When you find someone in the census, do you look at the nativity of others on the same or adjacent census pages? How common or unusual was your relative’s place of birth compared to their neighbors? Were they living in a neighborhood where they were in the majority or the minority in terms of place of birth? Was there even a majority in terms of place of birth? If the census asked the question, were most people homeowners or renters? How does your relative’s occupation compare to that of his neighbors?
Sometimes the biggest clues about a relative in his census enumeration aren’t on the line that contains his name.
This tip originally ran in March 2019.
One response
Good clues to follow!