Post-enumeration coding of 1940 census data for marital status
Like many over-eager genealogists, I was online the morning of 02 April 2012 – the first day the 1940 census was available to the public. Within a matter of days, I had located a handful of relatives on the 1940 census by first locating their enumeration districts. It wasn’t long before I began finding information in this census that I hadn’t encountered previously despite having done extensive census research in the past. For example, why was I finding the numeral “7” in the marital status column, instead of one of the more common abbreviations of marital status, such as S[ingle], M[arried], W[idowe]d or D[ivorced]?
1940 U.S. Federal census entry for Oliver Bingaman of Shoshone County, Idaho, highlighted in yellow.
I’ve highlighted column 12 in the 1940 census in red where marital status was recorded. Note those who reported they were married (M) where the M was crossed out and a 7 penciled in. As we shall see later in this piece, instructions to enumerators were only partially followed for this household. In the case of the author’s grandfather, Oliver Bingaman, highlighted in yellow above, no obvious wife was enumerated with him, and yet there was no alteration of his marital status as originally recorded.
Fortunately, I was able to track down a blog entry by Meldon J. Wolfgang III, wherein he described this very scenario and some of the backstory behind this particular census code. Read his post here.
Mr. Wolfgang’s blog entry contains a link to a very valuable resource: the IPUMS-USA website. Wolfgang explains
“IPUMS is not a genealogy site; it is the acronym for the
‘Integrated Public Use Microdata Series’and is part of the University of Minnesota’s Population Center. Data geeks, statisticians and epidemiologists – all of whom use census data – are the primary users of this site.”
Even though genealogists per se are not the intended audience, serious genealogists will nevertheless find a wealth of information about the decennial United States Federal census on this site.
IPUMS-USA census data website – http://usa.ipums.org/usa/
To locate the procedural history that explains the post-enumeration coding done by the staff of the Census Bureau, navigate to this link: http://usa.ipums.org/usa/resources/voliii/enumproc1940.pdf
It is under the General Population Coding section that we find the explanation for the coding of marital status:
Source: Jenkins, Robert M. Procedural History of the 1940 Census of Population and Housing. (Madison : University of Wisconsin Press, 1983), p. 63
To summarize, if the enumerator left the marital status column blank, then the Census Bureau staff in Washington D.C. would attempt to complete the field based solely on other elements they read on the page. If no spouse or children were living in the household, the coder assumed the individual was single. If, however, the person had no spouse in the home and there were children present, then one of two codes was entered, either 1) widowed, if the individual was 55 or older, or 2) 7, if the person was under age 55. Even when a marital status of M[arried] was recorded, clerks were instructed to interline the M and replace it with 7 if no spouse was included in the household, thus resulting in this entry: M 7. This distinction with respect to age is important. In a nutshell, if you find a marital status of M crossed out and replaced with Wd, don’t assume the spouse is deceased; look for that individual in another household. If you find a 7 in the marital status column, or an M crossed out and a 7 penciled in, then look for the spouse in another household.
As Wolfgang pointed out in his post, the census coders had no special insight into any particular household. If something you’re seeing in the 1940 census doesn’t track with the research you’ve done on a family, or with your own personal knowledge of events, then having a better understanding of these codes may help explain any anomalies.
We have examined a bit of the history of census coding for a single column of data (marital status) in a single census year (1940). Imagine what additional information you may be able to glean from other entries if you read the relevant instructions or procedural history as well. The IPUMS-USA website is a great place to start.
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Note: In his blog post, Meldon J. Wolfgang III referenced a talk he gave in the days leading up to the release of the 1940 census. Judy G. Russell, CG, (aka the Legal Genealogist) was in the audience and gave a brief synopsis of his talk, and an overview of the IPUMS-USA website, on her blog.
Thanks for posting this, very helpful!
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I’ve just come across this on the 1940 census and your post is a huge help to me, thank you.
