As you might know, the 1940 US Census was released this week. There was a lot of excitement, so much that the website of the National Archives crashed the first day and had to get more servers to handle the traffic.
My uncle has been doing some of leg work and showing me the files, and I have to say, it is pretty interesting. To me, the occupation information is the most interesting.
For example, the census tells us that in 1940 my great grandfather William Cheney (age 61) was working as a post office clerk at the local post office. His wife, Leila (53), was not working. My grandfather - Bruce Cheney - was working in the stock room at a hosiery mill. He was 22 at the time, had graduated high school but did not go on to college.
His future wife, Elizabeth Paulus (20), was already working at the arsenal as an inspector (they married in 1943 after having met at the arsenal). Elizabeth's brother Alvin (24) was also working at the arsenal as "labor" in the storage department. Her other brother Frederick (27) was not at the arsenal but a meter reader for the gas company (both brothers would serve in World War II). Her sister Edna (29) was a cashier at a loan company and Edna's husband Russel (31) was an ammunition inspector at the arsenal.
Frederick Paulus - father of Elizabeth, et al - had passed away six years prior (at the age of 47 - a post about his early death is coming soon). Margaret (52), their mother, was working at a silk hosiery mill as a "finisher". All of the children except Edna were living at home with Margaret.
Anyway, that's the interesting stuff so far. I'll keep you posted.
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