1930 Census

Part 2: Indexes and Other Finding Aids

1930 Census Main page

• Microfilmed Soundex Indexes
• Geographic Descriptions of Census Enumeration Districts
• Enumeration District Maps
• Index to Selected City Streets and Enumeration Districts
• 1930 City Directories Available at NARA

Index to Selected City Streets and Enumeration Districts

Part 1: Introduction
Part 2: Records Description
Part 3: Roll List

Part 1: Introduction

NARA microfilm publication M1931, Index to Selected City Streets and Enumeration Districts, 1930 Census (7 rolls) reproduces a 57-volume typescript index to selected city streets and enumeration districts of the Fifteenth Census of the United States taken in 1930. These records are part of the Records of Bureau of the Census, Record Group (RG) 29.

See How to Purchase Microfilm to purchase one or more rolls of this microfilm.

Background

As a part of its work to organize and adequately prepare for the taking of the Fifteenth Census of the United States in 1930, the Bureau of the Census created a number of written tools to ensure that the entire country was completely enumerated. Many U.S. cities had grown rapidly during the 1920s and therefore presented special challenges to complete enumeration.

One of the Bureau's tools for the 1930 census was its 57-volume index to selected city streets and enumeration districts. Certain streets are listed as having "no population," however, so it is likely that the final version was made after the completion and tabulation of the census. These volumes are typescript mimeographs on which annotations have been handwritten in red ink.

Part 2: Records Description

Arrangement: General Rules.

Most of the volumes contain all or part of a major U.S. city; a few also contain smaller cities. Except as later indicated, each volume includes the following:

1. Title page. This indicates the city (or cities) included and a short table of contents.
   
   
2. List of enumeration district (ED) numbers. This indicates the bound census volume in which ED each is found.
   
   
3. List of named streets (roads, boulevards, avenues, lanes, etc.) arranged alphabetically. This indicates the EDs in which the street is located, as further described below. Streets with a prefix such as North, East, South, or West may be listed either under the prefix or under the street name. For example, East Archwood Avenue might be listed as "E. Archwood Ave." or as "Archwood Ave. E."
   
   
4. List of numbered streets (roads, boulevards, avenues, lanes, etc.) arranged numerically. This indicates the EDs in which the street is located, as further described below. Prefixes such as North, East, South, or West do not affect the arrangement. Thus, E. 26th and W. 26th will both be found together. There may be a few exceptions to this rule; for example "Six Mile Road" in Detroit is listed with named streets and not with the numbered streets. In Los Angeles, there is a separate list for "Avenue 16" through "Avenue 67," but other numbered avenues (i.e., 16th Ave.) will be found in the list of numbered streets.
   
   
5. List of institutions and named apartments. This indicates the ED in which the institution or apartment will be found.
   
   
6. List of unnamed apartments. This indicates the ED in which the apartment will be found. Only a few of the larger cities have this list.
   
   

Corrections. The Bureau made handwritten corrections on these lists, presumably after the census was completed.

Information Provided for Named and Numbered Streets. For named and numbered streets, the ED number is given for ranges of house numbers. If the street was entirely within one ED, the house number range is not given. If odd house numbers were in one enumeration district and even house numbers in another, the word "odd" or "even" follows the range of house numbers. For examples from Detroit, Michigan:

If the street had no population, the words "(no pop.)" follow the house number range. Streets with alternative names have a "see" designation, such as "Weston Rd. (See E. Archwood Ave.)"

Arrangement: Special Cases

North Carolina. The Bureau created special finding aids for this state:

• Index to 22 Cities over 10,000 Population.
  These cities are arranged alphabetically in one volume, and, for each city, have the street name/house range/enumeration number information described above.
  
  
• Index to Named Places under 10,000 Population.
  Named places are arranged alphabetically by name, and, for each, the following information is given: county in which located, enumeration district number, and adjacent enumeration district numbers (if any). For examples:
  
  

  Place	County	ED	Adjacent
  Rominger	Watauga	95-10	95-13; 15
  Ronda	Wilkes	97-5	97-6; 16; 8
  Rooks	Pender	71-5	71-4
  Roosevelt	Henderson	45-5	-----

• Index to Townships. Townships are listed by alphabetically by name, and, for each, the following information is given: county in which located and its enumeration district number(s).
  
  
• Index to Institutions. Institutions are listed alphabetically by name, and, for each the following information is given: county or city in which located and enumeration district.
  
  
• County Maps. These consist of hand-drawn rough sketches of each county. The enumeration district numbers and their approximate boundaries are shown. These maps were probably drawn to assist Bureau employees in using the four North Carolina indexes described above.
  
  

Philadelphia

In 1930, the city of Philadelphia composed the entirety of Philadelphia County; the Philadelphia index, however, indicates for many streets the name of the neighborhood in which the street is located, such as Blue Bell Hill, Bridesburg, Bustleton, Chestnut Hill, Fox Chase, Falls of Schuylkill, Frankford, Germantown, Holmesburg, Manayunk, Olney, Palm West Philadelphia, Roxborough, Somerton, Tacony, and West Philadelphia.

Part 3: Roll List

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