Exploring the new AncestryDNA® Parental Matches Feature

8 October 2022, by Sherri Mastrangelo

Even if your parents have not taken a DNA test, Ancestry DNA®’s new feature, Parental Matches, will now automatically group most of your matches to a maternal side and paternal side. This will help you confirm matches you already know, and possibly learn new matches and relationships. And what’s more - let’s say you have your mom take an AncestryDNA® test, and she allows you to see her test results - you will now be able to see all of her DNA matches sorted by parent too! Amazing!

Their announcement reads “AncestryDNA® is now the only DNA test that will automatically show which of your parents connects you to a DNA match, with or without a DNA test from one of your parents” with the disclaimer that “not all matches will be assigned to a parent”.  This is based on their new SideView™ technology, announced last April. This new Parent Match feature launched October 5th

In my results, I still had 1,311 unassigned matches - a relatively small amount compared to my 7,492 maternal matches, and 19,758 paternal matches. At first glance, everything appears matched correctly. I should also note that I know only my father has taken a DNA test, and my mother has not - though other relatives on both sides have.

There is now an option to view DNA Matches by parent (marked “Beta”), in addition to all matches, or by location. On the first screen you’ll see a summary breakdown, with a short list of common last names, common communities, and ethnicity inheritance for both maternal matches and paternal matches. There is the option to view more in each section, but both the last names and common communities sections only give you slightly more information than the preview box.

Note - I blurred out the profile pics of some of my matches in the screenshot above, for their privacy. Click on “View matches” to see a list of your DNA matches assigned to either your maternal side or paternal side.

Below Maternal and Paternal, there most likely will be a section for Unassigned matches, that are not linked to either parent yet.

Also note that for some users it might be “Parent 1” and “Parent 2” instead of Maternal and Paternal, until you assign each parent a side by clicking the “edit parent” link. Hopefully you are able to quickly identify maternal vs paternal based on your family names and matches. 

You may also have a section for “Both sides” for people that share DNA from both your parents, like your siblings, your children, nieces and nephews, or grandchildren.


View Matches

What you really want to do, though, is click “View matches” under each section. In the resulting list, you’ll see your DNA matches (sorted from highest to lowest match), each estimated relationship and amount of shared DNA, with links to their public tree (if available) and common ancestor (if there is one). Ancestry® also asks you to confirm the match and relationship level for each person.  

Above: a screenshot of my DNA Matches on my maternal side (slightly edited to remove profile names and pictures).

You can also add each match to custom groups, which is an awesome feature. I also really like the ability to add notes for each person, so I can view their real name in this list (helpful when people on Ancestry® decide to use initials or randomness as their username).  Any notes you add will show on this screen.

Keep checking back frequently, as the algorithms behind the AncestryDNA® feature improve and regularly update.

What do you think about this feature? Have you found it helpful in breaking down any brick walls, or making new matches?

(Source: Ancestry® email announcement from 7 October 2022)







Origins of African American Secret Societies & Fraternal Orders

3 October 2022, by Sherri Mastrangelo

Fraternal orders like the Freemasons, the Elks, and the Odd Fellows reached the height of their popularity in the 19th century, and many of our ancestors were members. These social clubs are well-known by outsiders for their secretive nature, as well as their use of symbols and mysterious rituals. They are also known for the benefits they bring through community service or charity work. Yet, like many groups of the time, these social clubs were originally for white people only - excluding African Americans (1).

These excluded people understood the value of these social groups for them, especially during and immediately post legal slavery in America, and found ingenious ways to create their own fraternal orders (which I’ll share below).

Modern researchers should understand these groups were often left out of city and social directories of the time (2), making it more difficult to find membership histories, but knowing which groups were popular and where will help you find specific lodges, which may keep their own records. Newspaper records, as well as African American created newspapers and directories, may also be helpful in your search.

Prince Hall Masons
The origin story of first African American fraternal order in the states, the Prince Hall Masons, should be taught more in history classes. Though many articles refer to him as a “West Indian immigrant”, Prince Hall himself was a former slave living in Boston, Massachusetts. In 1775, he and 14 other freed Black men were “made masons in Lodge #441 of the Irish Registry attached to the 38th British Foot Infantry…it marked the first time that Black men were made masons in America” (princehall.org). Shortly after the American Revolutionary War started, and when his infantry lodge went off to fight, Hall created African Lodge #1 under a special permit with limited privileges.

In 1784, having been rejected by other masonic leaders in America, Prince Hall petitioned the Grand Lodge of England for a charter to create a full masonic lodge. Surprisingly, so shortly after the American and British conflict, “the Grand Lodge of England issued a charter on September 29, 1784 to African Lodge #459, the first lodge of Blacks in America” (princehall.org).

Hall became Provincial Grand Master by 1791, soon after created another lodge in Philadelphia then Rhode Island, and African Lodge #459 became independent from the Grand Lodge of England by 1827. The success of the Prince Hall Masons grew, and “by 1865, there were more than 2,700 Prince Hall Masons meeting under the jurisdiction of 23 grand lodges in 22 states plus Canada and the District of Columbia…By the early 1900s, there were more than 66,000 Master Prince Hall Masons and another 51,000 apprentices…” then “from 1900 to 1930 the fraternity’s membership exploded” (Skocpol and Oser). Now there “are some 5,000 lodges and 47 grand lodges who trace their lineage to the Prince Hall Grand Lodge, Jurisdiction of Massachusetts” (princehall.org).

Further Research of the PHM:

“Group of Grand Lodge Masons No. 2” c1897, Library of Congress. No known copyright restrictions.

