It is finally April of 2022, and the 1950 Census has been released. For the past several years, I have waited in anticipation of finding my family in this Census. I have gone through numerous city directories, Census enumeration district maps, and other records pre- and post-1950 to find out where I need to search for everyone in the 1950 Census. Right now, the National Archives website has a somewhat searchable index that has been made available through artificial intelligence hand recognition. This has helped me find most of my Dodge family in the 1950 Census.
Halfway through the 20th Century and the world has changed. We have the clichés of 'America on the move' and 'post-war boom', but the Dodge's have long since moved from Buena Vista (and Leadville), Colorado, to the towns and cities and found economic security in their lives. A lot has changed for the family since the 1940 Census. Lives and circumstances have changed. My great-great aunt Frances Nemetzky is now a widow; her husband passing away in 1947 (and having divested herself from her business several years earlier). Her brother, Dwight (whom the family had lost contact with), was still living in Lemon Cove, California, with his wife Ruth. They would divorce shortly after this time. Grandpa Jim (my great-grandpa) passed away in December of 1949. Grandpa was working for Union Pacific and Alfred, his brother, was in High School. My grandpa's cousin, Edna (Newitt) Criswell, is now divorced. Her brother Keith has remarried (his first wife passed away in 1944), and is still living in San Francisco. Berenice is still living in Glendale, California, and working as a Nurse, while Don & Virginia have continued to live in Colorado Springs.
When I posted my blog on the 1940 Census, I only talked about Grandpa Jim and his siblings. For this post, I will also talk about their children and show where everyone was living and doing in 1950, as well as the years leading up to 1950. From what I have found in preparation of the 1950 Census, here is where everyone is (or should be) in 1950:
James & Rachel Newitt: Tacoma, Washington. James Newitt has retired from his job at Latimer-Goodwin, where he worked since the early 1920's. HIs job brought him and his family to Tacoma in 1931. He would pass away in September of 1952. Rachel would later live with her daughter and son-in-law, Edna & Charles Patterson. Rachel passed away in 1977.
Keith & Arlene Newitt: San Francisco, California. They married in 1944, following the death of his first wife, Mary. Keith worked with Pacific Gas and Electric until he retired in 1964. They would continue to live in San Francisco until the mid 1960's when they moved to Florence, Oregon.
Berenice Newitt: Glendale, California. Berenice would live in Glendale until her death in 1982. She worked as a Nurse until she retired in the early 1960's.
Edna (Newitt) Criswell: Tacoma, Washington. She divorced Francis Cirswell in 1947. Francis left Edna after his discharge from the Navy following WWII and relocated in California. Edna would marry Charles Patterson in 1954. Charles was separated from his wife and was living in the same apartment building as Edna when this Census was enumerated.
Frances Nemetzky: San Francisco, California. Her husband, David Nemetzky, passed away in 1947. She would move to the town of Broderick (outside Sacramento) sometime around 1952-1953. Frances passed away in Sacramento in 1955.
Dwight & Ruth Dodge: Lemon Cove, California. Ruth would divorce Dwight in 1951 and she would marry one more time; this time to a Tulare County widower named Donald Maxon. They would live in Springville, where she passed away in 1961. Following their divorce, Dwight moved to Midland, Oregon, where he lived until his death in February of 1960 (just missing the 1960 Census).
Alice Dodge (with Robert -my Grandpa- and Alfred): Rawlins, Wyoming. Great-grandma would live in Rawlins until 1976, when she moved to Clearfield, Utah. Great-grandma passed away in 1989. Grandpa was drafted in 1951 and served in the US Marine Corps. After his discharge, he would continue to work on the railroad. My grandparents met in Evanston, Wyoming. They married in 1954 and moved to Ogden, Utah in 1955. They would later move to Clearfield, Utah. Grandpa worked at Hill AFB as a civilian employee. Alfred was drafted in 1953 and served in the US Army. He married his wife, Donna Lester, following his discharge in 1955 and they would live in Minot, North Dakota.
Don & Virginia DeMark: Colorado Springs, Colorado. Don ran an auto shop in Colorado Springs. They would live in Colorado Springs until they both passed away in December of 1991.
Ann & George Earl Graham - According to Grandpa Jim's obituary in December of 1949, they were living in Susanville, California. They left Colorado Springs in 1942 and spent the war years living in Salt Lake City, Utah (The Salt Lake City Directory from 1944 list them as G.E and Ann Graham and living at 1530 South Main Street. His SSN Application from August 1942 also gives this same information). I expected them in Susanville in the 1950 Census. However, searching through the enumeration sheets for Susanville (as well as the areas around Susanville), I have been unable to find them. I will have to wait for a more detailed index to come out to find them. When I do find them, I will update this post. They would later live in Broderick, California (I also searched Broderick without any success) until the late 1950's, when they moved back to Colorado Springs. Ann passed away in 1961 and George Earl passed away in 1966.
UPDATE 4/4/2022: I found Ann & George Earl Graham...They are living in Broderick, California. Their address was 520 5th Street. This is where they lived in the mid 1950's, but I didn't think they were already living here in 1950. Below is the census image for Ann & George Earl Graham. The census enumeration maps took me to the wrong place initially, but I found the correct enumeration district for the address I had for them in Broderick and I just found them today.
As a bonus...here is the 1950 Census for my grandma, Wanda Feller. She was from Randolph, Utah. In 1950, she is living in Ogden, Utah, with her older sister, Elva and her family. I knew my grandma lived in Ogden in the early 1950's and attended Ogden High School, but I didn't realize she was in Ogden in 1950.
1950 Census - Wanda Feller: Ogden, Utah
As a side note - the 1960 US Census will be released in April of 2032. The 1960 Census (from what I have found) was the first census that was mailed out throughout the US. I am already putting a list together of where my family were living in 1960, and am looking forward to the time when the 1960 Census will be released and made public.
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