* US Census 1940

[ringwoodturner]

When using AS7 to input details from the 1940 US Census, the AS Template shows a lot of columns that do not appear in the census form - or at least, in the version of the census form that is shown by Ancestry. Using AS7 'auto text' the result is that in the 'text from source' tab of the source/citation in FH7 I have a lot of columns that are empty apart from the header. I can edit those colums in FH7 by laboriously deleting each header and then minimising the column width, but is there any straightforward way, either in AS7 before saving, or in FH7 after saving, to delete those columns altogether?

Geoff

[NickWalker]

Hi Geoff

If you go into the Census Template Editor (Tools->Census Templates) then you could select the 1940 census using the boxes at the top and then delete any columns you don't want.

Cheers

Nick

[tatewise]

This was also posted in the FH Email list where I suggested Geoff creates another Census Template for Ancestry forms.
Copying the existing Census Templates to the Ancestry variant and deleting the columns there allows the default templates to be retained for when the full version of the forms is needed.

[NickWalker]

Yes though its only a couple of clicks to reimport the built-in 1940 template

[ringwoodturner]

Thanks Nick,
Your solution looks easy enough even for me to use. It does give rise to a further question: if those other columns, including the ones about birthplace of parents, don't show on the Ancestry image, do they exist on the original paper copy, and if so, is there anywhere that they can be viewed online?

Geoff

[tatewise]

On FindMyPast the USA 1940 Census images have 34 numbered columns at the top and then continues up to 50 and X Y Z at the bottom of the page which includes place of birth of parents.
That 1940 Census is accessible with a free account.
The transcription only shows about 20 columns of data.

Have you checked the Ancestry Census images?

So that confirms that you probably need two Census Templates; One of 34 columns for most people; and one like the current default template for the full set of columns.

[AdrianBruce]

... It does give rise to a further question: if those other columns, including the ones about birthplace of parents, don't show on the Ancestry image, do they exist on the original paper copy, ...

The Ancestry image is an image of the original (enumerator's) paper copy. As for the birthplace of the parents - be wary of this. What happened was that the "Feds" decided that a sampling was sufficient for parental birthplaces and (on the example that I'm looking at) lines 55 & 68 (out of 80 on a sheet) were designated to answer supplementary questions down at the bottom of the sheet, which include the parents' birthplaces, mother tongue, usual occupation and more. (55 & 68 are pre-printed so I suspect that these are fixed across the whole census).

There is therefore, a 1 in 40 chance that you will need the parental birthplaces.

[BillH]

Geoff,

The forms used for all years as well as the instructions are posted on the US Census Bureau site.

https://www.census.gov/history/www/thro ... ionnaires/

https://www.census.gov/history/www/thro ... tructions/

Can you point us to an image on Ancestry that does not match the form on the website?

Bill

[ringwoodturner]

I am deeply embarrassed, and it's my own fault. I have never - until now - bothered to look at the supplemental questions section at the bottom of the census page. I just got to the right-hand column, and left it at that. I don't think any of the people I've investigated actually appeared in that section, but I'll have to go back and check. Thanks, everyone, for putting me straight.
Geoff