A Geek's Adventures

usnatarchives:

Forty days to go until we release the 1940 Census! Watch this space for more images and information on the 1940 Census every day until April 2!

We’re kicking off our “40 Days to the ‘40 Census” with this image of an enumerator taking information from a family living in a boxcar.

The 1940 Census covers the decade of the 1930s, when the United States was in the grip of the Great Depression. The instructions on the form reflect the concerns of the time.

The enumerator (census taker) recorded whether the person worked for the Federal work programs like the CCC, WPA, or NYA the week of March 24–30, 1940, as well as the income for the 12 months ending December 31, 1939.

The original caption for this image reads: “Enumeration, No Kind of Habitation was Missed, Included among the Places are Railroad Section Hands, 1940 - 1941” (ARC 6200776).

We are releasing the 1940 Census at 9 a.m. on April 2! You will be able to search it for free on our new website. Let the 40 day countdown begin!

Fascinating. Also, living in a boxcar? How awful I mean, I know it was the Great Depression, and a boxcar certainly beat a tent, but still.