Genealogy #69: Database Researching

Searching in the 1920 census via Heritage Quest led me to this entry for my grandfather, Walter Edmunds, age 32, who lived in Blue Island, Illinois, at that time. Part of the chart I found is copied below. The record shows that he was a railroad engineer, and that his father was from England and his mother was from Wales.

Also shown under his name is my grandmother, Cecil, age 33, whose father was born in Scotland and whose mother was born in Illinois. Then my father, Robert Edmunds, is listed. He was only 10 months old at the time.

A bonus that I had not expected is that my grandmother's parents are also shown on this sheet, just below my grandparents. They must have shared a home or lived next door at that time. Thomas Roberston was 58, and Dora his wife was 56. Thomas was a section foreman for the railroad. His parents were from Scotland, and Dora's parents were both from Germany.


This record also shows my grandmother's 28-year-old sister, Mary Robertson. She worked as a stenographer for a paint company.

It is wonderful how records such as these can be accessed so easily through the Internet now. When I started my family history research in 1978, I had to travel to a large library and spend hours searching through census records on microfilm reels.