The 1930 Census
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1930 U.S. Census Research

The 1930 Federal Census was released on April 1, 2002. We have all been waiting for this incredible source for genealogical research. Unfortunately, very little of the census is indexed. There is only soundex index for these states:

Alabama
Arkansas
Florida
Georgia
Louisiana
Mississippi
North Carolina
South Carolina
Tennessee
Virginia

--Partial Soundex for: Kentucky and West Virginia

Most of us will need to find the address of the families we are searching and then find the Enumeration District (E.D.) to view the proper film. This will require at least a four step process:

Step 1: Use Available Indices. If your ancestor lived in a Soundexed area: go directly there (huh! How many of our relatives lived in the Ozarks?).
Step 2: Locate the 1930 Address. There are many sources. See links below.
Step 3: Identify Enumeration District. Using the address you find, using maps to find the E.D.
Step 4: -Search the Census Schedules. You must go to the appropriate county; go to correct E.D.; For smaller communities search line by line of 1930 E.D. For larger communities, search the left-hand margin of the 1930 census for street address.


0 Census extraction forms are doubly valuable: Not only do they allow researchers to see the format and column headings for various census years (especially if the schedules themselves are hard to read), they also provide a clean and convenient method for extracting and filing important information you find.


1930 Census Extraction Form (pdf)
Download Form Now>> 

         
The National Archives Website for the 1930 Census
1930 Census Tutorial

Nifty Database Tool for Finding Your E.D. (larger cities)


Questions Asked on the 1930 Census

The 1930 census asked 32 questions about each person: 

Place of Abode 

1. Street, avenue, road, etc. 

2. House number (in cities or towns) 

3. Number of dwelling house in order of visitation
[this number supplied by census taker].

4. Number of family in order of visitation
[this number supplied by census taker].

Name 

5. Name of each person whose place of abode
on April 1, 1930, was in this family.Relation 

6. Relationship of this person to the head of the family.

Home Data

7. Home owned or rented. 

8. Value of home, if owned, or monthly rental, if rented. 

9. Radio set. 

10. Does this family live on a farm?

Personal Description 

11. Sex. 

12. Color or race
[White (W), Negro (Neg), Mexican (Mex),Indian (In), Chinese (Ch), Japanese (Jp),Filipino (Fil), Hindu (Hin), Korean (Kor),other races spelled out in full.] 

13. Age at last birthday. 

14. Marital condition.
[Single (S), married (M), widowed (Wd), divorced (D).] 

15. Age at first marriage.

Education

16. Attended school or college any time since Sept. 1, 1929. 

17. Whether able to read and write.

Place of birth 

18. Place of birth--PERSON. 

19. Place of birth--FATHER. 

20. Place of birth--MOTHER.

Mother Tongue (or Native Language) of Foreign Born

21. Language spoken in home before coming to the United States. 
Here follows 3 columns of "CODE (For office use only. Do not write in these columns)" relating to "State or M.T. [mother tongue]," "Country," and "Nativity." These codes were entered to assist in statistical tabulation and do not provide any information beyond that found in columns 18-21. 

Citizenship, etc.

22. Year of immigration to the United States. 

23. Naturalization.

24. Whether able to speak English.

Occupation & Industry 

25. Trade, profession, or particular kind
of work done, as spinner, salesman,
riveter, teacher, etc. 

26. Industry or business, as cotton mill,
dry-goods store, shipyard, public school, etc.

27. Class of worker.

Employment 

28. Whether actually at work yesterday
(or the last regular working day)--Yes or No

29. If not, line number on Unemployment Schedule.
[Note: Unemployment schedules no longer exist.]

Veterans 

30. Whether a veteran of U.S. military
or naval force--Yes or No. 

31. What war or expedition?
[World War (WW), Spanish-American War (Sp),
Civil War (Civ), Philippine Insurrection (Phil),
Boxer Rebellion (Box), Mexican Expedition (Mex)].

Farm Schedule 

32. Number of farm schedule.


 

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