General Discussion

Ms. Toad

(38,655 posts)

33. Privacy is the reason it's been kept sealed until now.

Sun Apr 3, 2022, 03:27 PM

Apr 2022

By law, they are released 72 years after the census. At that point, the benefit to the public is deemed more important than the privacy of people still alive, most of whom who were mostly not yet adults.

My parents were 18. They are both still alive, and just turned 90. I've done a bit of dabbling in geneology - folks in my father's generation have done more. These records are invaluable.

I've come accross "roommates" who were the same gender - so this also offers some important clues to confirm famly rumors about "spinster aunts" for example.

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The 1950 Census Data Is Up and Searchable - How-To Information [View all] MineralMan Apr 2022 OP

Thanks. I've been looking forward to this info. Previously, I found census data from Hoyt Apr 2022 #1

That was the year I was born. msfiddlestix Apr 2022 #2

Very cool kimbutgar Apr 2022 #3

Excellent! MineralMan Apr 2022 #14

Directions from a computer browser (I use Firefox) LiberalFighter Apr 2022 #4

Yeah. I mentioned another link on that landing page, too. MineralMan Apr 2022 #13

Thanks, MineralMan! Glorfindel Apr 2022 #5

My pleasure. MineralMan Apr 2022 #12

I found my mother and her parent's household but not my father's. LiberalFighter Apr 2022 #6

My first appearance. 😆 jaysunb Apr 2022 #7

Yay. And there you are, duly counted. MineralMan Apr 2022 #10

Hoping to see myself show up next time nitpicker Apr 2022 #16

Some of the data will be unsearchable nitpicker Apr 2022 #8

Yes. Automated reading of handwriting is sort of spotty. MineralMan Apr 2022 #9

And the searching mangled my father's name too nitpicker Apr 2022 #11

And he even knew what year he was born! nitpicker Apr 2022 #15

Thanks, MineralMan! Mariana Apr 2022 #17

Cool. We can't find my wife's parents. MineralMan Apr 2022 #18

I've seen a lot of mangled names in previous censuses. Mariana Apr 2022 #22

Sure. That's why immigrants ended up with different spellings MineralMan Apr 2022 #24

Thanks. Hope other search engines will use better software leftstreet Apr 2022 #19

The biggest problem is in machine reading of handwriting. MineralMan Apr 2022 #21

Thank you! SilverDawg Apr 2022 #20

Good for you for making error corrections. MineralMan Apr 2022 #23

Some of this seems an invasion of privacy, not a large one after 72 years, still... hunter Apr 2022 #25

I suppose so, although I don't feel like my privacy has been invaded. MineralMan Apr 2022 #27

Privacy is the reason it's been kept sealed until now. Ms. Toad Apr 2022 #33

It is remarkable how "spinster aunts" and "bachelor uncles" managed to get on with their lives... hunter Apr 2022 #49

You can help make the data more searchable by adding transcriptions Ms. Toad Apr 2022 #26

Thanks. My goal was just to help get people started, really. MineralMan Apr 2022 #28

I just figured a response to you would get more attention to a nested response. Ms. Toad Apr 2022 #32

I'm sure you will. Maybe with a different spelling of his name. MineralMan Apr 2022 #34

This message was self-deleted by its author MineralMan Apr 2022 #35

DAMN! I was mis-gendered already in 1950! dumbcat Apr 2022 #29

Oopsie! MineralMan Apr 2022 #31

'very interesting, thanks for the instructions msfiddlestix Apr 2022 #30

My daughter has been doing genealogy for about 27 years. llmart Apr 2022 #36

Those ages could be from the date the census was taken. MineralMan Apr 2022 #37

The record I saw had all my siblings correct (there were seven of us). llmart Apr 2022 #38

Ah, that explains it. MineralMan Apr 2022 #39

My parents claim life was a blur whenever me and my siblings recall things from our childhoods... hunter Apr 2022 #43

That is so true. llmart Apr 2022 #47

Hypothetical: you want to look up a "Joseph R. Biden" in Scranton brooklynite Apr 2022 #40

+100! MineralMan Apr 2022 #46

Thanks! I just spent about 4-1/2 hours going through all that stuff FakeNoose Apr 2022 #41

LOL! MineralMan Apr 2022 #45

I can't read it...it is faded cursive... Demsrule86 Apr 2022 #42

The ones I looked were OK when enlarged. MineralMan Apr 2022 #44

I had no trouble reading it. llmart Apr 2022 #48

There were a few that were challenging. Ms. Toad Apr 2022 #50

Not finding my parents... myccrider Apr 2022 #51