In honor of Women's History Month I have been participating in using the blogs prompts from The Accidental Genealogist's blog that can be found HERE. While I am unsure if I will keep up on a daily basis and complete each prompt I will do those I can when I can. The prompt for March 9 is:
March 9 — Take a family document (baptismal certificate, passenger list, naturalization petition, etc.) and write a brief narrative using the information.
I took two screen shots of the 1940 census. The screen shot of the heading shows this particular page is from Miami County Indiana, the township is Jefferson and the city is Mexico. It is dated May 8. The screen shot of the family I chose shows the head of household to be white, male, married and 55. His name is Harve Rairigh and he was my maternal great grandfather or my mother's father's father. He has not recently attended school and the highest grade of school he completed was the eighth grade. He was born in Kansas and has lived in the house where he lived at the time of this census for the last five years. He worked a 60 hour work week 52 weeks a year. His annual income was 490. In his household was his 53 year old white female wife Georgia who was born in Indiana and whose work is listed as housework. Also his 32 year old single daughter, Lucille (Lucile), lived there who is listed as unable to work. I know from other sources Lucile was a polio victim but I also know at one time she worked at Senger's Dry Goods Store in Peru Indiana. Georgia had attended the 8th grade but Lucile only the 7th grade. Next is listed my ten year old mother Charlotte. She had attended school recently and had completed the third grade. I assume that means she was a fourth grader at age ten. I do know my mother was a year behind due to missing a year of school because she had Rheumatic Fever. Mom hadn't lived in that house five years ago. I know her parents divorced the December prior to this census. And I know my mom was raised by her paternal grandparents. The next members of the household surprised me. My mother's brothers are listed. Gene age 8 and Billy age 5. Gene has completed second grade and Billy has not completed a grade yet but both attend school. I did not realize five year olds went to school in 1940. I also was surprised to see the boys in this household for this census because I know from other sources that my mother's mother's sister raised them. But they must have spent at least some time with Harve and Georgia.
The source for this image where the original can be viewed is:
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