Are there any surprises for Gustavus behind the mania of the newly released 1940 census?

The Fact of the Matter Is. . .

From the Files of Gustavus Historical Archives & Antiquities (GHAA)

www.GustavusHistory.org - by Lee & Linda Parker

Q. Are there any surprises for Gustavus behind the mania of the newly released 1940 census?

A. Ah, the long awaited curtain has indeed been pulled back with great fanfare and for good reason! The 1940 census was taken on the cusp of unparalleled times for our nation—in the immediate aftermath of the Great Depression, and shortly before World War II. The newly revealed data, available on the National Archives web site, includes names, ages, race, family relationships, education, birthplace, 1939 residence, employment and income—all of which provides a virtual treasure trove of information for historians and family members alike. Need proof of the craze sweeping the country? Less than 10 days after the 72 year privacy rule ran out on April 2, 2012, over 134 million document images (representing only part of the online activity) had been downloaded—2 million more images than the number of Americans alive when the census was taken! On a side note, and commemorating the mortality of time, only about 1 in 15 of the heads counted in 1940 (or 21 million) are still alive today to confirm or disagree with the historical information recorded.

So, here where we live today…72 years ago…what was going on? Who lived here, what were they doing, and did we learn anything? And who was our census taker responsible for the answers to these questions?

According to the just released statistics from the “1940 Strawberry Point/Gustavus Dock Census” (with percentages figured by GHAA)… There were 25 residents living in Gustavus—11 Parkers (including Uncle Pearl), 7 Chases, 3 Petersons, 2 Johnsons, Jake Hall and Sam Buoy.  Their ages ranged from 6 to 73 with an average of 37 years.  The highest educational grade level among adults averaged just under 8th grade. Our pioneers had worked for some sort of employment an average of only 50 days of that past year—with just 7 of the 21 adults working for profit at the time of the census. The medium annual family income was $275.00—with the highest recorded of  $500.00 ($4,560 and $8,266 respectfully in adjusted 2012 dollars). And what were their main occupations? Well, for those who had something to say about it, there were officially 5 prospectors, 6 ranchers, 5 fishermen, and 1 mechanic. That one mechanic—a Chase, just like today. Males outnumbered the ladies over two to one. And running around the flats were 4 young people under the age of 18—1 Peterson (16), 2 Parker’s (14 & 9), and 1Chase (6). Only 6 of Strawberry Point’s residents were born in Alaska. The rest of the group landed here from such diverse places as Nebraska, Oregon, California, Ohio, Iowa, Indiana, Wisconsin, Norway and Canada.

Our census taker was Mary Joyce—a virtual Alaskan celebrity. And what a headstrong, one-of-a-kind character she was! Coming to Alaska as a nurse aboard a yacht in 1930, she was a pilot, stewardess, well-known 1000-mile (Taku to Fairbanks 1936) dog team musher, homesteader, a movie actress, and a territorial government candidate. She was known for her wit and stylish outfits—very vogue, but covered in husky dog hair from hat to toe. One can only imagine the swapping of tales that took place when she visited our early homesteaders. Perhaps it was difficult to stay on the task of completing a very perfunctory and boring census! Mary Joyce died in Juneau in 1976. The State of Alaska Library houses a very large “Mary Joyce Collection” complete with her clippings, notes, and personal writings.

So there you have it, but with one word of caution. GHAA has copies of all of the local censuses available since the establishment of our settlers in 1914. At times it is obvious that the census taker may have filled in a blank with whatever came to mind, or the homesteader provided wrong information in somewhat less than a cooperative mood. In other words, known and proven details (like place of birth) were not always recorded accurately—and changed from census to census. Researchers for family ancestral roots would do well to keep that in mind. And just when you thought a document (and a government document at that!) could most certainly be trusted.

Census reports—interesting stuff? Absolutely. But the last word? Not always. For some of you, you have only to think of a few of the answers you yourselves gave a couple of years ago when census time rolled around. And with that I’ll end like Mary Joyce in her own handwriting wrote…after all was said and done…”Here ends the enumeration of Gustavus Dock on Icy Straits”.

