Historical research is filled with dead ends. When we have few records available for a person, we sometimes need to be creative in how we interpret those records. Case in point: In the census, we find a basic set of information about a person and their family. But we can wander beyond that person’s record to find other useful information. Here we can ask: What can we infer about a Veteran based on who lived next door?
Imagining a different time: Today, we live in a world where we can communicate easily (and nearly instantly) with people around the world. This wasn’t the case for most of human history. In the early and mid-twentieth century, location played a large role in determining who somebody might know.
According to the 1950 census, Veteran Roy Gardner Arnett lived at 682 17th St. in Des Moines, Iowa, shown in this Sanborn Fire Insurance Map, 1957. (Library of Congress)
A thought experiment: Imagine two children in the 1930 census, one living in New York City and the other in rural Kansas. We would find it highly unlikely (though not impossible) that they knew each other because of the large geographic distance between them. In contrast, we would expect that two similarly aged children on the same block would have probably known each other.
“Defense Map of America: More of America’s Military Camps and Bases Are Served by Greyhound Than by Any Other Transportation System.” Minneapolis, MN, 1942. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
Let’s start with the assumption that who you know shapes who you are. Looking at a WWII Veteran’s neighbors in the census can reveal different things about them at different stages of their life.
When researching a Veteran in the 1930 and 1940 censuses, you can begin to get a sense of the environment in which they grew up. You might ask about the diversity of the neighborhood:
For a Veteran in the 1940 census, you might do some quick research into neighbors of a similar age:
Veterans may have had few choices available to them as children but, returning from war, they would likely have had greater control of where they live. If they were no longer at the same address in 1950, you might ask:
Roy Gardner Arnett was a Purple Heart recipient who served in the Navy. In 1930, he was living in Kansas with his mother Alice and stepfather William H. Thomas. For the following questions, use these 1930 and 1950 censuses that include Arnett (rows 73 and 4, respectively).
Roy Gardner Arnett is listed on row 73. 1930 US Census Population Schedule for Sun City Township, Kansas. Enumeration District 4-22, Sheet 3B.
Roy Gardner Arnett is listed on row 4. 1950 US Census Population Schedule for Des Moines, Iowa. Enumeration District 102-132, Sheet 7.