Ancestral Findings

The 1950 U.S. Census is the most recent one released to the public, and it marks the end of an era and the beginning of another. Taken just five years after the end of World War II, it captures a nati...

22 Touko 20259min

The 1940 U.S. Census gives us a remarkably detailed portrait of America just before everything changed. In a few short years, the United States would enter World War II, and millions of lives would be...

21 Touko 20256min

I pulled this one from the box the other day—a postcard that's more than just a snapshot. It's a whole afternoon, frozen in place. I've looked at it a dozen times now, and I keep finding new things. T...

18 Touko 20255min

The 1930 U.S. Census captures America in an unsettled moment. The Roaring Twenties were winding down, but the Great Depression was just beginning to take hold. It's a census taken in the calm before t...

17 Touko 20257min

We've now arrived at the 1920 U.S. Census—the first one taken after the end of World War I. This moment in history holds a lot beneath the surface. If your ancestors were alive during this time, they ...

16 Touko 20257min

We've made it to the 1910 census, and I have to say, this one feels like a bit of a turning point. If you've been following along through each census with me, you've probably noticed how much the coun...

15 Touko 20257min

There's a certain charm to scrolling through digital records at midnight, coffee in hand, uncovering new ancestors with the click of a button. But once you've collected a few dozen census pages, proba...

14 Touko 20256min

Mother's Day. For most of us, it's a Sunday in May marked by greeting cards, flowers, long-distance phone calls, and maybe a brunch reservation you made weeks ago to avoid the rush. It's a sweet, sent...

10 Touko 20257min