Are there any surprises for Gustavus behind the mania of the newly released 1940 census?

The Fact of the Matter Is. . .

From the Files of Gustavus Historical Archives & Antiquities (GHAA)

www.GustavusHistory.org - by Lee & Linda Parker

Q. Are there any surprises for Gustavus behind the mania of the newly released 1940 census?

A. Ah, the long awaited curtain has indeed been pulled back with great fanfare and for good reason! The 1940 census was taken on the cusp of unparalleled times for our nation—in the immediate aftermath of the Great Depression, and shortly before World War II. The newly revealed data, available on the National Archives web site, includes names, ages, race, family relationships, education, birthplace, 1939 residence, employment and income—all of which provides a virtual treasure trove of information for historians and family members alike. Need proof of the craze sweeping the country? Less than 10 days after the 72 year privacy rule ran out on April 2, 2012, over 134 million document images (representing only part of the online activity) had been downloaded—2 million more images than the number of Americans alive when the census was taken! On a side note, and commemorating the mortality of time, only about 1 in 15 of the heads counted in 1940 (or 21 million) are still alive today to confirm or disagree with the historical information recorded.

So, here where we live today…72 years ago…what was going on? Who lived here, what were they doing, and did we learn anything? And who was our census taker responsible for the answers to these questions?

According to the just released statistics from the “1940 Strawberry Point/Gustavus Dock Census” (with percentages figured by GHAA)… There were 25 residents living in Gustavus—11 Parkers (including Uncle Pearl), 7 Chases, 3 Petersons, 2 Johnsons, Jake Hall and Sam Buoy.  Their ages ranged from 6 to 73 with an average of 37 years.  The highest educational grade level among adults averaged just under 8th grade. Our pioneers had worked for some sort of employment an average of only 50 days of that past year—with just 7 of the 21 adults working for profit at the time of the census. The medium annual family income was $275.00—with the highest recorded of  $500.00 ($4,560 and $8,266 respectfully in adjusted 2012 dollars). And what were their main occupations? Well, for those who had something to say about it, there were officially 5 prospectors, 6 ranchers, 5 fishermen, and 1 mechanic. That one mechanic—a Chase, just like today. Males outnumbered the ladies over two to one. And running around the flats were 4 young people under the age of 18—1 Peterson (16), 2 Parker’s (14 & 9), and 1Chase (6). Only 6 of Strawberry Point’s residents were born in Alaska. The rest of the group landed here from such diverse places as Nebraska, Oregon, California, Ohio, Iowa, Indiana, Wisconsin, Norway and Canada.

Our census taker was Mary Joyce—a virtual Alaskan celebrity. And what a headstrong, one-of-a-kind character she was! Coming to Alaska as a nurse aboard a yacht in 1930, she was a pilot, stewardess, well-known 1000-mile (Taku to Fairbanks 1936) dog team musher, homesteader, a movie actress, and a territorial government candidate. She was known for her wit and stylish outfits—very vogue, but covered in husky dog hair from hat to toe. One can only imagine the swapping of tales that took place when she visited our early homesteaders. Perhaps it was difficult to stay on the task of completing a very perfunctory and boring census! Mary Joyce died in Juneau in 1976. The State of Alaska Library houses a very large “Mary Joyce Collection” complete with her clippings, notes, and personal writings.

So there you have it, but with one word of caution. GHAA has copies of all of the local censuses available since the establishment of our settlers in 1914. At times it is obvious that the census taker may have filled in a blank with whatever came to mind, or the homesteader provided wrong information in somewhat less than a cooperative mood. In other words, known and proven details (like place of birth) were not always recorded accurately—and changed from census to census. Researchers for family ancestral roots would do well to keep that in mind. And just when you thought a document (and a government document at that!) could most certainly be trusted.

Census reports—interesting stuff? Absolutely. But the last word? Not always. For some of you, you have only to think of a few of the answers you yourselves gave a couple of years ago when census time rolled around. And with that I’ll end like Mary Joyce in her own handwriting wrote…after all was said and done…”Here ends the enumeration of Gustavus Dock on Icy Straits”.