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Discovering your ancestors’ education can be fascinating and can add to your understanding of your family’s history. Before World War II, only one-third of Americans had completed twelve years of schooling.[1]In fact, the US census did not begin to ask for the highest grade attained in education until 1940. Nonetheless, much can be gleaned from earlier enumerations.
One hundred years
prior, the 1840 Census asked for the number of scholars enrolled in
“universities or colleges,” “academies & grammar schools,” or “primary and
common schools.” It also inquired how many scholars were “at public charge” and
the number of White persons= and free people of color in the household, who were over twenty years of age
and could not read or write.
Between 1850 and 1880, censuses included those who in the
household had attended school within the year, coupled with age. This can give
you an idea of what level of education individuals received at the time of the
census. These enumerations also asked how many individuals over twenty could
not read or write. The lucky genealogist whose relatives’ 1890 census schedule
survived can find these same questions as well as whether the enumerated
individual could speak English and, if not, the language or dialect
spoken.
From 1900 to 1930, the censuses again asked whether an
individual had attended school that year and about literacy and
English-speaking abilities.
Even without the specific questions regarding education in
the population schedules, clues can be found by seeing what age an occupation
replaces “scholar” or “at school.”
And what about other members of the household? Comparing the
ages at which children began joining the workforce can also provide insights
into the family economic situation.
When Thomas
Howley’s family was enumerated in 1880, his 15- and 17-year-old daughters
were working as coffee packers, while his younger children, Margaret (7) and
Thomas (5), were still in school. Looking closer, we can also see that Thomas,
a gas pipe fitter, had been out of work for three months that year, so they may
have had to pitch in to help make up for that loss of income.
In June 1944, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed the Serviceman’s Readjustment Act, better known as the “G.I. Bill.” It was aimed at helping returning servicemen and/or eligible family members further their education—finishing elementary or high school, going to college or learning a trade—as well as buying a home, setting up a business, or landing a government job. The opportunity it provided for many White families was a game changer. Tragically, the majority of Black servicemen were unable to take advantage of the GI Bill due to racist policies and attitudes in housing and education throughout the country.
Every generation wants their children to do as well or
better than they’ve done, and education has long been seen as a path to future
success. How has education—or barriers to education whether from racism or
poverty—impacted your family throughout the years? Perhaps it’s time to take a
closer look.
[1] Nilsson, Jeff, "How the G.I. Bill Changed America," The Saturday Evening Post, 22 June 2019 (https://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2019/06/how-the-g-i-bill-changed-america/ accessed 17 Oct 2024).
