09 August 2012

Anything Unusual About this 1940 Census Entry?

I think there's something a little bit different about the census entry from 1940 highlighted in yellow on the image above. This image comes from Elvaston, Prairie Township, Hancock County, Illinois, which can be viewed here completely. This is sheet 2B from Enumeration District 34-27--for those who keep track of such things.

4 comments:

Grandma Elaine said...

? No x as to who provided the information?

Anonymous said...

She is living by herself in an expensive home which she owned herself and she did not report her information herself. The expanded view showed she was an 80 year old widow born in Germany. It is possible she had a maid, who didn't live in the house, report her information.

John said...

What were census takers told to do when they were at a household with only one individual?

Were they told to indicate that person with an X, or is the absence of an X really an 'implied' X?

[There's also the question of whether census takers followed instructions.]

Bubba said...

There are other households with only one individual living in them in this district and most of them have the circled "x" indicating they gave the information.