These records contain information about my great grandparents’ household in the early part of the 20th century, where my paternal grandfather grew up as a child. It also appears that they are living next door to my great-great grandfather at the time (but I am not directly addressing that in this particular article).
April 1910 – Bancroft Township, Cuming, Nebraska
According to the 1910 census, John R. Kelly (32), Minnie (27), Harold (6) and Margaret (4) lived on Elm Street in Bancrfot Township, Cuming County, Nebraska. John and Mimmi had been married for 7 years and had two children (both of whom were still living). John R. was born in Nebraska, his father had been born in Ireland, and his mother had been born in Michigan. Mimmi had been born in Nebraska, and her parents were born in other countries that are difficult to read (best guess is that the form says her father was Danish and mother was from Sweden?). Both children were born in Nebraska. John’s occupation is listed as the proprietor of a general store working on his own account. It is not clear how to interpret the marking related to ownership of their home. I assume the John R. either owns his home outright, or that his father (living next door) owns it. The family apparently had a live-in servant by the name of Bessie Gatzemeyer (21).
January 1920 – Omaha, Douglas, Nebraska
According to the 1920 census, John R. (40), Nan S. (38), Harold (16), Margaret (14), Robert (10), and Kerwood (8) lived in an apartment building located at 836 South 24th Street in Omaha’s 9th Ward. In this document, John R. is listed as being born in Nebraska, his father being born in Ireland, but his mother is listed as being born in Canada (which is inconsistent with information on the 1910 census). Nan S. is listed as being born in Iowa, with both of her parents being born in Germany. I assume Nan is John’s second wife. All four children are listed as being born in Nebraska, with a father born in Nebraska and a mother born in Iowa. In the interaction with the census worker, it seems apparent that Nan was listed as the mother of all four children, either by design (perhaps adoption of the older children?) or by assumption (census worker simply filling in the form quickly). John’s occupation is listed as a real-estate salesman.
April 1930 – Omaha City, Douglas, Nebraska
According to the 1930 census, John R. (50), Nan S. (49), Margaret B. (24), John R. Jr. (20), and Kerwood M. (17). lived at 301 33rd Street in Omaha City, Douglas County, Nebraska (presumably in an apartment complex). They rent their home for $67 per month and own a radio set. John R.’s age at his first marriage was 25 years old. Nan S.’s age at her first marriage was 19 years old. From the census data alone (1910-1930), it is clear that Nan was John’s second wife, but it is not entirely clear if this was a first or second marriage for Nan. If it was her first, they would have apparently been married shortly after the 1910 census had been conducted.
John R. is listed as being born in Nebraska, while his father is listed as being born in “Irish Free State” (distinguashed from Northern Ireland) and his mother being born in Canada-English. Nan is listed as being born in Iowa, and the birth location for her parents looks like it was originally written as Germany, and then corrected to Lorraine-Alsace. All three children are listed as being born in Nebraska, as were their father and their mother (which is inconsistent with information on the 1910 and 1920 census documents). John R.’s occupation is listed as life-insurance salesman. Margaret B.s occupation is listed as a stenographer in a doctor’s office. John R. Jr.’s occupation is listed as a shipping clerk in a bakery. Kerwood M.’s occupation is listed as a weigher in a bakery.
Original Documents
The original source documents are provided below. Most browsers will let you “right-click” on these links and then “Save Link As” to save a copy of these documents to your computer.
This website serves as a repository for photos, blog entries, and other creations from the somewhat random mind of Patrick M. Kelly. There may also be a bit of pocket lint or loose change in the lower right-hand corner.
