The census taker made a number of errors on this record. For example my mother is listed as the son of her parents rather than their daughter. And at just seven years old, she had already attended school for seven years:

Tolf and Walton in 1940

But the record still provided some interesting information. Particularly when compared to what I know about the people who lived in this building. And especially after seeing the building in person.

A couple summers ago Mr. W2L4A and I wandered around taking pictures of the Chicago neighborhoods in which my ancestors lived:

4437 N Whipple Street, Chicago Illinois

What shocked me about this building, the one in which my mother had lived for nearly all her life, was it’s proximity to the building next door:

the gangway between buildings on Whipple Street

The census record told part of the story, but our in-person visit was worth a thousand words.