Thursday, July 5, 2012

Treasure Chest Thursday - 1920 U.S. Census Record for Frederick W. Seaver Family

It's Treasure Chest Thursday - time to look in my digital image files to see what treasures I can find for my family history and genealogy musings.

The treasure today is the 1920 United States Census record for my grandparents and their family in Leominster, Massachusetts:





A closeup of the Seaver family entry:




The extracted information for the family, residing at 290 Central Street, is:

*  Frederick W. Seaver -- head, rents home, male, white, age 42, married, can read and write, born Massachusetts, father and mother born Massachusetts, can speak English, superintendent in a comb shop, a salaried employee
*  Bessie R. Seaver -- wife, female, white, age 38, married, can read and write, born Connecticut, father born England, mother born Connecticut, can speak English, no occupation
*  Marion F. Seaver -- daughter, female, white, age 18, single, attended school since Sept. 1919, can read and write, born Massachusetts, father born Massachusetts, mother born Connecticut, can speak English, no occupation

*  Evelyn Seaver -- daughter, female, white, age 16, single, attended school since Sept. 1919, can read and write, born Massachusetts, father born Massachusetts, mother born Connecticut, can speak English, no occupation
*  Ruth W. Seaver -- daughter, female, white, age 12, single, attended school since Sept. 1919, can read and write, born Massachusetts, father born Massachusetts, mother born Connecticut, can speak English, no occupation
*  Frederick W. Seaver, Jr. -- son, male, white, age 8, single, attended school since Sept. 1919, can not read and write, born Massachusetts, father born Massachusetts, mother born Connecticut, can speak English, no occupation
*  Edward R. Seaver -- son, male, white, age 6, single, attended school since Sept. 1919, can not read and write, born Massachusetts, father born Massachusetts, mother born Connecticut, can speak English, no occupation  
*  Geraldine Seaver -- daughter, female, white, age 2, single, did not attend public school, cannot read and write, born Massachusetts, father born Massachusetts, mother born Connecticut, cannot speak English


The source citation for the census image is:

1920 United States Federal Census, Worcester County, Massachusetts, population schedule, Leominster, Enumeration District 102, sheet 14A, dwelling #175, family #288, Frederick W. Seaver household; online image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com); citing National Archives Microfilm Publication T625, Roll 747.

I consider the 1920 U.S. Census records to be an "Original Source" (because this "family snapshot" in January 1920 is in its first written form); as "Secondary Information" (since we don't know who provided the information - although it was probably Bessie Seaver), and as "Indirect Evidence" for most of the information (the exception being the home address, the names of the children, the birthplaces, and Fred's occupation which were certainly known by the informant).  

The only error I see in this record is the age of Frederick W. Seaver, who was born in October 1876, and was age 43 (not 42) on 1 January 1920.  Fred's wife, Alma Bessie (Richmond) Seaver usually was known as Bessie rather than as Alma.  

This census record is the only "complete" list of this family (except for the son, Stanley, who died in 1910) with everyone's name spelled and indexed correctly.  

The surprise I have is that my father, Frederick Jr., cannot yet read or write at age 8.  

I knew that the family rented (actually it was provided by the company rent-free, according to my uncle and aunt) at 290 Central Street in Leominster.  Fred Seaver was the superintendent of the comb factory (combs made of celluloid) adjacent to this house.  


Copyright (c) 2012, Randall J. Seaver

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