Grand United Order of Odd Fellows

Like the Prince Hall Masons, a group of African Americans faced rejection from existing Odd Fellow groups in America. And “again, African Americans used a tie to England to do an end run around their racially exclusionary white countrymen. In the early 1840s, members of an African American literary club in New York City applied to affiliate with the white Independent Order of Odd Fellows (an offshoot of the English Manchester Unity Odd Fellows)” and with the help of Peter Ogden, member of a lodge called the Grand United Order, they were able to apply for a British charter from his order. (Skocpol and Oser). Hence this group, the Grand United Order of Odd Fellows (G.U.O.O.F.), is not a part of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows in America (I.O.O.F.) at the time, but a separate parallel group with a charter from England.

By 1886, “they had already become the largest African American order, with 52,814 members meeting in more than 1,000 lodges spread across 29 states” (Skocpol and Oser). In addition, “the black Odd Fellows provided social insurance benefits; built social-welfare institutions as well as halls that served as meeting places for many black groups; engaged in impressive parades and ritual displays; and attracted the leading men as well as more humble members in countless African American communities” (Skocpol and Oser).

Note that the “Household of Ruth” is the female auxiliary branch.

Further Research of the GUOOF:

“African American man, member of the Grand United Order of Odd Fellows, wearing fraternal order collar and apron”. Library of Congress. No known copyright restrictions.

Knights of Pythias of North America, South America, Europe, Asia, and Africa*

Not to be confused with the Knights of Pythias, this African American fraternal order with a longer name (sometimes referred to as “the Colored Knights of Pythias” in earlier texts) was another parallel group created out of necessity. The group was created in 1880, by Dr. Thomas W. Stringer, “a black Mason, African Methodist Episcopal minister, and Reconstruction-era Mississippi state senator” (Skocpol and Oser) and his associates in Vicksburg, Mississippi.

This time they did not resort to England’s help, but instead “a handful of black men who could “pass” racially gained admittance to a white lodge and appropriated its secrets “on the grounds that since the exclusion of colored men violated the purpose of the order, which was to extend friendship, charity, and benevolence among men, Divine Providence had made it possible for [them] to acquire the ritual” (Skocpol and Oser). In 1880, Lightfoot Lodge #1 was created in Mississippi.

*Note the group name would later include Australia. Sometimes referenced as “The Supreme Lodge of Knights of Pythias of North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia.”

Further Research of the KPNSAEAA:

  • “Knights of Pythias Files, 1903 - 1974” The New York Public Library Archives & Manuscripts. (In Person Research) (https://archives.nypl.org/scm/21064)

  • Peebles, Marilyn T. “The Alabama Knights of Pythias of North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia: A Brief History” 2012.

Improved Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks of the World

The IBPOE of W was established in 1898 by a former slave, Arthur James Riggs, with attorney Benjamin Franklin Howard, who had faced rejection from their local Elks when they tried to join. They “managed to procure a copy of the white Elks ritual” in Cincinnati, Ohio and form their own group based on the same principals and rituals (Skocpol and Oser). The new group added the “Improved” part of the name.  

What’s more, they discovered the original Elks (the BPOE) had never bothered to copyright their name or rituals or anything, and so they were able to obtain a copyright themselves from the Library of Congress.

Members of the BPOE were not happy about this, and Riggs was threatened with lynching and forced to go into hiding. BF Howard was able to continue the group, and today the Improved Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks is one of the largest Black fraternal orders.

The women’s group is called the Daughters of the IBPOEW.

Further Research of the IBPOEW:

  • History of the Improved Benevolent Protective Order of Elks of the World (https://www.ibpoew.org/history)

  • Laxton, Ymelda Rivera. “The Improved Benevolent and Protective Order of the Elks of the World” December 3, 2020. Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library Blog. (https://nationalheritagemuseum.typepad.com/library_and_archives/improved-benevolent-and-protective-order-of-elks-of-the-world/)

  • Wesley, Charles H. “History of the Improved Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks of the World, 1898 - 1954” Association for the Study of African American Life, 2010.


United Brothers of Friendship and Sisters of the Mysterious Ten

“The United Brothers of Friendship (UBF) grew from an originally male-only local beneficial society launched by a youthful group of free men and slaves in Louisville, Kentucky, in 1861” (Skocpol and Oser), and adapted through the Civil War as some members became freed. The Sisters of the Mysterious Ten (SMT) was formalized in 1878, though women had been participating earlier as well. As for size, “in the 1890’s, there were reportedly some 100,000 members in 19 states and 2 territories” (Skocpol and Oser).

Further Research of the UBF:

The St Luke Penny Savings Bank, opened by the Independent Order of St. Luke. NPS.gov.

Independent Order of St. Luke

The Independent Order of St. Luke (IOSL) “first appeared in Baltimore in 1867 as a women’s beneficial society connected to the Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church” (Skocpol and Oser), founded by a formerly enslaved woman named Mary Prout under the name the United Order of St. Luke. It later admitted men as well.

The IOSL was organized under Maggie Lena Walker, who took over in 1899, and “under her thirty-five year tenure, the IOSL expanded nationwide to twenty-six states and at its peak boasted 100,000 members. She was, at the time, the only woman known to be leading a major Black fraternal order” (NPS). The IOSL, with her leadership, established several local businesses tied to the order, including the St. Luke Penny Savings Bank.

