1925 State Census of Iowa: INSTRUCTIONS TO THE ENUMMERATOR Transcribed by Stephen David Williams for the IAGenWeb State Census Project http://iagenweb.org/census/ Copyright (c) 2005 by Stephen David Williams. All Rights Reserved. ========================================================================================= IAGENWEB NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization. Non-commercial organizations desiring to use this material must obtain the consent of the transcriber prior to use. Individuals desiring to use this material in their own research may do so. ========================================================================================= The transcriber has given permission to IAGenWeb to store and utilize the file permanently for free access on IAGenWeb state and county web sites. http://iagenweb.org. ========================================================================================= Formatted August 2005 by IAGenWeb Census Project Coordinator, Stephen D. Williams. All of the above information must remain when copied or downloaded. ========================================================================================= Transcriber's Notes: The following text was taken from the title pages of a 1925 census schedule book. When "See instructions on schedule" is stated, see the accompanying "Legend" file containing the column header information on the census schedule form. ========================================================================== POPULATION CENSUS OF IOWA JANUARY 1, 1925 Chapter 226, Acts of the 40th General Assembly Section 7. Duty of Assessor. Each Assessor shall, in each census year, take such census in his district by making accurate entries on such blanks of all matters of information thereon required, and shall return the same to the County Auditor on or before June first of the Census year. Section 9. False returns. Any assessor, enumerator or clerk who makes any false return shall forfeit the right to all compensation accrued and be immediately discharged. Section 10. Refusal to give information. Any person who shall refuse to make answers to any question appearing on the blank, and who persists in such refusal after being informed that the law requires such answer, shall be arrested on information filed by the Assessor or enumerator. Assessor's and Enumerators' rights: You have the right of admission to every dwelling and to all establishments or places where persons reside, with the exception of institutions under the Jurisdiction of the ??? of Control. You have the right to ask every question which appears in this schedule and to require an ??? ?r to each and all of them. If such information is refused, enter the name and address of said person, ??? make the notation "information refused". Supplementary Crop and Live Stock Report will be used for reporting crops raised, and domestic animals kept in cities and villages or elsewhere in places not covered by farm schedules. Population Schedule must be filled out for every man, woman and child whose place of abode on January ?, 1925 was in your district. Include every person living on January 1, 1925. Omit children born since January 1, 1925. Who shall be enumerated: You will enumerate persons engaged in international transportation, express men, railway men, etc., if they habitually return to their home in the interval of their occupation. Enumerate soldiers, sailors, marines or civilian employes [sic] in the service of the United States at a station, at home or abroad. Enumerate any person absent at the time of your visit but a resident of your district upon the census day, December 31, 1924. Obtain your information from other members of the family. Enumerate any member of a family in your district who is temporarily away from home, on business, traveling for pleasure, attending school or college or sick in a hospital. Specifically ask the question as to whether there are any such absent members. Boarders or lodgers should be enumerated at the place where they are rooming or lodging, if they are there permanently or for reasons of a permanent nature. Members of railroad construction camps, road camps or other places which have a shifting population composed of persons with no fixed place of abode should be enumerated where found, except in so far as certain members may have some other permanent place of abode where they will be enumerated or have already been enumerated. Who shall NOT be enumerated: Persons visiting with this family; transient boarders or lodgers who have another permanent place of abode; students or children living or boarding with a family for educational purposes; persons who take their meals with a family but lodge or sleep elsewhere; servants or other persons employed by a family and working on the premises but not sleeping there. Do not enumerate any member of a family who is an inmate of a Reformatory, Hospital for Insane, School for Feeble Minded, School for the Deaf, Industrial School, Soldiers' Home, Tuberculosis Sanitarium, School for the Blind or County Poor Farm. The enumeration of such persons will be made direct, from this office with the Superintendent of such Institutions. The state Census Law requires returns from your district to be in the hands of the Director of the Census not later than July 1, 1925. You are urged to start your work immediately after the first of January 1925, and work diligently and faithfully so that you will completely cover your township, city, or town in the shortest possible period of time. It is important, upon the completion of your district, that you complete the