Much like Navin P. Johnson in The Jerk, giddy over his name
being in the phone book, this week has marked one of those landmark moments
that only excites those of us with rather narrow interests. On Monday, the schedules
of the 1940 U.S. Census were released online. Particularly happy are those
amateur genealogists searching for ancestors who have managed to
disappear from official records. In my personal family search and while working
at the Webster Parish Library I have encountered so many of those folks and
just knew the next set of schedules would unlock family mysteries. For those of
you who don’t know, while Census totals are released as soon as they are
tallied, for privacy reasons the schedules listing names and personal
information about individuals are held for 72 years. So this is the year for
1940 to be released. This release sparked some odd feelings for me. This was
the first Census to be released where I knew exactly where all my family members
were located, so I had no personal stake. I also have my doubts I will be
around to see the 1950 Census released in 2022, so I want to “enjoy” working
with this Census. Even though I’m not much involved in genealogy anymore, I am
deeply involved in local history and these Census schedules are wonderful
snapshots of a community at a precise moment in time. So for the past few
nights I’ve been able to get new glimpses at life in Minden in April 1940.
My first look-up was personal. Momma always wanted to get a
chance to see a Census record in which she was included. Most of you are
familiar with her story. Her father died in 1926 when she was three years old.
Then in 1929-30 her mother lost her house in Shreveport and her farm in Red
River Parish. For the next decade they lived a vagabond existence moving from
place to place trying to find work. Momma attended as many as five different
schools in a single year. So, in 2002 when the 1930 Census was released, we
poured over it for hours and tried every combination of names once the index
was released. Unfortunately they were “on the road” when the 1930 schedules
were completed so she and my grandmother did not appear in that count of
population. However, by 1938 Momma and Nanny had settled in Minden, and while
they did move around from rent property to rent property – five houses in four
years – I knew they were in Minden. So, even though these 1940 records
are not yet indexed, I was able to go to the proper Enumeration District for
their residence on Lewisville Road and finally locate them in a Census record.
Four years too late for Momma, but it felt good to me.
The next search involved the same ED, just down the road
from Momma and Nanny. One glaring historical omission we are trying to fix is the absence
of any visible sign that Gov. Robert F. Kennon was a native and long-time
resident of Minden. There are hopes to one day erect a fitting monument in Downtown Minden, but there is another spot that merits at least a historical marker.
Kennon lived several places in Minden during his life, but his first home as an
adult with his own family was on Jefferson St. His next-door neighbor was local
attorney, Coleman Lindsey. Lindsey was elected President of the Louisiana
Senate in 1939 and when Gov. Dick Leche had to resign and Lt. Gov. Earl Long
became Governor, Lindsey assumed the vacant Lt. Gov.’s office. So, we have
two homes side-by-side that were at one point home to a Governor and a Lt.
Gov. of Louisiana. That was no secret but there was no concise way to easily document that fact. Now there is, as I mentioned on Facebook last night, one
page will now document and perhaps ease the process of marking the property for
its significance.
Tonight, I’ve been playing with another “fun” (for history
nerds) part of the Census schedules – names of streets and neighborhoods. I
have been stunned to find that apparently large portions of the black community
were lacking street names. References such as “Rear of Batton’s Store to
Ravine”, “Front of Harris Store to East St.” and “Short St. by Dow’s” are
common. In addition the area known as “Miller Quarters” through my childhood is
called “New Quarters.” There is a reference to the “Old District School”, which
I assume was probably run by the Baptist 14th District before
Webster Parish set up schools for African-Americans, and there is mention
of “Baddie Quarters” of which I’ve never
heard (although I do know about the Baddie family.) Perhaps most interesting is
when I located my grandparents and my father living on Midland St., I found that
area labeled as “Arkansas Hill.” The name makes sense, as all along the northern
reach of the Sibley Road the families that came to Minden with the L & A
Railroad settled because of the easy access to the entrance to the L & A Shops located
just beyond today’s Hamburger Happiness. But, I have never before seen or heard that
label applied. The traditional name for the area where the railroad community settled was Goat
Hill, so I’m not sure if Goat Hill applied to the area further south or if
Arkansas Hill was used for the entire area.
If you follow my blog and have read this far, you must have
some interest in this sort of fascinating information, too. I will be updating,
as I play some more with the treasure trove of trivia in the 1940 U. S. Census.