Further Research of the IOSL:

The Grand United Order of True Reformers

The Grand United Order of True Reformers (GUOTR or U.O. of T.R.) was an “insurance-oriented fraternal group open to both men and women” (Skocpol and Oser) that was “founded in Richmond in 1881 by the Reverend William Washington Browne, a former slave and Union soldier who became a teacher, temperance organizer, Colored Methodist minister, and then African Methodist Episcopal minister” (Skocpol and Oser). The GUOTR also established local businesses, including the True Reformers Bank, the first Black-owned bank in the nation.

They called each of their lodges “Fountains”, with the main branch the Grand Fountain.

Further Research of the GUOTR:


International Order of the Knights and Daughters of Tabor

The International Order of Twelve Knights, was founded by Reverend Moses Dickson in 1872, in Independence, Missouri. Dickson “was born a free man in Cincinnati in 1824, was a Union soldier during the Civil War, and afterwards became a prominent clergyman in the African Methodist Episcopal Church.” (Croteau). He was also “the second Grand Master of the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Missouri” (Croteau).

Dickson claims his International Order of Twelve Knights was founded by members of the Order of Twelve, a secret anti-slavery group in the South prior to the Civil War. Modern researchers question if his stories were attempts to rile up membership.

The International Order of the Knights and Daughters of Tabor may be best known for opening the Taborian Hospital in 1942, in Mississippi, with an all-Black staff of doctors and nurses, and serving Black patients.

This fraternal order no longer exists.

Further Research of the IOKDT:



Additional African American fraternal orders and social groups included the Mosiac Templars of America (MTA); the Ancient Egyptian Arabic Order Nobles Mystic Shrine of North and South America; the Ancient United Order Knights and Daughters of Africa; the American Woodmen; Knights of the Invisible Colored Kingdom, and more. For a comprehensive list of groups, see the Skocpol and Oser article referenced.

Notes:

(1) An article titled “Organization despite Adversity: The Origins and Development of African American Fraternal Organizations” by Theda Skocpol and Jennifer Lynn Oser, shares that “prior to the 1970s, only a handful of major U.S. white associations were willing to accept African Americans as members” and that “the vast majority of U.S. white-led groups - above all, major white male fraternal groups, such as the Masons, the Odd Fellows, the Knights of Pythias, and the Elks - had explicit racial exclusion clauses in their constitutions or regularly practiced racial exclusion” (Skocpol and Oser).

(2) “National and local directories giving rich details about white voluntary associations between the 1870s and the 1920s often omitted most African American associations other than churches” (Skocpol and Oser)


Sources:

  • Croteau, Jeff. “Moses Dickson and the Order of Twelve”. 26 May 2008. (https://nationalheritagemuseum.typepad.com/library_and_archives/international-order-of-twelve-of-knights-and-daughters-of-tabor/)

  • PrinceHall.org. “A Brief History of Prince Hall Freemasonry in Massachusetts” The Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge F. & A.M. of Massachusetts. (https://www.princehall.org/prince-hall-freemasonry/)

  • Skocpol, Theda and Oser, Jennifer Lynn. “Organization despite Adversity: The Origins and Development of African American Fraternal Associations” Vol. 28, No. 3, Special Issue: African American Fraternal Associations and the History of Civil Society in the United States (Fall, 2004), pp. 367-437 (71 pages) Cambridge University Press, (https://www.jstor.org/stable/40267851)

  • Stevens, Albert C. “The Cyclopedia of Fraternities…” 1899. (https://archive.org/details/cyclopdiaoffra00stevrich/mode/2up)


More Recommended Reading:





Announcing Two New Genealogy-Themed Games!

3 August 2022, by Sherri Mastrangelo

I’m so excited to launch my new shop, starting with two new printable games for you to play: “Genealogy Bingo: Ice Breaker Edition” and a “Genealogy Crossword Puzzle.” Both are available now in my new Etsy shop (etsy.com/shop/StartResearching). Favorite and follow the shop, because I’ll be adding more products soon!

Genealogy Bingo: Ice Breaker Edition

If you’re looking for a “get to know your neighbor” type game for your next genealogy society meeting, this is it! Once you download and extract the zip file, you’ll see 10 unique Bingo Cards (PDF format), a word list, and game instructions. These files are yours to print at home, as many as you need - so if you’re expecting thirty people at your next meeting, you can print thirty copies!

There are two ways to play this game, 1) as classic bingo, where you can call out the clues from the included word list until someone shouts “Bingo!”, or 2), as an ice breaker, where you find a new friend that matches each clue. Have them sign their name or initials in the matching square, and then offer to sign one of theirs. Play to get five in a row, or as many squares as you can in the given time.

Can you find someone that "has a wish list of genealogy books" or whose "birthday is in July"? Or maybe someone that "has used a microfilm reader", or whose "ancestor founded a town"? Or will you admit to a new friend that your "research is not all that organized"?

If you’re hosting the game, you may want to give out a couple small prizes to the winners, at your own discretion. Maybe some candy bars?

This game can also be played together at virtual meetings, just email a bingo sheet to each guest ahead of time and then give them time to chat.

Get Genealogy Bingo: Ice Breaker Edition at etsy.com/shop/StartResearching

Genealogy Crossword Puzzle

This game would be good to challenge yourself, or play together as a group. Maybe offer a prize (more chocolate perhaps) for the first to finish!

Once you download the zip file and extract, you’ll find a single Genealogy Crossword PDF file you can print from home, along with a separate answer key. Again, print as many copies as you want. I think it’s a good mix of easy and hard clues, like “a brother or sister”, and “when the absence of records helps form the proof argument”. What do you think?

Get the Genealogy Crossword now on etsy.com/shop/StartResearching

Or visit the shop page, and please share with your friends!

