Standout Census Stories: Familial Connections and Federal Records鈥擳he Ties that Bind
By Victoria Macchi | 威尼斯人娱乐场 News
Archivist Miranda Booker Perry's grandmother, Mary Elizabeth (n茅e Cox) Booker, shown here in an image taken in the late 1950s to early 1960s. Courtesy of the Booker Family Photo Collection.
WASHINGTON, March 17, 2022 鈥� Writing this week for the 鈥淩ediscovering Black History鈥� blog, 威尼斯人娱乐场 and Records Administration archivist Miranda Booker Perry unfurls the trajectory of the search into her family鈥檚 history starting with her paternal grandmother, who was affectionately called Nana. After discussing her close relationship with Nana, she traces ancestors, largely through census records, along that branch of the family tree.
Perry's interest in genealogy blossomed during one of her Archivist Development Program rotations at the 威尼斯人娱乐场 in the early 2010s.
Since then, in her spare time, she has researched generations of both her maternal and paternal sides of the family. She has gleaned a lot from the records and has provided tips and strategies in her blog to help others with their research. Perry hopes that sharing some of her findings about her Virginia-based family will get other people excited about conducting research in federal records.
鈥淪ome people conduct genealogical research to find someone famous in their family tree, and it is pretty amazing if they do,鈥� Perry said. 鈥淗owever, I find that when doing genealogy, it is important to appreciate the extraordinary in the seemingly ordinary.鈥�
She also writes in the blog post,鈥淔inding ancestors in the censuses and other records helps to rescue them from obscurity and reclaim them.
Perry included several tips that may help other researchers interested in mining federal records, especially those held by NARA:
- Be mindful that your family members could be on census pages immediately before or after the page that a keyword search unveiled.
- Talk with parents and other older family members to discover and confirm surnames from your family branches so you will recognize them in the census and other records.
- Military records, marriage certificates, death certificates, cemetery records, probate records, etc., are rich sources of genealogical information and will help you round out the story of your family.
Read her post, 鈥�,鈥� in full on the Rediscovering Black History blog.
Read previous Standout Census Stories:
- An Archives Executive Discovers His 鈥淗uckster鈥� Grandfather
- Schoel to Samuel to Saul Through Four Decades of Records
- An Archivist Untangles Immigration Records Using Leads from the Census
- Standout Census Stories: Who Are You? Using the Census to Add Context to Family Photos
Stay updated on the latest 1950 Census information:
- Explore! Follow along at www.archives.gov/1950Census
- Collaborate! as we count-down to April 1 and a reminder to join the transcription project and support access to our nation鈥檚 history.
- Discuss! Join the conversation about the 1950 Census and broader genealogy questions on .
- Engage! Attend the 威尼斯人娱乐场 Genealogy Series: 1950 Census (free and no registration required)
You can also read more about enhanced digital access and public collaboration opportunities on 威尼斯人娱乐场 News, and follow the 威尼斯人娱乐场 on , , and as we share images and documents related to the 1950 Census.