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1940 US Federal Census Data Orono
Where one member of the family was an East European immigrant
Data extracted by DMJ consultants (2020)



Namedate of birthplace of birthmarriage statusrelation to head of householdaddressoccupationindustryresidence in 1935 highest gradedays worked in prior yearincome in prior year
Sophia Hillson1898LithuaniaMarriedWife14 Pine Street  SameElementary school, 8th grade00
Bernard Hillson1892LithuaniaMarriedHead14 Pine StreetPressmanTailor ShopSameElementary school, 8th grade52 
Murial Elfman1918LithuaniaSingleNiece14 Pine Street  LuthurniaHigh School, 4th year  
Kenneth Elfman1921LithuaniaSingleNephew14 Pine Street  LuthurniaHigh School, 4th year  
Harvey Hilson1924MaineSingleSon14 Pine Street  SameHigh School, 4th year  
Mary Ann Hillson1927MaineSingleDaughter14 Pine Street  SameElementary school, 8th grade  
Barney Pepper1886RussiaMarriedHead1 Middle StreetCattle Dealer SameElementary school, 8th grade52 
Janet Pepper1890RussiaMarriedWife1 Middle Street  SameElementary school, 8th grade00
Max Pepper1910MaineSingleSon1 Middle StreetCattle Dealer SameElementary school, 8th grade52 
Robert E Pepper1928MaineSingleSon1 Middle Street  SameElementary school, 7th grade  
Harold E Pepper1933MaineSingleSon1 Middle Street  SameElementary school, 2nd grade  
Ida Gass1885RussiaMarriedWifeMain Road Rural  SameNone  
Barney Gass1880RussiaMarriedHeadMain Road RuralTraderCattle FarmSameNone520
Samuel Gass1915MaineSingleSonMain Road RuralLaborer SameHigh School, 4th year52520
John Gass1922MaineSingleSonMain Road Rural  SameHigh School, 3rd year  
Samual Ames1893RussiaMarriedHead22 Mill StreetManagerBowling AlleySameElementary school, 8th grade522200
Fannie Ames1894New JerseyMarriedWife22 Mill Street  SameHigh School, 2nd year00
Barney Silver1879PolandMarriedHeadMain Road Rural Proprietor Cattle FarmSameElementary school, 6th grade00
Sarah Silver1888PolandMarriedWifeMain Road RuralHousewife SameElementary school, 5th grade00
Louis Silver1915MaineSingleSonMain Road RuralAttendantGas StationSameHigh School, 4th year500
Alex Silver1918MaineSingleSonMain Road RuralLaborer SameHigh School, 4th year00
Dorothy Silver1919MaineSingleDaughter-in-lawMain Road RuralNew Worker SameCollege, 4th year00
Lillian Silver1923MaineSingleDaughter-in-lawMain Road Rural  SameHigh School, 3rd year 

Methodological notes :

This data was culled from the original U.S. census manuscripts, as found on www.ancestry.com.
Jews are understood to constitute an ethnic group of Eastern and Central European origin characterized by common names and occupational pursuits, as well as a distinctive language.
This definition lends itself well to analysis of the data preserved in census records.
Two primary methods were used to identify Jews:
1. Individuals born abroad whose mother tongue is "Yiddish," "Jewish," or "Hebrew" were automatically included in the spreadsheet, as were all members of their families.
2. For individuals born abroad whose mother tongue was another Eastern or Central European language (e.g., Russian, Polish, German), or individuals born in the U.S. with one or more parents from Eastern or Central Europe, we examined surnames, given names within a household, and occupations in light of common Jewish characteristics. This method of analysis is, of course, subject to inaccuracy, as we may have excluded Jews with uncommon names or occupations or included non-Jews whose characteristics appear Jewish. Individuals listed with the annotation "nj?" in the far right-hand column are those whose Jewish ancestry is plausible but questionable.
This method of analysis easily misses Jewish households whose members' parents were all born in the United States. In 1930 Maine, however, such households were quite rare. Special efforts were made to identify households of this nature in Portland, where they constituted less than 1% of identified Jewish households.
All members of a household containing a Jew are included in the spreadsheet, with the exception of Jewish lodgers and servants, who are listed individually. Household members who are evidently not Jewish (such as non-Jewish servants and some spouses or in-laws) are listed with the annotation "nj."
Information on place of birth
Some people replied with the name of the place when they left; others replied with the name of place when the census was taken; in other cases it just seems that it was easier for the census taker to write ‘Russia’ rather than Lithuania, Ukraine or other unfamiliar country names.
And there is another reason to be skeptical of the accuracy of the place of birth information. Immigrants from the Pale had a very justified fear of the Russian and often local governments. One way to manage this reality was to tell government representatives what they expected they wanted to hear or what they thought would bring them the least trouble. This may well explain why a number of family members, who were clearly from Eastern Europe, may have answered ‘Maine’ or ‘New York’.

Last Updated : Jan 2 , 2021

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