Wednesday, September 27, 2017

Reading the Census when Indexes Fail to Locate the Individual

Monday night my persistence paid off.

As I reviewed information on Judd Emerson Leys, my second cousin once removed, I noticed a gap in my records for him. I lacked his 1940 census entry.

I knew he should be residing at 236 West Wood Street in West Lafayette, Indiana, where he was enrolled as a student at Purdue University. He resided there according to city directories from 1939 and 1943 already located. I also knew he continued to live at that address after graduating from Purdue and taking a job with the university as a store keeper.2

I searched in the 1940 census for him in Tippecanoe County. I tried the search by Leys only, by Emerson only, and by Judd only. All searches failed. I located the correct enumeration district for his address using the descriptions found at the National Archives' 1940 census web site.3 I found the pages for the enumeration district were slow to load at the 1940 census site, so I went back to Ancestry to locate the enumeration district and begin a page by page search for his street address. At the bottom of the 30th image (of 40) for the district, I found him. The enumerator used his middle name as his surname and his surname as his first name. He recorded an incorrect middle initial. My cousin was hiding as "Leys L. Emerson."4

Ancestry offered no record suggestions for this census, either on my tree or on records already located for him. Apparently I was the first Ancestry user to persevere and track him down with information I knew. I'll try to locate additional city directory information to fill additional gaps in my research of Judd until his death of "cardiac insufficiency" due to "muscular dystrophy" on 6 August 1957.5 Judd was buried in the Olio Township Cemetery in Eureka, Woodford County, Illinois.6


1 For 1939, see: Polk's Lafayette (Tippecanoe County, Ind.) City Directory 1939 Including West Lafayette and Tippecanoe County (Indianapolis, Ind.: R. L. Polk, 1939), p. 216, entry for J. Emerson Leys; digital image, "U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989," database, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/2469/10875429?pid=559176424 : accessed 25 Sep 2017; requires subscription). For 1943, see: Polk's Lafayette (Tippecanoe County, Ind.) City Directory 1943 Including West Lafayette (Indianapolis, Ind.: R. L. Polk, 1943), p. 309, entry for J. Emerson Leys; digital image, "U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989," database, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/2469/10882246?pid=559931621 : accessed 25 Sep 2017).
2 Polk's Lafayette (Tippecanoe County, Ind.) City Directory 1943 Including West Lafayette (Indianapolis, Ind.: R. L. Polk, 1943), p. 309, entry for J. Emerson Leys; digital image, "U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989," database, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/2469/10838027?pid=555046495 : accessed 25 Sep 2017; requires subscription).
3 National Archives, 1940 Census (https://1940census.archives.gov/search/#searchby=location&searchmode=browse&year=1940 : accessed 25 Sep 2017). Search criteria included Indiana as state, Tippecanoe as county, and West Lafayette as city. Click on "descriptions." See description for ED 79-35 which covered Ward 1 of the city.
4 1940 U.S. Federal Census, Tippecanoe County, Indiana, population schedule, West Lafayette, Ward 1, SD 2, ED 79-35, p. 166B (stamped), 236 West Wood, visit 416, line 77, Leys L. Emerson; digital image, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/2442/M-T0627-01099-00350?pid=53171610 : accessed 26 Sep 2017; requires subscription); citing National Archives microfilm publication T627, roll 1099.
5 "Tippecanoe County, Indiana, Death Certificate no. 57-487 (state no. 57-027547), Judd Emerson Leys; digital image, "Indiana, Death Certificates, 1899-2011, database, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/60716/44494_351194-00743?pid=4754564 : accessed 25 Sep 2017; subscription required)."
6 Find A Grave (https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=73315305 : accessed 25 Sep 2017), memorial for Jud Emerson Leys (1913-1957), memorial no. 73315305; citing Olio Township Cemetery, Eureka, Woodford County, Illinois.(

No comments: