Even though I've had a long absence from writing, in no way have I stopped genealogy research. And in a few weeks it will really kick into high gear when the 1940 census is finally released! I have been waiting years for this! It will finally answer some questions about an unknown branch of the family that people are hesitant to talk about (I'm thinking about unwed mothers and such). And it made me think about what I'm leaving my descendants. In 72 years, when the 2010 census will be released, what will they find about me? By then, there will be the 1990, 2000, and 2010 census to use to find information about me. What will they find? I don't remember the 1990 census, and though I do remember the 2000 census, I was in college and I don't really know if my parents answered the questions and sent them back. Knowing their track record of mailing things, I highly doubt that it was completed. I finally got to complete my own census in 2010, but I did not answer every question on there. In many ways, I feel some of the questions in the census are a little too personal, especially given the high rate of identity theft today. I did not put my exact date of birth for that question, only the year I was born. And I wrote "listed in the phone book" where they asked for the phone number - I don't really want an increase in telemarketing calls (I know they don't sell your information, but you never know if an unscrupulous worker will sell that information). On one hand I hope that what I answered will help my descendants know more about me, but I do hope to leave more of a paper trail for them instead of only a census trail. I find it annoying that other ancestors seem to be found only every ten years that a census was done. And though the census contains so much information, it's the smaller details of their lives that I enjoy, such as a telephone book entry from 1870's Chicago, the mention as a lay founder of a church, or the fun social calendars from the 1940's mentioning that someone will be away visiting family for Christmas.
But let the 1940 census countdown begin! 7 days to go!!!
