Coming Soon: The 1950 Census

 

by Pa Rock

Family Researcher

Updated:

For the past several days I have been mired down in census records as I try to piece together the lives of a set of my g-g-g-g-grandparents.  Family historians like census records, especially the ones from 1850 and later, because they contain so much useful information - things like the names of all household members, ages, places of birth, and the names of neighbors, many of whom a century or so ago were also likely to be relatives.

The US Constitution provides for the government to enumerate or count its citizens every ten years, a process which began in 1790 and has been carried out in "zero" years ever since.  

(The 1890 census was almost entirely destroyed in a fire thirty years after it had been collected.)

Now, of course, it is much easier to store and access large quantities of information such as the census records.  All of our nation's census records - form 1790 through 1940 (except 1890) - are available on-line, fully indexed, and readily searchable.  In an effort to maintain privacy, the government waits seventy-two years before releasing each census for public research.  That means the 1950 census will make it's first public appearance next year.

Each census has an official "count" or "enumeration" date, or the date on which all of the information in that census is supposedly based.  The count date in 1950 was April 1st.  In theory, every American's information was either taken on that day, or sometime after that date but still in 1950.  And regardless of when the information was taken, on April 1st or later, it was to have been based on who was actually in the household on the official count date.

If Grandpa lived in the household and had for years, but died on March 31st, 1950, he was not counted.  But if he died at 12:15 a.m. on April 1st, then he should have been counted.  All infants were counted if they arrived on or before April 1st, but a child born on April 2nd should not have been included in that census.

I'm excited about the release of the 1950 census because it will be the first one in which I make a personal appearance.  I was born in 1948.   My little sister, who was born late in 1950, will not be included.  She will make her grand entrance into the public census records when the 1960 census is released in April of 2032.

(Anyone born in the period through April 2nd, 1940 and April 1st 1950 - and who was alive on April 1st, 1950, should be noted in the 1950 census - that will include me, several of my cousins, and quite a few of my other friends.)

When the 1950 census is released next April 1st, it will be difficult to search for several months until the Mormon Church, Ancestry.com, and several other enterprises begin getting it sorted and indexed, but a person who knows - down to precinct or township level - where their family was living in 1950, should be able to locate their loved ones without a detailed index.

Lots of great research awaits!

(Note:  A reader who works with census information informs me that the release date of the 1950 census will be April 1st, 2022 - and not April 15th as originally stated above.  He also said that there are enumeration district (ED) maps available now through the National Archives which will make searching simpler before the 1950 census indexes are available.   Please read the first comment below.  I thought that I was working through a good source, but apparently it wasn't the best.    Apologies - and thanks, Joel.)