1940: Todds on Tioga Street and Conrads around the corner

This is part 2. See part 1.

Todd family in 1940 census
Todds on Tioga Street in 1940

With enumeration district 51-1884 in hand, I went searching the 1940 census for my Todds. They were easy to find, showing up on the fourth image. Living with John and Olivia Todd were their son, John A. Todd, Jr. and their daughter Elizabeth Campbell, as well as Elizabeth’s daughter, Honor. I still don’t know who Mr. Campbell was. I had guessed she had been married to a Campbell from her SS-5, but have yet to find him. Great Aunt Bessie later married a Mr. Tilsner.

Emboldened by my success, I sat down to figure out where my Conrads might be in 1940. At first I was not sure, but then I remembered I had two documents that could help: my grandfather’s SS-5 from 1937 and his father’s death certificate from 1942. I knew from my father, born in 1937, that he had lived with his grandfather as a young child. I was in luck. Both listed the address of 2069 Clarence Street.

Off to Google maps, where I found something interesting. The Conrads lived right around the corner from the Todds:


View 1940 Census in a larger map

Now this isn’t unusual by any means, but it was interesting that I had not stumbled across this fact until now.

Conrads in 1940 census image 1
Conrads around the corner on Clarence

Conrads in 1940 census image 2
Conrads around the corner on Clarence continued

Another family found and I did not even need to figure out the enumeration district. Three images beyond the Todds, were the Conrads: Edward and Susan Conrad (John A. Todd’s son-in-law and daughter), their children Doris and Charles, and Edward’s father, Nicholas.

There are two improvements in my mind in 1940 for the census. One is the legibility factor. While I have still come across some poor handwriting, for the most part the letters are crafted in ways that are decipherable to me. We have finally reached modern style handwriting in full. The second is the x with a circle around it to indicate who answered the questions. This is a big help in determining how much credence we should put in those answers. Neighbor Bob might not be as reliable a source on the Smiths as Mrs. Smith would be.

Still, misinformation appears. My great-grandfather was born in Scotland. This is a well-known fact in the family. I was told this as a young child. Every census prior to this one listed his birthplace as Scotland. Certainly his daughter, who answered the questions according to the notation beside her name, knew this. And yet, this is what was recorded by the census taker:

John A Todd in 1940 census
John A. Todd, born in Pennsylvania?

The census provides loads of information and clues, but is by no means a stopping point in research. Reliability is not its strong suit.

Mrs. Lucy H. Moore’s 24 Grandchildren

Lucy H. Ogle Moore was my great-great-grandmother. In 1911, her family had a picnic at the local park, commemorating it with a group photo that made it into the local newspaper.

Moore Reunion, Philadelphia, 1911. Philadelphia Inquirer 8/13/1911.

Somewhere in that photograph is my grandmother, Susan L. Todd, age 6.

Mrs. Moore’s twenty-three other grandchildren at the time include:

  1. Frank A. Todd, age 18
  2. John A. Todd, age 16
  3. Clayton M. Todd, age 14
  4. Honour Todd, age 9
  5. James Todd, age 8
  6. Elizabeth M. Todd, age 4
  7. Olivia R. Todd, age 2
  8. Margaret A. Todd, age 1
  9. Benjamin M. Moore, age 11
  10. Elsie Knabb, age 12
  11. Flenard Knabb, age 4
  12. William Knabb, age 3
  13. Margaret Knabb, age 0 (born Dec 1910)
  14. Clara Moore, age 14
  15. Frederick Moore, age 7
  16. George Tazel, age 7
  17. Martha Tazel, age 5
  18. Anna Wood, age 5
  19. Isadore Wood, age 2
  20. Clara Ulery, age 4
  21. Dorothy M. Coulter, age 5
  22. Robert I. Coulter, age 3
  23. Edna E. Coulter, age 1

Ages are approximate for most of those listed. I am missing at least three names. Except for the Todds whom I have a good handle on, there may be some listed who passed before 1911, so I may be missing more than three. (edited 16 Jul 2013. I found Lucy’s other three grandchildren (the Coulters) and have added them to the bottom of the list.)

I only count twenty-one children in the photo. I’m not sure that I see any older teens, so Frank and John Todd may be two of the ones missing from the photograph. Or maybe the headline is wrong and there were only twenty-one present.

Perhaps there are some Moore cousins out there who can fill in the blanks.

Found: Olivia Rush MOORE

Have I finally found Olivia Rush MOORE in the 1880 census? I think so. There is an Olivia Moore, age 10, in the 1880 census in Philadelphia, PA. She is the daughter of Charles D. and Lucy H. MOORE. Her mother was born in Delaware and her father was born in PA. The children of Charles and Lucy are Olivia, Frank O., Susan L., Benjamin B., Lucy L. and Elsie A. My Olivia had children named Lucy H. (aka L. Honour), Susan L. and Frank. Later census returns for my Olivia state that her mother was born in DE and her father in PA and that she was born in 1869.

More evidence: There is an IGI entry for an “Olevia R. MOORE”, born Oct 8, 1869 to Charles D. and Lucy H. MOORE. This is from the Birth registers, 1860-1903, for the city of Philadelphia. The addition of the middle initial helps me to accept that I have found my Olivia and her parents.

Now, to hunt down her husband John Alexander TODD and his parents…