Inferring Family Relationships

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Explicit vs. Implicit Knowledge

Genealogy (the study of family history) involves a great deal of logic and reasoning. When conducting this kind of research, it often helps to distinguish what a source directly tells you vs. what you might be able to guess or infer. 

Head of Household

What we know: The census only explicitly tells you how a person was related to the head of the household. It does not necessarily reveal how anybody else was related. You might be able to reasonably guess at those other relationships from the census alone. However, in many cases you would want additional evidence.

Robert L. Stone (right) next to his father, Jake Stone (left), during a medal ceremony where Robert was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, September 5, 1945. (Gilder Lehrman Institute, GLC09620.342.01)

Black and white photograph of a father and son in a military uniform at a medal ceremony
View of the entries for a husband and wife in the 1950 census.

Case Study

Scenario: A man and woman were married but at some later point, the wife died. The widowed husband remarries. A census is taken of the household, which includes his children, who are described as his children.
What we don’t know: The man’s second wife may or may not be the mother of all the children. Here, the census does not capture the exact way someone described as “wife” is related to someone described as “son” or “daughter.” What kinds of clues in the census might help you reach a good conclusion?

George Hutchinson Smith served in the Coast Guard and married Dolores Brown in 1948. They are buried at Great Lakes National Cemetery. Here they appear in the 1950 US Census Population Schedule for Grand Blanc, Michigan. Enumeration District 25-76, Sheet 4B.

Apply What You’ve Learned

We are researching a Veteran named James Vincent Murphy who served in the Army and is buried at Massachusetts National Cemetery. We have found him at age 5 years old in the 1930 census.

1930 Census page for James Murphy
NameRelationGenderAgePlace of BirthAge at First Marriage
Murphy, Patrick FHeadM60Northern Ireland49
—, Theresa MWifeF39Massachusetts28
—, PatrickSonM9Massachusetts 
—, JohnSonM8Massachusetts 
—, PaulSonM7Massachusetts 
—, JamesSonM5Massachusetts 
—, ThomasSonM3Massachusetts 
—, MaryDaughterF2Massachusetts 
—, CharlesSonM0Massachusetts 

Murphy household at 51 Hampstead Street in 1930 US Census Population Schedule for Boston, Massachusetts. Enumeration District 13-353,  Sheet 21B, Rows 91–99.