Technique III: Comparing Other Words on the Page

Challenging Words

Practicing the skills in the previous lessons in this unit should help you read most words in the census. Sometimes, however, you will run into a particularly challenging word or one where there is no great context. A person’s name, for example, might have distinctive or unexpected spellings. Moreover, while census takers may have followed a common style, they may have had their unique quirks.

Finding Similar Shapes on the Page

In this situation, it often helps to scan the page for other examples of the letters you cannot identify. What is the shape of each letter? Do you see that shape anywhere else on the page? Are you able to guess what that other word might be?

Apply What You’ve Learned

We have previously looked at Millie. We still have not revealed her last name. In these questions, we will step through the process of trying to read her last name. Below we have annotated the 1950 Census page where Millie and her husband Warren appear. Please review the highlighted cells. Which one starts with a letter with a similar shape as the first letter of Millie and Warren’s last name?