LIFE BEGINS at ‘40
When the 1950 census images are released in April, genealogists everywhere will be scrambling to find their families (and sometimes their own names) on those pages. Those who are well prepared will probably find them, even before a searchable index becomes available.
While you’re waiting for that fateful day, a fun task awaits you: filling in the blanks between the 1940 and 1950 censuses. Learning all you can about your family members’ lives during the ‘40s will better prepare you to find them in the 1950 census. You’ll better appreciate how they experienced one of the century’s most change-filled decades, when the nation transitioned from the Great Depression to World War II, then slid into an uneven postwar period, and finally entered the Korean War in 1950.
Fortunately, the 1940s are rich in records for many people. In this article, I’ll share several record types you can use to find your family in the 1940s as I follow my maternal grandparents as teens and young adults.
You may find, as I have, that these records reveal names, dates and relationships that help you build your family tree. They often include story-building snippets about employment, schooling, wartime and daily life. And—critically—those with location clues can prepare you to find your family in the 1950 census.
FAMILY MEMORIES
Many people living today remember the 1940s, or they’ve had memories passed on to them. So be sure to start your search by talking to your relatives.
First, if your relatives were alive during the 1940s, establish where they were living, and with