This is my first experience using Etsy, so please forward me any and all feedback about the purchase process. Crossing my fingers it works well!

Hope you all have fun! And if you play either of these games at your next genealogy meetup, send me a picture and I’ll share it on a FB post :)

-Sherri

Revealing Codes in the 1950 Census, Pt. 3: Occupation Codes in Leave Blank C

9 June, 2022. By Sherri Mastrangelo.

Thank you to the kind reader who reminded me I had yet to post “Part 3” of this series on 1950 census codes. Time seems to get away from me at the end of the school year, but the kids are out for the summer now and I have a minute to post - so here we go!

Census image excerpt adapted from 1950 Census of Augusta, Georgia, ED 161-1, page 4, from 1950census.archives.gov

Today we’re talking about the set of numbers in the column titled “LEAVE BLANK C” found on the far right of the 1950 US Census pages, under the heading “FOR PERSONS 14 YEARS OF AGE AND OLDER” and subheading “Class of worker”.

You’ll notice these numbers are three digits, three digits, then one digit, or XXX: XXX: X. Each group of these numbers is translated as “occupation code: industry code: class code” which you’ll recognize as the same as the preceding three columns, Occupation (20c), Industry (20b), and Class of Worker (20c).

Like the other leave blank columns, these numbers are not likely to tell us anything new. They are codes written after the census enumerator handed in their work and the editors began preparing them for the punch cards to be read by the tabulating machines. It can be helpful to us if the information in the preceding columns is hard to read or missing.

The 1955 Census Bureau document, The 1950 Censuses - How They Were Taken tells us “the occupation and industry coders used the manual, “Alphabetic Index of Occupations and Industries,” to determine the codes for the schedule entries. Occupations and industries not listed in the “Index” were coded by experienced persons until the regular coders became skilled in interpreting the entries. The verification procedure was the same as that for general coders except that 10 percent of the work of the qualified occupation and industry coders was verified.” (Chapter 6, page 3).

We’ll use this same document to decipher our sets of numbers, and see if we can learn anything new. I was able to find a copy through a quick online search, with a public file on the IPUMS USA website: “Alphabetical Index of Occupations and Industries: 1950”. Note link opens PDF.

So let’s take a closer look at our example selection of six individuals from an Augusta, Georgia census (ED 161-1; page 4). Starting from the top, we have:

Frank McGhee - Labor - cottonseed oil co - P - 970:469:1

Odesa McGhee - Maid - Private Employ - P - 720:826:1

Joe L. Byrd - Labor - Private Employ - P - 970:826:1

Robert Golplin - Brickhacker - Brickyard - P - 970:318:1

Dasey B. Holmiez - Nurse - City Hospital - G - 058:869:2

Robert B. Parker - Porter - 5 & 10 (illegible word) - P - 780:647:1

(I may have butchered a name or two, but we’re going with “Dasey” here for now).


Class Code

Let’s start with the last number of our set as it the easiest of the three sets to understand. This is the single digit at the end that most often appears as a “1” or “2” which is the class code, and is also shown in column 20c as either a letter “P” or letter “G”. In the chart below, we learn “P” is for private employer, while “G” is for government. And if it was a “P” in column 20c, then the editor or tabulator would mark a “1” as the last digit of our code (or “2” for government, and so on). We also see other options for “O” and “NP” (translated as “3” and “4” respectively).

Excerpt from “Alphabetical Index of Occupations and Industries”, 1950, US Census Bureau.

There is also a special classification, “5”, for those in armed forces.

Using this information to review our example cases above, we have the majority “1” and “P” for private employers, except for our Dasey that has a “2” as her final digit and a “G” for government. Her job is listed as a Nurse for the City Hospital - and knowing that she is a government employee may actually be new information (though it could also be a misclassification - take it as a lead on your investigation, not a fact). It also may change where you’ll find remaining hospital records.

Occupation

The first set of three numbers, if you remember, is the occupation code. You can look up these occupational codes and more starting on page 12 of our favorite document, the “Alphabetical Index of Occupations and Industries: 1950” (link opens PDF). It’s too long to post a copy of this section here - about five and a half pages.

Industry

The industry codes, or the middle three digits, start on page 18 of the document. There are 269 different occupation categories, summarized into 11 groups, as in the chart below.

Excerpt from “Alphabetical Index of Occupations and Industries”, 1950, US Census Bureau.

Again, there’s too many to share here - but you can look up the individual codes in the index.

Census image excerpt adapted from 1950 Census of Augusta, Georgia, ED 161-1, page 4, from 1950census.archives.gov

So let’s take one last summary look at our six example individuals, and what their codes in “Leave Blank C” mean.

Starting with the first line we have Frank McGhee, in “labor” at the Cottonseed Oil Co. His code is “P” and “970:469:1”. We learned that “P” stands for worker for a private employer, and is coded as a “1” class code as the final digit. For occupation code we have “970”, which simply means “labor, not otherwise classified”. For the middle three digits, or industry code, we have “469”, which is listed as “manufacturing: non durable goods: miscellaneous chemicals and allied products, petroleum and coal products”.

Next we have his wife Odessa McGhee, a maid for a private employer. Her code (720:826:1) is also marked “P”, with an associated “1” class code. Her occupation code of “720” means “private household workers, not elsewhere classified”. Her industry code of “826” stands for “personal services: private households”.

Then we have Joe L. Byrd, a lodger, shown as “labor” for a private employer. Again we have “P” and “1” class code, for private employer. Then a “970” occupation code for “labor, not elsewhere classified” and like Odessa he has an “826” industry code, for “personal services: private households”. This all seems like a very vague description.

