I finally got a hit off the 1940 Census!

We knew the exact address because my aunt stayed there until the late 80s.

We haven’t learned much new from the 1940 census yet, but it’s still intriguing. That same aunt’s age is listed incorrectly - not as though someone were trying to fudge it, more like the handwritten version of a typo. In the apartment at that time were my great-grandparents, their daughter, and son (my maternal grandfather). The parents ages are listed as 49 and 50. For their daughter the age written is also 50, when depending on whether it was taken before or after August she was actually 25 or 26.

The job listed for my aunt is bookkeeper (50 hours a week) - and the industry is blotchy but looks like “Wholesale Coats” - which is a mystery. For all of our lives she worked for the Smith Corona typewriter company (eventually SCM Corp) She was there for well over 40 years until she retired. She had always said she’d had another job before that, but if I ever asked where I don’t remember the answer. Wholesale coats apparently.

The biggest revelation to me is that they paid $55 a month for a 3 bedroom apartment in Manhattan. I so should have moved in with her right after high school! (It was rent controlled!)

One other thing is that my great-grandfather was born in Poland, in a town that at various times was controlled by Poland, Russia, Germany and some others, but as far as any of my relatives were concerned they were Polish, but under birthplace for him is listed Russia. If he told the census taker the way it’s always been told to me he likely said “It was Poland when I left, but by the time I came here it was Russia.”

The 1940 start page at Family Search has a map showing the current indexing/searchable levels by state. Looks like things are moving along quite quickly. I’ve found some transcription errors there, but, hey, it’s free and fast. Plus you can check the images right there without having to go to the Federal site.

There are 4 states that are oh-so-close to being fully indexed that I’m really looking forward to.

Found the black sheep great-grandfather the other day. Still living under an assumed name but with a son (under his real name). I thought my grandmother was the only one who knew what the guy was up to.

It seems really stupid that the USG won’t release census data for 72 years. Anybody can look at the SSDI and find not only the names of people who have died, but their Social Security numbers. That seems like a lot bigger problem then who lived where and with whom. On top of which, some states like Florida release their census data much sooner.