The 1930 U.S. census abstracts appear two ways on this website:

1. transcription in the order each person appears on the census sheets
2. alphabetically

Search our census any of four ways:

1. visually scan the alphabetically arranged pages (links below)
2. use the search box on our homepage for boolean searches
3. visually scan the transcribed page by enumeration district, town, or township, or for the very difficult to locate
4. search for known neighbors, then read the households nearby for your elusive ancestor.

Why alphabetical?

It takes up so much web space!

Answer:

The overwhelming majority of people who use the search box on our homepage try no alternate spellings of a surname. Since the purpose of this website is to help researchers find their ancestors, it was thought an alphabetical arrangement would be a welcome addition.

Why am I still unable to find my family?

Several explanations come to mind:

• Census takers, our volunteer abstractors, and compilers, all make mistakes in interpretation, typing, and database manipulation. The original census pages may contain poor handwriting, smudged entries, and even omissions. While volunteers have taken pains to present an accurate transcription, we recognize errors will occur. For errors on our part, we beg your patience and understanding.

• The initial letter (first letter) of the surname is incorrect. Try a different beginning letter. Interchangeable letters that either sound similar or look alike include B and P; Sh and Sch; I, J, and F; C and K; D and G; D and O; F and Ph; T and F; U, V and W; H and K; L and S; O and Q; R and P.

• Lower case letters may be indistinguishable from others, or some letters were left out altogether: e and c; i for ei, y for i; ei and ie; eu for e; au for a; combinations of m, n, u, i, e; p and f; f and old style h; k and l; p and q; n and r; n and u; s and o; r and s; t and l; u, v, w; and y, z, and j.

• A letter has been doubled (or undoubled). Timmerman will appear quite some distance from Timerman in any index. Scan the index far and wide for misspelled versions of the name.

1930 U.S. Census, St. Clair County, Illinois.

See above for links to the arrangement by district, town or township.

First letter undecipherable or no surname is listed under "A" below.

If the first letter is readable but the second is not, the surname will appear at the beginning of that alphabet letter.

Transcription Rules we followed; Enumerator's Instructions followed for this census and those from 1850-1990 .

Visit the National Archives Census Information Pages.

Permission granted to LINK to this page.
You may not copy to your webpage, reformat, or publish/distribute in any form.

This page posted 03 Nov 2003, modified 21 Jan 2006.

For corrections or additions, please contact: State Coordinator