SAMUEL BLACK AND ANNA (FINKELSTEIN) BLACK (AGE 52 AND 49) - 1940 CENSUS - BRONX

DOCUMENT: black-samuel-anna-census-bronx-1940.jpg (look especially at rows 68-69)

NOTES:

• Here's a copy of the modern transcription of this 1940 federal census form, copied from ancestry.ca:

  Name: Samuel Black
  Age: 52
  Estimated birth year: abt 1888
  Gender: Male
  Race: White
  Birthplace: Russia
  Marital Status: Married
  Relation to Head of House: Head
  Home in 1940: New York, Bronx, New York
  Map of Home in 1940: View Map
  Street: E 167 Street
  House Number: 595
  Farm: No
  Inferred Residence in 1935: Bronx, New York
  Residence in 1935: Bronx, New York
  Citizenship: Naturalized
  Sheet Number: 62B
  Number of Household in Order of Visitation: 332
  Father's Birthplace: Russia
  Mother's Birthplace: Russia
  Occupation: Operator
  House Owned or Rented: Rented
  Value of Home or Monthly Rental if Rented: 40
  Attended School or College: No
  Highest Grade Completed: Elementary school, 8th grade
  Duration of Unemployment: 36
  Class of Worker: Wage or salary worker in private work
  Income: 600
  Income Other Sources: Yes
  Native Language: Jen English
  Social Security Number: Yes
  Usual Occupation: Operator
  Usual Class of Worker: Wage or salary worker in private work
  
  Household Members:
  Name Age
  Samuel Black 52
  Annie Black 49
  
  Name: Annie Black
  Age: 49
  Estimated birth year: abt 1891
  Gender: Female
  Race: White
  Birthplace: Romania
  Marital Status: Married
  Relation to Head of House: Wife
  Home in 1940: New York, Bronx, New York
  Map of Home in 1940: View Map
  Street: E 167 Street
  House Number: 595
  Inferred Residence in 1935: Bronx, New York
  Residence in 1935: Bronx, New York
  Citizenship: Naturalized
  Sheet Number: 62B
  Occupation: Operator
  Attended School or College: No
  Highest Grade Completed: None
  Hours Worked Week Prior to Census: 48
  Class of Worker: Wage or salary worker in private work
  Weeks Worked in 1939: 52
  Income: 600
  Income Other Sources: Yes

• I'm not certain this is the right Samuel and Anna (Annie) Black. Probably it is: their ages are about right, she's from Romania and he's from Russia, they're living in the Bronx, and he is an "Operator". But Samuel's occupation is Millinery (i.e., hat making), whereas all the earlier documents had showed him working in Neckwear; and Anna's occupation is the same as Samuel's (Operator, Millinery), whereas the earlier documents had listed her as Housewife. Might Anna have gone to work after her son grew up and moved out? Might Samuel have changed jobs? (or did the census taker just misunderstand and assume his occupation was the same as his wife's?).
• Actually it appears Samuel was unemployed; perhaps this explains why Anna was working. For Samuel, under "Duration of unemployment up to March, 1940 in weeks" it says "36". (This is blank for Anna). For "Number of weeks worked in 1939 (equivalent full time weeks)" it says "52" for Anna; for Samuel it looks like a number was written and at least partially scratched out so that it's hard to read. For "Number of hours worked during week of March 24-30, 1940" it says "48" for Anna (and this field is blank for Samuel).
• Although the modern transcription says "E 167 Street", the street name handwritten on the census form (written sideways on the left side of the form) actually appears to say "E 162 St." So I think the address is 595 East 162 St. -- see this address today in Google Maps.
• This address (595 East 162 St.) is about 2 miles from the 1879 Clinton Ave, Bronx, where Joe and Ruth (their son and daughter-in-law) were living at the time according to the 1940 census, and about 1 mile from 1343 Washington Ave., where Samuel and Anna had lived ten years earlier according to the 1930 census.
• Highest grade completed: it says 8 for Samuel and 0 for Anna.