Grandparents in the 1940 Census

The 1940 US Census has been a great source of information in my family history search. I have found three of my four grandparents in Indianapolis, while my Granny and her family were in Tucson, Arizona. I have also found three great-grandparents in Indianapolis, my Gumpy's parents, and my Grandma Lois (Elizabeth Lois Whitley Reid Turner).

Jones Family
My Gumpy, Keith D Jones, and his parents, Edgar Lawrence Jones and Alma Oyler Jones, were living in a rental property on West Washington Street in Ward 9, Indianapolis, Center Township, Marion County, Indiana.

My great-grandmother Alma provided the answers to the census taker's questions. Alma indicated that Edgar was a car salesman, and that she was a cook in a restaurant. Edgar brought home $1050 in 1939, while Alma's cook salary brought home $416. Alma reported that my Gumpy was working as a clerk in a retail grocery, and he brought home $780. He was 19 years old at the time.

Blanche O'Brien
On another side of Indianapolis, my grandmother Blanche Allene O'Brien was living at 811 1/2 63rd Street (off College, in the heart of Broad Ripple), in Ward 21, Washington Township, Marion County, Indiana. She was 27 years old at the time, and she was a beautician in her own beauty shop. She was listed as head of household, living with Rena Briswell (age 31, renter, from Newton County, Indiana, who was working as a teacher in a business college).

My Dad says he remembers going into the beauty shop and that it was located around the corner from the Vogue Theater, along the main strip in Broad Ripple.

The 1940 Census was taken a year and a half before Blanche and my Gumpy were married, so it is interesting to see this snapshot of their lives at this time. Blanche running her own beauty shop, in her late 20s, and my Gumpy just starting out, but still living at home.

Edward and Lois Turner
In Ward 14, Center Township, Marion County, my Grandma Lois and her second husband Edward Turner were living at 1341 Kentucky Avenue. Edward answered the census questions. My Grandpa Leo was 19 years old at the time and working as a mechanic in an auto shop. Edward and Lois were running a boarding house, and they had 4 lodgers. Grandma Lois' uncle Felix Mathews and his family were living several houses down the street.