Next up we have another lodger, Robert Golpin, a “brickhacker” for a “brickyard”. The code in 20c is a bit illegible, but since his class code is “1” we know it should be a “P” for private employer. He also has a “970” occupation code for “labor, not elsewhere classified”, while his industry code of “318” means “manufacturing: structural clay products”.

Dasey B. Holmiez (a rough estimate of the name), is shown as a “nurse” for “city hospital”. She is also marked with a “G” and class code of “2” for government employee. She has an “058” occupation code for “nurses, professional” and an “869” industry code for “professional and related services: hospitals”.

And finally we have Robert B. Parker, shown as a “porter” for a “5 + 10 cent store”. His class code is “1” and shown with a “P” for private employer. His occupation code is “780” meaning “porters” and his industry code is “647” meaning “retail trade: five and ten cent stores” - so pretty straightforward.

So does all of this information tell us anything new? Not really, no - though I would not have considered that the nurse would technically be a government worker. And again, knowing how to look up these codes would help greatly if the occupations were hard to read or missing!

As I mentioned in one of the earlier posts on codes in the 1950 census, there is a great tool for looking up these codes quickly on SteveMorse.org if you prefer not to scour the pages of the Alphabetical Index.


The Sources:


Also see:







Revealing Codes in the 1950 Census, Pt. 2: Leave Blank B

15 April, 2022. By Sherri Mastrangelo

A follow-up to last week’s post, where I discussed “Leave Blank A”, codes that referenced relationships to the head of household in the 1950 U.S. Federal Census. Today’s post will show you the meaning of the codes in “Leave Blank B”, found between “Column 13: What State (or foreign country) was he born in?” and “Column 14: If foreign born - Is he naturalized?”.

Excerpt taken from 1950 Census of Barnstable, Massachusetts, ED 1-1, page 23, found on 1950census.archive.gov

As mentioned in the previous post, these codes were added later, after the enumerator had handed in their work, as part of the editing process. After the census data was collected it needed to be translated into codes on punch cards that the machines could read, and then tabulate into statistical information.

You’ll remember in the first leave blank column the codes were 1 for head of household, 2 for wife, 3 for children, and so on up to number 9 for lodger - then a few letters, like X for the head of an institution, and V for patient or inmate. In the government publication The 1950 Censuses - How They Were Taken, written by the U.S. Bureau of the Census in 1955, it explains how they were limited to these codes because of the technology at the time, sharing that “only the numerals, 0 to 9, and the letters, X and V, can be punched on that card…Consequently, all data to be punched on the cards and run through the tabulating machines must be converted to those symbols.” - (U.S. Bureau of the Census)

Within that same helpful resource they give us the following tables, showing first the state codes, and then the foreign country codes, used respectively in “Leave Blank B” depending on the location of birth of the individual listed in the census. If the individual was born in the same state that the census was taken, this column was left blank as it could be quickly coded.

Above tables excerpted from The 1950 Censuses - How They Were Taken written by the U.S. Bureau of the Census, Washington, D.C., 1955.

In the following table, we see the coding methodology for this column. You’ll notice that a “0” is entered before a number code for a state, so is someone was born in Maine it would read “011”, and that a “1” pre-empts the code for a foreign country ONLY if that person has citizenship, and so on.

Above table excerpt from The 1950 Censuses - How They Were Taken written by the U.S. Bureau of the Census, Washington, D.C., 1955.

Excerpt from the 1950 Census of Burrego, San Diego, California, ED 37-1, page 5 as found on 1950census.nara.gov

In the census excerpt above we can see the codes in Leave Blank B for individuals born in the Philippine Islands (53) and below that, Mexico (62), each pre-empted by a “1” if a citizen and “2” if not, which matches up to the naturalization information (yes / no) in the column to the right.

Excerpt from the 1950 Census of Los Angeles, Santa Monica, California, ED 74-2, page 14, as found on 1950census.nara.gov

In the example above you’ll note a “V” pre-empting the country code for Germany (22). If you look back at the methodology chart above, you’ll see a “V” just means citizenship information was blank or left unknown.

To summarize, these codes written in Leave Blank B tell us the same information as columns 13 and 14, where this individual was born and their citizenship. Deciphering these codes can help us if the items in column 13 and 14 are missing or illegible, but otherwise not so useful. However, I feel it is important as researchers to understand the meaning behind all the codes and information written on the census, as with other records, to get the whole picture. Would you agree?

Stay tuned for part 3, “Leave Blank C”.

The Source:

U.S. Bureau of the Census, The 1950 Censuses - How They Were Taken, Washington, D.C., 1955.

*Note this file was found on “1950 Overview” (https://www.census.gov/history/www/through_the_decades/overview/1950.html) in a downloadable zip file.



Related post: “Revealing Codes in the 1950 Census: Leave Blank A”



Revealing Codes in the 1950 Census: Leave Blank Column A

Updated 15 April 2022. Originally published 4 April 2022. By Sherri Mastrangelo.

Update: When writing this blog post initially, I formed the chart through comparison of over 50 enumeration districts (the first to show for every state on the National Archives search results). This week while I was looking into the other “Leave Blank” columns on the 1950 census, I found a better primary source for this information, not in the enumeration instructions, but buried in a large zip file called The 1950 Censuses - How They Were Taken on the census.gov website, written by the U.S. Bureau of the Census in 1955. Updates are included below, though my original findings were pretty much in line.

