Last update of this page 2022.MAY.11
The details on United States census forms confirm facts about the family.
This is the 1900 census from Berks County (Reading), Pennsylvania. Jacob and Kate were married in 1899. She is here identified as Katie.
Near the bottom are the entries for Jacob and Katie. Here is a magnification of the left side of their entry.
Jacob is listed as white male, born September 1873, age 26, married, one year. Katie is white female, born August 1877, age 22, married one year.
No children were listed. The oldest, Nate, was born in September 1900, so Katie was pregnant at the time of the census. Both claimed Poland-Russia as their birthplaces, as well as claiming Poland-Russia as the birthplace of their parents. Jacob immigrated in 1891, and claimed to be in the United States for one year. Katie’s stated immigration date was 1897, with three years in the United States. This contradicts other facts, so one suspects there was translation confusion. Jacob’s profession is listed as “hat pouncer,” which is a part of the hat production process. The next column has a zero; the heading is “months not employed.” The next three columns are for read/write/speak English. Jacob claimed all three, Katie claimed only to speak English.
Things had changed by the next census in 1910. The family was then in Mocanaqua, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania.
Jacob is listed at age 38, corresponding to birth year 1872. Kate is listed as 32, born in 1878. There are now five children: Nathan, Edith, Peter, Esther, and Dora. Dora’s age is listed as two, which must mean two months; Dora was born February 6, 1910, and the census was take on April 29 and 30, 1910. Kate’s mother Annie (also known as Rose) was 58 and lived with the family. Kate’s father Peretz (Peter) had died in 1902. The origins are now listed as Russ Great Russian.
Jacob is now the proprietor of a furniture store. All claim to read and write English, except Esther and Dora, the youngest.
More information comes from the 1920 census.
There are now eight children: Nathan, Edith, Philip (identified as Peter in the 1910 census), Esther, Dora, Abram, Ida, and Ruth.
The ancestral link is listed simply as Russia. Jacob and son Nathan run the business, now identified as a general store.
Here is the full sheet for the 1930 census, taken on April 7. Kate and Jacob had died in the year before.
This enlargement shows detail for the Simon household.
Given next is the census record for Edith and Herman in Binghamton in 1930.
This lists Herman, currently 30, Edith 27; Herman married at 22, Edith at 20; neither attended school (really?), both read and write. Home value listed as $7,500.
Alan was four years old. A maid Kremak Hedgewick, age 18, lived with them; she was born in Pennsylvania and her parents were born in Poland. (Her name order might be reversed, as Hedgewick or Hedwick is more likely a first name.)
The right-side entries on the census form show Herman as a merchant in dry goods and Edith as a saleslady.
Below are the lines from the 1940 census for Shickshinny.
This shows Nathan and Ruth Simon at 95 North Main Street in Shickshinny. Nate is listed as 39 years old, Ruth as 31 years old, and daughter Carol as 7 years old. Nate and Ruth graduated high school (H-4), and Carol had completed grade 1. Listed also is maid Grace Applebey, 18 years old and with three years of high school completed. Return to Nathan Simon page.
Next is the 1940 census from Binghamton, New York, showing the family of Herman and Edith Levy.
This is the left side of the census page, showing the Levy family on lines 2 through 5. Herman is noted as 40 years old, Edith as 38 years old, Alan as 14 years old and in 9th grade, Carol as 9 years old and in 5th grade.
This is the right side of the census page. Herman, line 2, is noted as sales manager (?) at a dry goods store. Return to the Edith Simon Levy page.
The United States censuses are made public after 72 years, so the 1950 census has become public in 2022. As of 2022.MAY.11, only some of the census has been made machine readable. More will follow.
