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Archiver > NYBROOKLYN > 2004-11 > 1099870085


From: "Mary D. Taffet" <>
Subject: Re: [Bklyn] Re: Information please
Date: Sun, 7 Nov 2004 18:28:05 -0500 (EST)
References: <BDB3D5A5.14BA2%mdicoio@nyc.rr.com> <a06110400bdb459fdc2e8@[192.168.1.2]>
In-Reply-To: <a06110400bdb459fdc2e8@[192.168.1.2]>


Ward,

I filled out the long form in 1980. Boy was it LONG!!!! I was in college
at the time, so both myself and my roommate had to fill out stuff on the
same form (different places for each respondent fortunately). I know that
I had to fill out information regarding my parents and each of my siblings
that year, even though they weren't living in the same place as me (that
part should be helpful for future generations, at least for the folks who
had to fill out the long form).

That census form in 1980 was the first census form I had ever seen (wasn't
into genealogy until 16 years later), and silly me, I thought they were
ALL like that. Since then the census forms that I have filled out have
seemed puny by comparison.

-- Mary Taffet


On Sun, 7 Nov 2004, W Dennis wrote:

> I think 1940 was the first year the questionnaire was split between a
> short form and a long form. AFAIK, everyone fills out the short
> form. A sampling of respondents also fills out a long form. This
> link (http://www.census.gov/prod/2000pubs/cff-2.pdf ) leads to a pdf
> file with all the questions from all the censuses (see page 3). The
> questions they list are (for 1940 on) from the short form only
> (1940's short form wasn't so short (20 questions - very similar to
> 1930, actually) compared to 2000's (8 questions). The short form
> starts to really get short in 1960 (to be released in 2032) - so
> that's really when the census will be of less use to genealogists.
> One of the most useful pieces of information - relationship to head
> of household - is included on all of the censuses.
>
> I filled out the long form in 1990 or 2000, and remember it including
> questions like length and means of commute to work, among others. It
> was a few pages long.
>
> Also, I think in 2000 the Census Bureau started using sampling to
> impute the number of missed people (those who didn't fill out any
> form). That's a completely different kind of sampling from the short
> form/long form kind, and further discussion could run afoul of the
> no-politics restriction on this list!
>
> Ward
>
> At 1:37 PM -0500 11/7/04, Maria Di Coio wrote:
> >on 11/8/2004 12:16 AM, gordon j fitton at wrote:
> >
> >> Does any one know any thing about the 1940 census
> >> like when is it due for release...etc.....
> >
> >Gordon,
> >
> >Census records are made public after 72 years. So as it stands now don't
> >expect to see the 1940 census until 2012. Also, the 1940 census was the
> >first census where the population was sampled, that is only a small
> >percentage of households were asked to provide answers to the full set of
> >census questions. I am not so sure that the 1940 & later censuses will be
> >as helpful to genealogists as were the earlier ones.
> >
> >Regards,
> >--
> >Maria
> >
> >
> >
> >==== NYBROOKLYN Mailing List ====
> >The Brooklyn Genealogical Information Pages
> >http://www.bklyn-genealogy-info.com/
>
>
> --
> Ward Dennis
> Brooklyn, USA
>
>
> ==== NYBROOKLYN Mailing List ====
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