In the 1950 Census, between columns 8 for Relationship and 9 for Race, is “Leave Blank A”. This column is hand-written later, after the census taker has visited homes, and refers to the individual’s relationship to the head of household. You’ll notice that column 8, immediately to the left, also describes the relationship. So are these numbers actually telling us anything new?

Well, yes and no - but before we get into the usefulness of these notes let me share my findings.

I was getting asked this questions in a few emails, and noticed it in a few Facebook genealogy groups as well: “What do the numbers in the first Leave Blank” column mean?”. Some other members in one of the Facebook groups dismissed the notes as not important and not worth looking into, while others speculated it had to do with a widow status.

I came across this section on Stevemorse.org called “Deciphering Miscellaneous Codes Appended to the 1950 Census in One Step” by Stephen P. Morse, PhD and Joel D. Weintraub, PhD: https://stevemorse.org/census/mcodes1950.htm that was compiled before the release of the census, which seemed to have the answers in the first dropdown for Column A. Yet I quickly noticed that these answers, that included “0” for head of household, “1” for wife, “2” for child, and so on, did not match what I was seeing on actual 1950 census records (they align more with the 1940 census). Update 16 April: this site has now been updated!

So I decided to come up with a quick reference chart for this column and 1950 records. I took a look at the first non-reservation enumeration district of each state of the 1950 census available at NARA (https://1950census.archives.gov/) and tallied up the occurrences of notations and their relationship to their head of household, to look for similarities. The results were the same across all states (with less than a handful of outliers) summarized in the chart below:

Notation Most Often
1 Head
2 Wife
3 Step-son
Step-daughter
Child
4 Son-in-law
Daughter-in-law
5 Grandson
Grandaughter
6 Mother
Father
Mother-in-law
Father-in-law
7 Brother; Sister
Aunt; Uncle
Brother-in-law; Sister-in-law
Niece; Nephew
Cousin
(Descendant of any of these)
8 Hired hand
Maid
Housekeeper
9 Lodger; Roomer; Boarder
(Descendant of Lodger)
Partner (unrelated person)
Foster child (unrelated by blood)
X Head of hotel or institution
0 Guest of hotel or institution
Staff or other workers of institution
V Patient
Inmate

Source list of enumeration districts reviewed to compile above chart can be found below, following this post.

For comparison, below is an excerpt from the document The 1950 Censuses - How They Were Taken mentioned above, written by the U.S. Bureau of the Census. I think it matches up pretty well to my chart above, though I did update # 3 to include all children. You’ll also notice that I have "patient” or “inmate” under “V” while the government publication shows only inmate. I decided to leave mine this way to reflect the data from the records I reviewed.

*”Possibly all children” under notation 3, because it’s unclear to me right now if 3 refers only to step-children, or to any related child of the head of household (other than a foster child that is unrelated by blood, that is found by a “9”). You’ll notice when there is a step-child there is almost always a 3 in this column, but if the relationship is listed as a son or daughter, this column is usually blank. Does anyone out there have any insight here?

(Updated here to show that 3 means all children, not just step children.)


So how is the helpful information, and does it actually tell us anything new?

  • It can help us decipher the relationship if the writing is illegible in column 8 (though from what I’ve seen so far, handwriting in 1950 was pretty decent).

  • If the relationship in column 8 is missing, it might help determine it.

An example of the latter is often seen for those transcribed from an ICR (Individual Census Report), as seen in the image below:

Image excerpt from the 1950 Census of Barnstable, Massachusetts (Enumeration District 1-2; page 31), found on 1950.census.archives.gov

In this 1950 census excerpt, we see a short list of “Persons Transcribed From ICRs [Individual Census Report] and Missed Persons Forms”. Right away we know the relationship of these people to the head of household, without any information shown in the relationship column. For example, for the last two indivudals we see that Edwin T. Chester is the head of the house, and Olive G. is his wife. You’d probably be able to figure this out eventually, but I still consider this helpful! What do you all think?

Sources for my chart: All census records reviewed were from NARA (https://1950census.archives.gov/) as mentioned above. Enumeration districts reviewed include:

Alabama, Autauga, 1-1; Alaska, First Judicial Division, 1-1; Arizona, Apache, 1-1; Arkansas, Arkansas, 1-1; California, Alameda, 1-1; Colorado, Adams, 1-1; Connecticut, Bridgeport, Fairfield, 9-1; Delaware, Kent, 1-1; District of Columbia, Washington, 1-1; Florida, Aluchua, 1-1; Georgia, Appling, 1-1; Hawaii, Hawaii, 1-1; Idaho, Ada, 1-1D; Illinois, Adams, 1-1; Indiana, Adams, 1-1; Iowa, Adair, 1-1; Kansas, Allen, 1-1; Kentucky, Adair, 1-1; Louisiana, Acadia Parish, 1-1; Maine, Androscoggin, 1-1; Maryland, Allegany, 1-1; Massachusetts, Barnstable, 1-1; Michigan, Alcona, 1-1; Minnesota, Aitkin, 1-1; Mississippi, Adams, 1-1; Missouri, Adair, 1-1; Montana, Beaverhead, 1-1; Nebraska, Adams, 1-1; Nevada, Churchill, 1-1; New Hampshire, Belknap, 1-1; New Jersey, Atlantic, 1-1; New Mexico, Bernalilo, 1-2; New York, Albany, 1-1; North Carolina, Alamance, 1-1; North Dakota, Adams, 1-1; Ohio, Adams, 1-1; Oklahoma, Adair, 1-1; Oregon, Baker, 1-1; Pennsylvania, Adams, 1-1; Rhode Island, Bristol, 1-1; South Carolina, Abbeville, 1-1; South Dakota, Aurora, 2-1; Tennessee, Anderson, 1-1; Texas, Amarillo, Potter, 255-1; Utah, Beaver, 1-1; Vermont, Addison, 1-1; Virginia, Accomack, 1-1; Washington, Adams, 1-1; West Virginia, Barbour, 1-1; Wisconsin, Adams, 1-1; Wyoming, Albany, 1-1

1950 US Census: The 10 Things You Need to Know

I wouldn’t have a decent genealogy blog if I didn’t talk about the upcoming release of the 1950 Census, which the National Archives and Records Association (NARA) will release on April 1st of this year - less than two months away. I’ve summarized the important things you need to know about this census below, including why you’ll be able to search it right away.

