John Berech - 1930 Census

Below is the transcription of the 1930 Census for John Berech which also includes Olga and John Jr., and a copy of the census itself.  As always.  If you would like me to email you a large copy of the census so that you can look at it closer.  Let me know.

1930 Census - 22 April - Taken in Portchester - County of Westchester - State of New York

Address - 193 Austin Place, Rye New York - Owned - Value $11,000 - Owned a Radio - Not a Farm

John Berech - (Line 60) - Head of House - Married White Male age 33 - First Married at 33 - No schooling in 1929 - literate - Born approx 1897 in Czechoslovakia - Father born in Czechoslovakia - Mother born in Czechoslovakia - Spoke Czech before coming to USA - Immigrated in 1913 - Naturalized citizen - Occupation Proprietor - Industry Restaurant - Waged worker - Whether actually at work yesterday or the last regular work day, No - Unemployment Schedule 6-na *  - Not a veteran

Olga Berech - (line 61) - Wife - housewife - Married White Female Age 21 - First married at 18 - No schooling in 1929 - literate - Born approx 1909 in Connecticut, Father born in Czechoslovakia - Mother born Czechoslovakia - Speaks English - No Occupation

John Berech Jr - (Line 62) - Son - Single White Male Age 2 (0/12) - No schooling in 1929 - Born approx 1928 in New York - Father born in Czechoslovakia - Mother born Connecticut

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Sooooo -  What the Hell!!??  Born in Czechoslovakia !? Mother tongue Czech!? Olga born in Connecticut!?  I know that in the 1920 Census Olga is listed by her Father that she was born in Russia.  So why the Czechoslovakia?

I had this discussion earlier in the year with Carolyn and Cheryl. We were trying to decided if the state of Country was such that is was easier to say Czechoslovakia to the Enumerator than to say Russia. I've actually looked online a bit... (not extensively) about just that, and I see nothing really in history to cause someone to not want to mention their Mother Country.  WW 2 is ten years off and WW 1 has been over for 16 years and the Russian revolution was just a few years after that. Maybe there was unrest locally, or in the neighborhood.  Looking at their neighbors and a couple of pages before and after Johns listing... Most people are listing as their birth locations as New York, Connecticut, and various other States.  Listings for people born outside of the US, England is the most prominent, and Poland.  I just don't know.

This information has caused me to decide to start reading some books based on the History of Russia. The first on my list is: Nicholas and Alexandra based on their lives, their love of each other and the Russian Revolution.  Starting small before I decide to delve into War and Peace.  A book that has been on my reading list for years, but the sheer size of it daunts me.  I think I'm ready though.

Finally....  There is the possibility that Neither John nor Olga were interviewed for the 1930 census and the answers were given by a neighbor.  Not a totally unlikely situation, if no one was home the day the Enumerator arrived.  I hope the answers will present themselves in the future.

Comments??!!

Some cool stuff on this census is the value of the home.  Johns house is in the median range of his neighbors. Almost everyone in this neighborhood owned a radio, which show a certain affluence. I've looked at a lot of 1930 census' and owning a Radio was not a common thing.

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NOTES: 1930 census *
 Unemployment Schedule (listed in John Sr. profile) If the respondent did not work the previous day (or last regular work day, if the previous day was a weekend, holiday or day off), there was an unemployment schedule. The # refers to that particular unemployment schedule addendum to the ED's population schedule. The unemployment schedules have not survived.   I am of the opinion that the number 6 is the code here and na may just mean Not Applicable..  (I could be wrong)

Here is the web page/forum where I found that information. (you will have to copy/paste)
http://boards.ancestry.com/thread.aspx?mv=tree&m=5133&p=topics.census.us.general

What happened to the Farm Schedules, Unemployment Schedules?    RE:  http://www.archives.gov/research/census/1930/general-faqs.html#schedules

None of these records have been located with the exception of the farm schedules for Alaska, Guam, American Samoa, the Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico.

April 22, 1930 was a Tuesday - So not a normal "day off" kind of day.  That being said... If a neighbor dictated the information to the Enumerator, would they have known that John didn't work the day before??