When I first started looking at the 1950 U.S. census, I was searching for 110 N. 19th Street in Philadelphia. That was the address for my family that I had diligently researched. It was the address on my sister’s birth certificate. But they were not there.
I knew they had moved to a new house by January 1951 but I did not think they had moved there by April 1, 1950. I was wrong.
Many researchers do not narrow their search. They start out with a broad search of “All Collections” with a surname. Ancestry now cautions that that type of search is too broad. Even if you add a first name, you will get too many returns to sort
through.
Try narrowing your search to a specific census year, a specific first and last name and a specific location. Ancestry provides free access to the 1850, 1860, 1880, 1940 and 1950 U.S. censuses so there’s no excuse not to narrow your search in those years.
Then you have to consider their specific location – not just the state but the county, the township, the city or town. There are way too many Cooks or Williams or Johnsons to search by surname in Iowa.
Take the time to learn how to search in a database, whether it’s Ancestry. com or FamilySearch.org. Learning to search through databases will return huge benefits as you quickly identify your ancestors by searching in the right location and time period.
My mantra is to search for a specific individual who was born in a specific year and who was located in a specific location in a specific year. Then you will likely be successful. By searching with my father’s name in Philadelphia in 1950, I found my family in the right place on April 1, 1950.
Carol Cooke Darrow is a Professional Genealogist who will teach Genealogy 101 classes on Zoom starting on the 2nd Saturday of
September 2022. Check on www.cogensoc.us to register after Sept. 1.