Hi Maisie The thing to remember with all census, is that they were not compiled for *us* but for the government of the day And that many people either distrusted the people asking the questions or simply didn't understand what was being asked of them Some gave bare faced lies, some bent them a little and some said yes when they should have said no Unless the enumerator knew otherwise the information offered (verbally in the US and on paper in the UK) was taken as given, no checks were made to ensure the veracity of the statements If Fred said he was a divorced brain surgeon and had 15 kids, thats what was entered on the enumerators returns In short, don't believe all you read in the census pages Nivard Ovington in Cornwall (UK) On 13/10/2013 19:00, Maisie Egger wrote: > Thanks, Nivard, > > The sample censuses did not match the ones I have for 1930 and 1940, but > with much squinting and with the help of a magnifying glass I managed to > make out most of the headings. > > Being a Nosey Parker I was interested in the column headed Ages of First > Marriage, but there was not a column to indicate subsequent marriages! > > One column I could not quite understand in the 1940 census was "Attended > school or college and time since March 1937 (Yes or No)".

Nivard, A tiny bit more on census enumerations: Forty or so years ago when we lived north of where we now live in California, the census enumerator INSISTED I had to tell her what my husband's income was as it was the LAW. I had balked at divulging this information as I thought it was even more an invasion of privacy. I have never seen anyone's income listed on a census before, but maybe such is "required" in more recent censuses. I should go on Google to have a look at the census forms for California for the last few decades. I wish I could get a copy of this California census for around 1970 to see if incomes were recorded. The last time there was a census here we filled in a form and mailed it. There was no visit by a human enumerator, in other words. With the immigration laws now on the hopper for review and change, one wonders what the next census forms will include. Maisie -----Original Message----- From: Nivard Ovington Sent: Sunday, October 13, 2013 11:34 AM To: Maisie Egger Cc: [email protected] Subject: Re: 1940 L.I., N.Y. census Education heading Hi Maisie The thing to remember with all census, is that they were not compiled for *us* but for the government of the day And that many people either distrusted the people asking the questions or simply didn't understand what was being asked of them Some gave bare faced lies, some bent them a little and some said yes when they should have said no Unless the enumerator knew otherwise the information offered (verbally in the US and on paper in the UK) was taken as given, no checks were made to ensure the veracity of the statements If Fred said he was a divorced brain surgeon and had 15 kids, thats what was entered on the enumerators returns In short, don't believe all you read in the census pages Nivard Ovington in Cornwall (UK) On 13/10/2013 19:00, Maisie Egger wrote: > Thanks, Nivard, > > The sample censuses did not match the ones I have for 1930 and 1940, but > with much squinting and with the help of a magnifying glass I managed to > make out most of the headings. > > Being a Nosey Parker I was interested in the column headed Ages of First > Marriage, but there was not a column to indicate subsequent marriages! > > One column I could not quite understand in the 1940 census was "Attended > school or college and time since March 1937 (Yes or No)".