The 1950 US Census was released two days ago on April 1st. Thank you to the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) for making this census available and for the ability to search the census. The search ability was made possible through optical character recognition (OCR) and artificial intelligence (AI)/machine learning so the search function may not be accurate. I was able to find my dad, Jan A. Iverson, by searching for his stepfather, Wayne Crawford. 1
Here's the page of the 1950 census showing my dad living in the household of his stepfather, Wayne Crawford, and his mother, Ingrid. The family was living in Portland, Multnomah, Oregon. I highlighted my dad in a red box. My grandmother, Ingrid, was one of the people on this page who were asked additional questions. Her answers were included at the bottom of the page. They are also highlighted in a red box.
Here's a close-up of my dad's family:
Information about my dad:
Address: 6925 N. Amherst
Name: Jan A. Iverson
Relationship: Stepson
Race: W
Sex: M
Age: 14
Marital Status: Never married
Birthplace: California
What was this person doing most of last week? Other
Did this person do any work at all last week? No
Was this person looking for work? No
Does this person have a job or business? No
And here's the bottom of the census page with answers by my grandmother highlighted in red:
Additional information about my grandmother, Ingrid:
Was she living in the same house a year ago? Yes
Was she living on a farm a year ago? No
Was she living in this same county a year ago? Yes
What country were her father and mother born in? Father: Sweden, Mother: Sweden
What is the highest grade of school that she has attended? S2
Did she finish this grade? No
Has she attended school at any time since February 1st? 30 or over
Last year, in how many weeks did this person do any work at all, not counting work around the house: None
Income received by this person in 1949: None in each category
If I had not already known that Ingrid's parents were from Sweden, this additional information section would have given me that information. This section also provided information that she had lived at the same house and in the same county in 1949. It was also interesting to see the highest grade of school that she had attended. The code was S2 for her. At the bottom of the page the codes are explained. The code S2 was within the elementary school codes. I am surprised to learn that her highest grade level may have been second grade in elementary school. I have to wonder if that code was incorrect. Interestingly, in her vocal history Ingrid said, "mother did not start me in first grade until I was eight years old."2 And in her Book of Remembrance, Ingrid wrote that when she was fourteen years old her family sold their home in Salt Lake City and moved to Los Angeles, California due to the Depression.3 She also said, "I worked there at a home as a mothers helper" and that "because of finances" she and one of her sisters were not able to finish school. The family history memories that she wrote in her Book of Remembrance were written in cursive. Because of this, I believe she must have had more than a second-grade education. I am so thankful that she wrote about her life in this Book of Remembrance and that my dad interviewed her in 1977.
To search the 1950 US Census at NARA, click HERE.
Thanks for stopping by!
Jana
© 2022
Copyright by Jana Iverson Last, All Rights Reserved
1 1950 U.S. census, Multnomah Co., OR, Portland, ED 37-566, sheet 16, household 192, line 23, Jan A. Iverson; U.S. National Archives, _1950 Census_ (https://1950census.archives.gov/search/ : accessed 1 April 2022).↩ 2 Crawford, Ingrid (Gillberg), Antioch, California. Interview by Jan Albert Iverson, 11 July 1977. Audio and transcript. Privately held by Jana Last, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Clovis, California. 2022.↩
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