Sunday, August 11, 2013

Census Sunday–1930 Who is Frank Goodman?

That was the first question that popped into my mind (after I picked my jaw up off the ground) when I searched and found my Lucas line in the 1930 census. Then I wondered, “Why is Great grandma Lucas living with him?”, Oh Wait!  Because she is married to him? WHAT?!? What happened to Great Grandpa Lucas?? Ok, is this the right family? – YES, there is Grandpa Joe Lucas and his brothers, all listed as sons.
1930 US Census -Frank Goodman
So, after calming down somewhat and scanning the census again just to make sure I read things correctly, I called my mom. She knew nothing of a Frank Goodman and she also never knew her Grandpa Lucas as she was told he died before she was born.
This census has brought a few questions, obviously. What happened to Great Grandpa Lucas? Was he already dead at this time or did they divorce?
Who is this Frank Goodman and why didn’t the family know about him?
All of this occurred before the 1940 census came out and I have been at a standstill about answering these questions (mainly due to a lack of research time). Once the 1940 census hit I found Great Grandma Lucas again but not under the name Goodman as in 1930. She is now listed as Katherine Lucas, head of household and widowed. That answers the question of why the family doesn’t know or remember Frank Goodman; he wasn’t around for very long. However, it presents many other questions about him and the relationship with Great Grandma Lucas, which will be explored in another post.
The questions concerning Great Grandpa Lucas still remain also. I do not know what happened to their marriage or what happened to him. These are the mystery’s that keep our search interesting and fun.
Census records, as we all know, are great sources for our family search. They can answer many questions but they can also present many more questions and mysteries for us to follow up on, just as this 1930 census has for my Lucas ancestors.
What surprising information did you uncover from a census? Was it known to family?
Thanks for reading and keep diggin’ for that family. Smile
Chris

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