38 Days and Counting!

February is rapidly drawing to a close and March will surely raise the excitement level among U.S. family history enthusiasts anxiously awaiting the release of the 1940 census. Reading through historical news accounts reminds us that more than just a few of the questions asked on the 1940 Population Schedules were met with some controversy. Many voiced objection to questions pertaining to their personal income, while others failed to understand the need to ask questions of women regarding the number of times they were married, age at first marriage, and the number of children born. As genealogists, we're please to read such clues about our family that have been hidden from view for 72 years, but often it's easy to forget how much of an invasion of personal privacy it may have been by 1940 standards.