Hi Marya,
You are very welcome. This continues to be my most popular post.
Next to the column asking about last grade completed there is a number 92. What does that mean? Thanks!
I am not seeing the information you reference, but if you are asking about Column B, then that is a code input by Census Bureau workers following the count, used for statistical compilations. Here is a link to a blank 1940 census form so you can see what the column headers show: https://www.archives.gov/files/research/census/1940/1940-census-form-fillable.pdf.
Thank you so much for this information, I never would have thought it was going to be so easy for me to find this…it gives me the confirmation on the information I remembered from that period of time…
Hi there,
My relative has this very code on her marital status (M crossed out with a 7), but I have no idea how to go about finding her husband, as her last name is still listed as her maiden name and she’s listed in the household with her parents. I haven’t been able to find any record of a marriage, either. She was 16 years old in 1940. Unless I find a marriage certificate, I’m probably not going to find much information on her husband, am I?
Thanks for any help you might be able to give me on my question! 🙂
Dana
Hi Dana,
The one other thing I would look at is who was the informant? The 1940 census is the first census to give us that information. It is the person listed in the household with an x (or an x in a circle) by their name. Consider whether it would make sense that the individual who provided the answers was in a position to know the information. I would try to cross-reference the 1940 census with city directories around the time to see if there were other householders. If available, at a minimum I would check 1939-1941. Also, read the local newspapers for the time and place using Chronicling America (free) or Newspapers.com (subscription). Sometimes this is the only place I have found mention of a wedding. Hope these suggestions are useful and you make new discoveries.
Hi Dawn,
Thank you for your information. I knew about the informant on the census because I saw it while researching another family member – I had to look up what the x with a circle meant! Unfortunately, whoever took down the census for them didn’t notate who was giving the information. I would assume both parents and the grandma living in the home would be aware of her marriage. At least, I hope so!
I’ve been spending loads of time, cross-referencing any “Betty Ann” I see in any directories in the area at that time. I’m going cross-eyed from looking them all up. I did manage to find her birth certificate, which was kind of cool. I was hoping a marriage certificate would pop up, but nothing.
Considering the time period, I was thinking that maybe she married a guy who got shipped off to war, leaving her to live with her parents. It’s the only thing I can think of, but I don’t understand why she would list herself as married, but still go by her maiden name of Lowe. It’s maddening. She’s the only link I have to possibly finding any cousins, but I just can’t seem to trace the line down, no matter what I’ve been trying. Hopefully, I’ll get a hit.
Thanks again for your suggestions. Can I ask if Newspapers.com is a good source? I am leery of paying yet another subscription (Ancestry.com is expensive enough!). I did try the Chronicling America site, but came up empty. I do have an account with FamilySearch, which also allows people to go to their Family History Centers to look up information. There’s one really close to me that I didn’t even know existed, so it will be nice to at least get that info. Too many family mysteries to solve, though! It’s maddening!
Thanks,
Dana 🙂
If yours is the Pasadena family, then Margaret Lowe was the informant. The mark that looks like an O next to her name appears to be the notation made by the enumerator. Look at the other entries on the page. So essentially it appears as if the mother stated the 16-year-old daughter was married and the enumerator was correctly following the instructions, since no spouse for her was present in the household. I’d imagine the mother would have known. I would not give up on it yet.
Newspapers generally are the best bet for teasing out things like this. If this the family you seek then I would check the California Digital Newspaper Collection, an excellent and free resource. I like and use Newspapers.com frequently, but I would recommend you investigate ahead of time to see if your time period of interest and geographic location are covered. Looks like your research is in California, and then in Iowa prior to that. From this one census entry you know the family was in Iowa in 1924, and in Pasadena by 1935.
If Betty Ann survived her parents, she is probably listed in their obituaries. I would definitely be looking for them. If you don’t have the parent’s death dates, then start with the California Death Index (online at Ancestry.com).
This answered so many questions for me and was exceptionally helpful