Being Frank about Dwelling and Family ID Numbers in Citations

This 1910 census image for two families living within the same dwelling makes an excellent point about why 1910 census (and other years) citations should include the dwelling number and the family number. Sometimes more than one family is living in the same dewlling.

There are two families living at 110 W 112th Place in Chicago, Illinois, in 1910--the family of Frank Vanderlinden and the family of Thomas Frame. While it may seem unnecessary to include both numbers in the citation, it makes it clear to which household the researcher is referring. In this case, there are no two people with the exact same name in each household, but if relatives have two separate households within the same dwelling, there could be a repetition of names.

Of course, three of the individuals in the household at 110 W 112th Place had the first name of Frank. Here are citations created for the first Frank and the last Frank.

Frank Vanderlinden:

1910 U. S. Census, Cook County, Illinois, population schedule, City of Chicago, Ward 33 (part of), enumeration district (ED) 33, dwelling 110, family 272, Frank Vanderlinden; digital image, Ancestry.com, (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 5 April 2013); citing NARA microfilm publication T624, roll. 280.

Frank Frame:

1910 U. S. Census, Cook County, Illinois, population schedule, City of Chicago, Ward 33 (part of), enumeration district (ED) 33, dwelling 110, family 273, Frank Frame; digital image, Ancestry.com, (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 5 April 2013); citing NARA microfilm publication T624, roll. 280.

From a genealogical standpoint, it would have been better if they had viewed themselves as one family--then all relationships would have been given with respect to Frank Vanderlinden--and the Frames would have been clearly identified as his father-in-law, mother-in-law, sister-in-law, and brother-in-law. But one does not always get that lucky.

Citation reminder: We are a strong believer in citing genealogical source material in the spirit of Evidence Explained. However, we choose not to include properly formatted citations in these blog posts. There's always enough information in the post to create a citation and full citations are included in my how-to newsletter Casefile Clues.