The above image includes an excerpt of a blank 1950 United States Census Form: P1 Census of Population and Housing (opens pdf file) from The National Archive’s website at Archive.gov. More information about the questions asked on the census and the various forms used can be found below.


  1. Will be found on a free website from the NARA

    You should be able to access these records for free, an Amazon Web Services open data set picked up by FamilySearch and others but also directly from a census dedicated website built by the NARA: ““Employees from across the agency have worked on digitizing and indexing the records and developing and testing a new, dedicated 1950 Census website,” said Project Manager Carol Lagundo, who leads the 1950 Census project at National Archives” (Victoria Macchi, National Archive News). You will also be able to download the whole data set from Amazon Web Services.



  2. An index created by Artificial Intelligence, checked by human volunteers

    According to FamilySearch.org, “Ancestry's sophisticated artificial intelligence and handwriting recognition technology will save time by creating an initial index from digital census images. While this index won’t be perfect, it will expedite the review and publication process to let you search for your family’s names in the 1950 census sooner after its release” after which “volunteers helping with the 1950 census indexing will be invited to review the automated index to ensure that every name is included and indexed correctly” (FamilySearch). This is different from past census releases where people basically created the index from scratch and took several months to complete.



  3. We CAN search it!

    We’ve been told previously that at the time of the release, the census will not be indexed and to expect limited search functions - but this may not be 100% true. Before you go through the efforts of researching each ancestor’s applicable enumeration district (utilize the Stephen Morse Unified ED finder), read on! Just recently NARA told us we will be able to search this initial data set, though it’s unclear how reliable it will be: “the new website will include a name search function powered by an Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning (AI/ML) and Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology tool” (Victoria Macchi, National Archive News). This is very exciting!

    In another article, they explain “You will be able to search the 1950 Census website by name and location. You will also be able to search by Indian Reservation for form P8 Indian Reservation Schedules. To develop the initial name index, we are using Amazon Web Services’ artificial intelligence / optical character recognition (AI/OCR) Textract tool to extract the handwritten names from the digitized 1950 Census population schedules. Because the initial name index is built on optical character recognition (OCR) technology, it will not be 100-percent accurate” (“1950 Census Records” Archive.gov)



  4. A Community Effort

    This group effort by FamilySearch and Ancestry, along with many genealogical societies and organizations as well as individual volunteers, is called the “1950 US Census Community Project”. My company, Start Researching, has joined the project and is excited to help index these records as well! You can sign up for updates and request to volunteer here: FamilySearch.org/1950-Census



  5. What Questions will be on the Census?

    Two great resources for this are “Questions Asked on the 1950 Census” on The National Archives site, and for a more brief synopsis: “What Questions Appeared in the 1950 Census?” by Jason Wright, published 12 Dec 2021 on FamilySearch.

    View a blank form P1: Census of Population and Housing (pdf file)



  6. Enumeration Date: April 1st, 1950

    Keep in mind the enumeration date of the census was April 1, 1950. That means all the census takers were told to record information for the household as it was on that date, even if they had arrived to the house a few weeks or months later. So if a relative died in March 1950 they will likely not appear in the census, but someone who died in May should be included. Within the same logic, only an infant born in January, February, or March of 1950 or earlier (or also on April 1st) will be included.



  7. Read the Enumerator Instructions

    Full census enumerator instructions are available here on Census.gov, on the page click the link to open the pdf download. Understanding these instructions given to census takers can help you figure out how to find certain ancestors, from those in the military to those in boarding houses. For example, in 1950 students in college were to be counted at their colleges, instead of at their homes like in past censuses.

    More information available on “Instructions for Enumerators and the Public” on Archive.org.

    Also helpful is the “1950 Overview” on Census.gov details how the census was conducted in brief, with further details available as a downloadable zip file of 17 chapters. Lots of detailed information to comb through in those files.


  8. A Variety of Forms

    Most of the census data was recorded on the Form P1, Population and Housing (pictured above) with some exceptions, like Form P8, Indian Reservation Schedule. Different forms were also used in some areas like Alaska, Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, Panama Canal Zone, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, as well as “selected areas in Michigan and Ohio” (Archive.gov), and various forms for military, crew members, and others.

    View more detailed information about each of the forms at “Census Forms in the 1950 Census Dataset” at Archives.gov

  9. Counted Later - ED 71+

    If there was no one home when the census taker came by, the census taker (also called enumerator) had a few different options. When the enumerator chose to come back later, and therefore had information out of order, they would start on sheet 71 or later. “The enumerator was to number the sheets (pages) of the census form in order beginning with “1” (one). Nearly all Enumeration Districts could be completed on fewer than 70 pages. Persons enumerated out of order were counted on sheets beginning with the number “71.” (Archive.gov)

    So if you can’t find your ancestor’s family in their expected district with their neighbors, try the later sheets of the same area.