certificate which appears on the last page of both the Population and Crop and Live Stock Schedule, and forward them immediately to the County Auditor who will give you a receipt for the same and will, in turn, forward them to the Director of the Census. Forward each book to the Auditor when completely filled, regardless of whether you have completed your district or not. All entries should be made in ink or indelible pencil. Take pains to write in a legible manner and make plain figures. Assessors or enumerators will not total columns or pages. SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS 1 PLACE OF ABODE: In cities or towns where the streets are named and numbered, enumerate on block or square at a time. Write the name of the street lengthwise in column 1 of the schedule. Insert the house number, if any, in column 2. Draw a line through column 1 when a street is complete. 2 NAME OF OCCUPANT: See instructions on schedule. 3 RELATIONSHIP: Designate the head of the family, whether husband or father, widow or unmarried person of either sex by the word "head". For other members of the family write wife, father, mother, son, daughter, grandson, daughter-in-law, uncle, aunt, nephew, niece, boarder, lodger, servant, etc., according to the particular relationship which the person bears to the head of the family. 4 PERSONAL DESCRIPTION: a--Sex: Write "M" for male, "F" for female. b--Color or race: Write "W" for white, "B" for black, "Ind" for Indian. For all persons not falling within one of these classes, write "O" for other. c--Age at last birthday: This question calls for the age in completed years at last birthday. d--Conjugal relation: Write "S" for single, "M" for married, "W" for widow or widower and "D" for divorced. 5 TENURE: A--Home owned or rented: This question is to be answered only opposite the name of the head of each family and only relates to the home or dwelling in which they are living on the date of the enumeration. If the home is owned write "O"; if the home is rented write "R". Make no entries in this column for the other members of the family. b--Mortgaged or free: Write "M" for mortgaged and "F" for free. c--Value of this home, including land and improvements. The interpretation "home" under this heading means town or city property or acreages under three acres, not classified as farm land. Extreme caution must be used so that no duplication will be made to conflict with the value of farm lands as described on the farm schedule. d--Amount of mortgage: Answer as asked. e--Rent paid: Answer as asked. f--Insurance: Include total amount paid for fire, hail, wind storm, tornado insurance, etc. 6 CITIZENSHIP: a--Answer "yes" or "no". b--Answer as asked. c--Answer as asked. 7 EDUCATION AND LITERACY: 1 Highest school attended: a--If you attended rural school only, check under rural. b--If you attended rural and grade school only, check under grade. c--If you attended rural, grade and high school, check under high school only. d--If you attended rural, grade, high school and college, check under college only. 2 Highest grade reached: a--Rural: Answer as asked. b--Grade or grammar: Answer as asked. c--High School: Answer as asked. d--College or University: Answer one year or more. 3 How many months of school attended in year 1924: Include actual number of months from January 1, 1924 to January 1, 1925. 4 Whether able to read: Answer "yes" or "no". 5 Whether able to write: Answer "yes" or "no". 8 NATIVITY. a--Place of birth of person enumerated. If in U. S. give State. If foreign born, give country. b--Name of father of person enumerated. Enter surname first, then the given name and middle initial, if any. c--Place of birth of father of person enumerated. If born in U. S. give State. If foreign born give country. d--Age at last birthday. Insert age of father at last birthday, if living. If deceased leave blank. e--Maiden name of mother of person enumerated. Enter surname first, then given name and middle initial, if any. f--Place of birth of mother of person enumerated. If born in U. S. give State. If foreign born give country. g--Age at last birthday. If living insert age of mother last birthday [sic]. If deceased leave blank. h--Place of marriage of parents of person enumerated. If married in U. S. Give City or Town and State. If married in a foreign country give city or country, if possible. 9 MILITARY SERVICE. Questions asked applicable to Civil War, Spanish American War and World War Veterans are identical. a--Are you a veteran. If you are a veteran answer "yes". If not leave space blank. b--Branch of service in which you served. Write in full the classification which applies; namely, Army, Navy or Marine Corps. Do not use initials. c--What State enlisted or drafted from. Answer as asked. 10 OCCUPATION. Answer "a", "b", "c", "d", "e" and "f" as asked. Insert answer under classification which covers the occupation of the person enumerated. These questions to be answered by all persons 14 years of age or over. g--Number of months unemployed because of communicable diseases. The following are communicable diseases: Typhoid fever, pneumonia, small pox, measles, scarlet fever, diphtheria and whooping cough. Do not include other diseases. This question applies to all persons 14 years of age and over, and must be answered accurately. h--Salary or income lost. Record amount of salary or income, only, lost. Do not record hospital or doctor bills. i--Months idle or unemployed. Include months idle because of labor conditions, accidents and other illnesses not defined as communicable. (See "G"). 11 CHURCH AFFILIATION. Answer as asked.