The 1940 Census

Top of the 1940 census form

By the time of the 1940 Census, done on April 1 of that year, all of the children of George Benton Fry were adults and some of the cousins who have contributed to these pages were born. Maude Mae Sisson Fry had died two years earlier.

In 1940, the U.S. population was 132 million and Ohio was the fourth-largest state with 6.9 million people (by 2010 that population would reach 309 million).

While World War II had started the previous September with the German invasion of Poland, the so-called "Phony War" was still going on. That would end soon, as Germany would invade Denmark and Norway the week after the census was taken and the Battle of France would start in early May. However, the war was still 18 months away for the United States. Events of 1940.

The 1940 Census data was released by the National Archives Record Administration (NARA) electronically on April 2, 2012. The data became available in an image file (*.jpg) on Wednesday, April. We've posted census information for what family members that we can find. The 1940 Census managers must have screened for employees with excellent handwriting because most of these records are of very high quality.

Information that is being collected for the first time in 1940 includes employment information and income for 1939. A 1940 Census form is linked here .

The initial NARA release provides Census information by location or enumeration districts (EDs), rather than being searchable by name. But this should not stop you from searching, as EDs are relatively easy to use. For the state of Ohio (or any other state), the results are grouped by district, with the counties numbered alphabetically. Thus all of Ashland County is in 27 districts -- 3-1 through 3-27. It is harder in metropolitan areas. Cuyahoga County (Cleveland, OH) has 840 EDs. You can see maps of the 1940 EDs on this web page.

Sometime after the release by NARA Ancestry.com and other services will provide text search capability. To simplify the search, there are some tools to make it easier to find enumeration districts:

* if you have the enumeration district from the 1930 Census, you can find the corresponding 1940 ED with this utility

* if you have a street address or simply the town/township, this NARA page shows how to conduct a search

Family Data

This is a list of family members and locations for the 1940 Census by generation. As Census data is located, a hyperlink is at the end of each line that will bring up a JPG (image) file that you can print. Your browser may resize these images but you can use the "+" icon (lower right of the image) to make then larger. When printing, remember to use "Landscape" mode. I've found that reducing the original image by 50% (and cropping out the black margin) produces good results:

* George Benton Fry, Nankin, OH (includes Edna and Doris Fry) Link
* Della (Fry) Baker, Ashland, OH (George Benton's sister) Link
* Fry, James Earl, 307 Sandusky St., Ashland, OH (George Benton's brother) Link
* Fry, William, Clear Creek Township near Savannah, OH (George Benton's brother) Link

* Baker, Raymond (son of Della Fry Baker) & Gladys, Ashland, OH Link
* Coffman, John (the widower of Arminta Sisson Coffman) and son Earl Vinton Coffman, 503 Virginia, Ashland, OH Link
* Czernek, Edward, 94 Strauss Street, Buffalo, NY Link
* Czernek, Mary, 94 Strauss Street, Buffalo, NY Link
* Fry, Clifford Earl, may be in Youngstown, OH
* Fry, Donald & Mildred, Sullivan, OH Link
* Fry, Montgomery & Leona, Nankin, OH (includes Tillie May and Earl Fry) Link
* Fry, Forrest William (son of James Earl Fry), Ashland, OH Link
* Fry, Willard Allen (son of James Earl Fry), Ashland, OH Link
* Haun, Charles & Myrtle, Elyria, OH (includes Paul & Cora Sheets) Link
* Hyde, Charles D. & Evelyn (Fry), 1272 N. Lockwood Street, East Cleveland, OH Link
* Hyde, Ford, Sullivan OH Link
* Jacobs, Oren & Dessie, Bowen, IL Link
* Jahns, Maximillian & Josephine (Czernek), 5412 W. School St., Chicago, IL Link
* Korta, Louis & Frances, Peoria, IL Link
* Markel, Samuel & Lona, Sullivan, OH Link
* Markel, Jacob Lee & Edna (Fry), 214 East 11th St., Ashland OH Link
* Markel, Oscar & Bernice (Fry), 411 Herrick Ave., Wellington, OH Link
* Markel, Ross & Ruth, Sullivan, OH Link
* Pence, Jim (Victor James) & Annie, Nankin, OH Link
* Thomas, Isom & Mary, Frierson Avenue, Tampa, FL Link
* Sisson, James, 441 E. Walnut St., Ashland, OH

Revision: 6/6/2023

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