My Danko grandparents and several of my aunts and uncles were listed in the 1940 edition of Polk’s Worcester (Worcester County, Mass) City Directory at 15 Henchman Street in Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts.
1940 Worcester City Directory Entry for the Michael J. Danko Family
SOURCE: Massachusetts City Directories, Worcester 1940, p. 290, Michael J. Danko Family; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 24 February 2012); citing Polk’s Worcester (Worcester County, Mass.) City Directory Vol. 1940 XCVII, Boston MA: R. L. Polk & Co.
Click on the link for a PDF copy of the 1940 Worcester City Directory Entry for the Michael J. Danko Family. The brief record states the following:
- Helen A. Danko was a domestic who resided at 15 Henchman
- Jos (Joseph) J. Danko was a laborer who resided at 15 Henchman
- Mary T. Danko resided at 15 Henchman
- Michl (Michal), husband of Mary D Danko was a wire wkr (worker) who resided at 15 Henchman
- Michl jr (Michael Jr.) was a carp (carpenter) who resided at 15 Henchman
I’m not certain, but I believe the notation of “h” indicates the head of household and the notation of “r” indicates a resident.
Using Steve Morse’s One-Step Webpages, I learned that 15 Henchman Street in Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts was located in enumeration district 23-45 in the 1940 United States Federal Census.
Copyright © 2012 by Stephen J. Danko
Steve, It was great to see you talking about using city directories and mentioning the One-Step Databases by Steve Morse. I am assuming you used the ED maps to locate the address and convert it to an ED #. I will be talking about this at two family history conferences in Idaho in April and have written a brief article about this in the Idaho Genealogical Society Quarterly Magazine.
Juvanne Martin, CG
President of the Idaho Genealogical Society
Nampa, ID
208-461-8866
Hi Juvanne! I actually just used Steve Morse’s “Unified 1940 Census ED Finder.” I entered the address I found in the city directory and clicked on a button that brought up a map of the area. I noted the streets on the other sides of the block, selected those street names from a drop-down list, and voila! the ED number magically appeared. What a great tool!
Steve:
It’s always a good idea to check the front pages of city directories, not only for information about the town, but also for info on abbreviations. The 1940 Worchester directory shows on page 33 that “r” is, indeed, for residence. But, “h” is for house. I do not know the reason for making the distinction between the two. Residence could indicate an apartment rather than a single-family home. Or, perhaps, house indicates ownership. More research might explain the difference.
Emily Garber
Thanks for the advice, Emily! I also wondered why the distinction between “r” and “h” and it seems that “h” may be used to designate the head of household. It doesn’t seem to indicate home ownership. Some people living in the same house are listed as “r” while one other person in the same house is listed as “h”.