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1950 US Census incorrect Event Dates

EricPeterson91
EricPeterson91 ✭
November 13, 2022 edited July 27, 2024 in Search

In the 1950 United States Census, I have seen many cases where the indexing of the Event Date includes the day and month, such as "15 April 1950" (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QHJ-5QHW-RV5D?i=30&cc=4464515). In these cases the date is taken from the field "Date Sheet Started". This date can vary depending on the sheet number. This seems to be incorrect since the "Enumerator's Reference Manual for the 1950 Census of the United States" states the census date is 1 April 1950:

68. Census date.-The Census must count all persons living in the United States on April 1, 1950, and must count them where they usually live. All persons who were living on that date should be included and babies born after that date should be excluded.

It also seems inconsistent that the day and month are specified for the 1950 census Event Dates while the Event Dates for all other US censuses that I've seen only show the year.

The 1920 census date was January 1, 1920, and the indexes show the Event Date as "1920".

The 1930 census date was April 1, 1930, and the indexes show the Event Date as "1930".

The 1940 census date was April 1, 1940, and the indexes show the Event Date as "1940".

Are there instructions for people indexing the 1950 US Census? If so, perhaps it should state the Event Date should be indexed as "1950", which would be consistent with the other censuses.

Tagged:
  • Indexing
  • Correcting indexing errors
  • 1950 US census
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