Actually it does indeed matter. The census is not intended to be a tool for genealogy. The long form is intensely invasive (income, mortgage or rent amounts, etc., are not going to help decide how many schools to build), and in case you are unaware it is not always in the best interests for one to list a specific race. Ever wonder how the government got the names of many of the Natives and mixed families that were removed (yes, mixed families were removed too) and lets not forget the Japanese-Americans that were interred during WW2. God bless our country, but save us from the politicians, personal info is often used unwisely. thank goodness my ancestors ran for the hills when the census guy came around, I might not be here right now. If it means that I will never break through gggrandfathers brick wall, or ggrandmothers silence, so be it---they had their reasons. by all means, do fill out the census, it is valuable in governmental planning, but be careful what you write. The information is not made public for 75 years, and the information gathered is protected by law, but sometimes laws are changed (does...as long as grass is green, and the sky is blue ... ring a bell?). PS--stupit is as stupid does! You might want to spell check before you send, it greatly reduces your creditability as a writer to have that kind of error.