two have “…” before them. These are the next generation. Once I’ve clarified whose is not living with their parents, I can set out to search for them. Already I’ve found a couple of people who are married and living with their parents. I imagine this was pretty common in 1940 as families are trying to survive the Depression.
Once I’ve exhausted the Portuguese folks, I’ll work on the French and Irish. I’ll probably come across some of the French in my Oakland research. But many of them as well as the Irish will be in San Francisco, which will be a little more challenging until indexes are created.
After I’ve covered the West Coast, it’s off to New York for La Grange, Boisvert, and Murphy (my brother-in-law’s tree) and then to Massachusetts for a few Irish cousins.
At any rate, my chart is a work in progress. This is why I did it as a spreadsheet. If I feel the need for another column, I can insert it easily. If I need to change my columns, I can do that too.
Have you created a chart for your research? How is yours designed? Are you looking for one or two families or are you on a mission, like me, to map out half the city?
Happy Easter Everyone!
I hope all your chocolate bunnies are solid, your conversation is lively, and the food is delicious. Happy Easter Everyone!
A blast from the past. This is Easter morning around 1967. I’m the youngest.