the 1940 census

today, fencers are taking down the tall poles on which people hung their clothes to dry.  i looked up our place in the 1940 census.

72 years ago, frank barranti (36) lived at 549 anderson with his wife nina (33) and 2 children, june (12) & frank (7).  they rented the house for $27.50 per month. frank was a clerk in the fruit & produce industry, making $1,716 / yr (among the highest reported pay on that page).  frank completed 8th grade while his wife completed "H4" (?).  like many residents of the neighborhood, frank was born in italy.

frank & nina grew up during world war i, and they spent their twenties living through the great depression. by the date the census was taken (april 1940), war would have just broken out in europe but the us wouldn't become directly involved until 1941.  at 36 years old, frank would have escaped the 1940 peace-time draft but would have had to register for the draft in 1941, post- pearl harbor.

it blows my mind.

p.s. i would like to add that the national archives & records administration rocks.  the interface for the 1940 census is pretty great, especially compared to the digitized version of the 1930 census (by another library, not nara).