Motivation Monday - Who's in the 1940 US Federal Census

    The 1940 census will be available for viewing in just over a month.  I have April 2 marked as a day free of any other activities so I can jump in and search for family in the census.  There will not be an index at the start.  FamilySearch.org is organizing many groups to begin indexing as soon as the census is available on Apr 2.  I am signed up and can't wait to do some indexing in Texas & California.

    So since there will not be an index on the 2nd, my first list of family to search for will be those who lived in small towns or counties where I can search page by page for them.  Here is a list of a few I will start:

1. My father, William J Hork, his mother Anne Hork, sisters, Lorene, Virginia, and June.  They were living in  Cucamunga, California, according to a 1940 city directory.
2. My grandfather, William C Hork.  He was living in Ontario, CA, according to a 1940 city directory.
3. Stephenville, Erath Co, Texas for Warren & Lela Lancaster, Thomas N Johnston & Zilpha Johnston, and possibly my mother and grandparents, Lela N Johnston, Tom J Johnston, and Pansy L Johnston.
4. My husband's father, George J Gorrell was in north Sacramento county.  His mother, Thelma Nilsen was in either Hilmar, Merced Co, CA with her grandmother, Matilda Lovisa Lundquist or with her father Arthur Nilsen in Modesto, Stanislaus Co, CA or Stockton, San Joaquin Co, CA.
5. My husband's grandparents, Joseph Norman & Matilda Gorrell were in Webb City, Jasper Co, MO.

    I think this is a good list to start.  Webb City, MO and Hilmar, CA will be easy places to search because their jursidictions are small.  I might find several in the Stephenville, TX census.  After speaking with my grandmother, Pansy, her family traveled quite a bit before and during World War II, and I might have to wait for an index before finding them.


Copyright © 2011 by Lisa Suzanne Gorrell, My Trails into the Past

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun -- Ancestral Name Roulette!

Randy Seaver of Genea-Musing has Saturday Night Genealogy Fun every week and this week he is asking us to focus on one of our ancestors.

• We start by picking the year our paternal grandfather was born.  My grandfather, William Cyril Hork was born 1899.  
• Now divide that date by 100 and round up.  So that would make 19.  
• I now find no. 19 in my pedigree.  That is Susanna Raduntz.  
• Now I tell three things I know about her.

1. Susanna Raduntz was born around 1832 in Posen, Prussia (which is in present day Poland).  This information is from the marriage record of her daughter, Julia Ann Sievert to Anton Hork at St. John's Catholic Church in Joliet, Ill.  (This record was a gold mine, listing the birth towns of both sets of parents).
2. She married Vincent Sievert on 10 Feb 1950 in Schneidemuhl, Posen, Prussia.  After first son was born, they came to the U.S. and settled in Joliet, Will Co, Illinois  They then had an additional 10 children born in the U.S.
3. She died 11 Mar 1911 and is buried in St. John's Cemetery in Joliet.

Here is the 1870 census of the family:

1870 US Federal Census, Will Co, Illinois, Joliet 2nd ward, p 211, Vincent Severt household

This has made me realize that I do not know much about Susanna.  Her obituary stated she was a pioneer of the city.  I guess to someone in 1911, a person arriving in Joliet in the 1850's would be a "pioneer."

Copyright © 2011 by Lisa Suzanne Gorrell, My Trails into the Past