    Read “1950 Census: Enumerated Out-of-Order: “Callbacks” and Others on Page 71 and Up” by Claire Kluskens on HistoryHub


  10. Still Missed Some People

    Despite best efforts, which included a post-enumeration survey of sample groups and “Missed Person” notices published in newspapers, “The Bureau of the Census later estimated that the census undercounted (missed) approximately 4.1 percent of the population” (Archive.gov).

    The full U.S. population that was counted, and determined, by the 1950 census was 150,697,361 people (Wikipedia), with the highest populations in New York, California, and Pennsylvania. If we think about 4.1% of that number, we’d have about 6,178,591 people missing from the 1950 census, or just over 6 million individuals not counted.

A “Missed Person” coupon from the front page of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram: Evening Edition, 29 May 1950, one of the many efforts to count all people in the 1950 census.

Bonus - How to Prepare?

If you haven’t done so yet, now is a great time to look through your ancestors and make a list of those alive in 1950 (specifically April 1st, 1950). Determine the following:

  • Your ancestor’s full name, along with maiden name, alternate spellings, and nicknames

  • Names of spouse and children

  • Ages of all (to help confirm you have the right family)

  • Birth places of all above (again, to help you confirm you have the right family)

  • Known addresses. Look at other records if you need help determining, starting with where they were in the 1940 Census, then other records like draft cards and city directories.

  • Enumeration districts of those addresses (may not be needed, but helpful to have)

Have this reference list with you so you’re ready to search come April 1st.

Best of luck!

Article by: Sherri Mastrangelo, published 6 February, 2022.







What's Wrong with This Image? Explaining "Pedigree Collapse" and "Endogamy"

Have you seen this graphic, or some version of it, floating around social media? It’s called “Ancestral Mathematics”, and says “for you to be born today from 11 previous generations, you needed a total of 4,094 ancestors over the last 400 years”. Chances are very high this math is not correct for your own family history, and here’s why…

While we all imagine our family tree to be a large inverted triangle - starting small at the bottom with us and our parents and grandparents and growing wider and wider as you back each generation, the more likely reality is that the inverted triangle shape is somewhat distorted by some of your ancestors showing up in more than one place on the tree.

This is called “pedigree collapse”, when the same person shows up in a direct line more than once, when two genetically related people have a child, like a first cousin marriage, second cousin marriage, and so on. Two first cousins would share a set of grandparents (so instead of you having 8 great-grandparents, if these first-cousins were two of your grandparents, you would only have 6 great-grandparents).

Mathematically, it would be impossible for you NOT to have pedigree collapse at some point in your lineage, as “the number of individuals in such a tree grows exponentially and will eventually become impossibly high. For example, a single individual alive today would, over 30 generations going back to the High Middle Ages, have roughly a billion ancestors, more than the total world population at the time” (International Society of Genetical Genealogy Wiki).

This term, “pedigree collapse”, was coined by Robert C. Gunderson of the Genealogical Society of Utah, during his presentation on noble lineage at a genealogical conference, in the year 1980 (wikipedia).

In addition to pedigree collapse within your direct, genetic lineage, you likely have other ancestors show up more than once in your extended tree. For example, a pair of brothers might marry a pair of sisters, causing some collapse in your tree but not affecting your direct bloodline.

There is also mathematical evidence, due to population amounts, that there was often more than one type of cousin relationship between a married couple. They could be both second and fourth cousins, for example.

When pedigree collapse happens over and over again throughout generations, we call it “endogamy”. When there is mostly marrying within the same community over many generations, endogamy occurs.

Reasons for endogamy in a population may include:

  • geographic isolation, like a group of people confined on an island

  • limited means of travel for a population resulting in a closer pool of potential partners

  • cultural, social, or religious customs encouraging marriage within the group

  • forced isolation of a group resulting in limited pool of partners

  • legal restrictions in a society on marriage

  • a smaller group of potential partners due to a limited population

Both pedigree collapse and endogamy have huge genetic impacts on descendants. A limited gene pool is not great for health. There is a higher risk of inheriting recessive genetic disorders, a higher chance of miscarriages and infertility, and greater likelihood of birth defects, relative to the degree of relationship - with a greater risk in offspring the more closely related the parents are to each other.

Both pedigree collapse and endogamy can mess with DNA testing results as well, possibly showing a higher percentage DNA match due to more inherited shared DNA, and making the tester think there is a closer genetic match than there really is. For this reason DNA testing companies weigh results from certain populations differently.

It is also because of pedigree collapse that the further you go back in time and generations, the more common ancestors we all share.

Other terms you may come across when studying these two things are consanguinity, meaning biological relationship, and coefficient of relationship, or the degree of consanguinity.


Sources / Further Research:

  • “Pedigree Collapse”, International Society of Genetic Genealogy Wiki (https://isogg.org/wiki/Pedigree_collapse)

  • Woodbury, Paul. “Dealing with Endogamy, Part I: Exploring Amounts of Shared DNA” LegacyTree Genealogists. 17 Oct 2016. (https://www.legacytree.com/blog/dealing-endogamy-part-exploring-amounts-shared-dna)

  • “Robert C. Gunderson”, Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_C._Gunderson)

  • Southard, Diahan. “Endogamy v Pedigree Collapse | DNA Matches”, Your DNA Guide. 22 July 2021. (https://www.yourdnaguide.com/ydgblog/pedigree-collapse-v-endogamy).

  • “What’s the Difference Between Pedigree Collapse and Endogamy?” DNA Explained. 23 July 2021. (https://dna-explained.com/2021/07/23/whats-the-difference-between-pedigree-collapse-and-endogamy/).