52 Ancestors Week 1: Foundations

 From Amy Johnson Crow: The theme for January and for Week 1 is "Foundations." Some ways you might interpret this include focusing on the person who sparked your interest in family history, a builder in your family tree, or the person who is the bedrock of your family.

Rock solid, huh? 

    As I write this first 52 Ancestors blog of 2022, I look at my Twitter feed and see many people clamoring over the 1921 census of England and Wales. It was just released to the public and many people have found their parents for the first time in those pages. Many have even confirmed or disproved some family lore. Many more have found other family members. It's been great and I've been all smiles because it's basically Christmas for everyone who has people in the census. It's good to see everyone happy about what they discovered. As for me? I don't have anyone in that census. In 1921, my family was in America or Italy. It's a shame I don't have anything to look forward to. OR DO I?!

Wow, you can actually hear the beatniks.
Crazy, man.... *snaps fingers*

    On April 1st, 2022, the United States Census Bureau will release the contents of the 1950 US census as per the seventy-two year rule of releasing information seventy-two years after a census was conducted. The last time this was done was in 2012 with the 1940 census. It's ten years later and now it's the 1950 census's turn.

    This should be an interesting census not just because it's the first one set after the "Baby Boom" started in 1946. This census will have many firsts for me personally.

1. This will be the first time my parents will be in the census as they were very little at the time.

2. This will be the first census without my great-grandmother, Maria Tedesco who passed away in 1943, my 2nd great-grandmother, Gertrude Stevens who passed away in 1944 and my 2nd great-grandfather, Eugene Hamel who passed away in 1943 to name a few.

That's just the tip of the iceberg. There were so many changes in my family between 1940 and 1950. What can I do to prepare? What foundations can I lay down so that I am prepared for the deluge of information coming my way in April? Luckily, there are many things you can do to prepare yourself and not freak out. I don't know if everything's going to hit us all at once. But, my plan is to stay focused on two key cities. If you've been following my blog, then you know exactly where I am going to go. Haverhill and Newburyport.

    In order to properly prepare, city directories are about to become your new best friend. I highly suggest checking them out so that you can see where your ancestors, relatives and even family friends lived in 1950 or somewhere around that date because chances are they'll be in the same general area.

    Lucky for me the 1950 City Directory for Haverhill is online at Ancestry. Inside the pages, I can easily find my grandpa Marco and grandma Ollie living on 26 Bartlett Street. At that point in time, they were married for four years and my father was very little. From here it's safe to assume that Ollie's parents are at the same residence due to what I know about my family. Giuseppe and Clementina never moved. My great-grandfather, Vincenzo and his second wife, Fortuna were nearby on Shepherd avenue. The list goes on. If we go back one page, I can find Austin and Henrietta Felker living on Margerie St.

    City directories are a gold mine of information and they are crucial for laying the groundwork for what is about to come in just a few months. They make things less daunting don't you think? I'd like to think so. I'd hate to fly blind and not know what exactly I'm doing. And let's face it. The advertisements found in the city directories are hilarious in hindsight. Try "Honest Joe's Shoe Repair"! Joking aside, you can definitely apply this strategy to Newburyport or any other city.

    Once you've found people in city directories around 1950, you're going to want to put everyone in a spreadsheet like the one to the left. I know this one was for the 1940 census. Just humor me because the basic principle is the same. List your relatives in the spreadsheet and label them however you'd like. This way you'd know who to look for in April!

    Keeping a list of people who you'd know would be in the 1950 census is also a good idea. The list may get extensive. However, it might be a good idea to start small and work your way up. Start with your direct ancestors, then their brothers and sisters and their families. The rest should fall into place. I would start with the direct ancestors only because that's the major branches of the tree. Everyone else would eventually fall into place.

    Once you do that, I would highly suggest checking out blogs or videos about what to expect with the 1950 census. Genealogists like my friend, Marian, have great blogs outlining what she intends to do with the census and how she plans on tackling it. Check out the blog here. She and other people have provided plenty of good tips. So, surf the internet and see what you can find.

    If blogs aren't your thing, perhaps several videos on Youtube would be to your liking. This video by Genealogy TV goes into explaining what to expect within those pages and may even help you navigate what exactly will be listed. I can safely say that it's a lot more intuitive than the 2020 census was. Yeah, I said it. Shots fired. I am so sorry people of 2092. The census was just.....not good. At least it was mostly digital because of the pandemic?

    These are just a few things you can do to get ready for the 1950 census. I'm sure there are others who have a laundry list of what they want to do. Now keep in mind that not everyone will have an easy time like I did. These are just some basic tips. You might have to do some more digging. Perhaps you can find something in the newspapers? Surf around and make a to-do list. Stay focused. Stay away from the beatniks beating their bongos and please....whatever you do......don't jump the shark. So many 1950s era references I can make. So little time!

    Can you say I have a good foundation for when the 1950 census drops? As Luis from the Ant-Man movies said "It's on. It's so on right now!" Wow. I kind of want him to narrate genealogy stuff. "So, I was at the library with my cousin, Maria, right...."

    I think I have a good head start on what's coming. The 1950 census could drop tomorrow and I'd be fine. I dunno if that's ego or anything. But, I like to be prepared. So, to my friends who have access to the 1921 census, I say congrats! I'll be joining in your excitement in April! Stay tuned!

See ya next time!

P.S. The first census I appear in is in the 1980. That won't be released until 2052. Yikes.