Many towns in the 1930 Census didn’t have street numbers, so of course those numbers don’t show up on the census microfilm, released earlier this year by the National Archives.

Cities such as Bangor, however, do have street numbers listed, and a check of the City Directory for 1931 showed that numbers did correspond to street addresses in the census.

The directory matched up with the census record for 473 Hammond St., where I found a listing for the family of Carlyle Sweet, a sales manager for the Gas Works.

Sweet, age 35, lived with his wife, Elsie B., 31; and their three children: Dana W., 10; Joan E., 9; and Lyle W., 1 9/12, that is, 1 year and nine months.

The family rented their dwelling at a cost of $50 a month, but did not have a radio set. Nearby rents, this sheet of the census indicated, went for $24 to $34 a month. Nearby homes occupied by owners were valued at $3,000 to $10,000.

The “place of birth” columns, as we’ve seen from earlier censuses, are most helpful. Carlyle was born in New Hampshire, as was his mother, but his father was born in New York. Wife Elsie was born in Indiana, as were her parents. Such info could save researchers from looking endlessly at city and town records in Maine for their birth information.

Other categories included in this census are occupation, industry, and whether employed.

One of the last columns for each person is veteran status – and which war the person served in. Carlyle, for example, is listed as a veteran of WWI – World War I. Also enumerated are some veterans from the Spanish-American War.

On the same census page is the family of Albert P. Cormier at 425 Hammond St., at the same address as the Harry W. Allen family. Cormier, 31, resided with wife Ruth M., 28, and 3-month-old daughter Marie T.

Cormier’s birthplace was listed as Canada-French, a helpful notation that would lead us to look for his roots in Quebec or New Brunswick. Ruth was born in Massachusetts, with both parents listed as being born in “Irish Free State.” Census takers were directed to differentiate between Canada-English and Canada-French, and between Irish Free State and Northern Ireland.

The Cormier listing highlights another column in the census, “Language spoken in home before coming to United States.” Also of interest, under citizenship, is “Year of immigration to the United States,” 1902; and naturalization.

The notation “NA” indicated that Albert was naturalized. My thanks to Tom Roderick of Bar Harbor for getting me on track with that. I had misinterpreted it. Another question the census taker asked was whether the person could speak English, which Albert could.

When we’re searching for people in census records, it’s handy to know which questions were asked during which census. I like to use “Decennial Census Information at Columbia University Libraries” at www.columbia.edu/cu/lweb/indiv/dsc/census/

At that site, click on the year you want, and when the page comes up click on Census Questions. These lists will be most pertinent for 1790-1930, the censuses that are available on microfilm, except for the 1890 census, which is not available. However, you might also be interested in questions for later censuses, too.

The National Archives and Records Administration offers a Web page, “How to Research the 1930 Census Microfilm,” at http://1930census.archives.gov.

Initially, it appeared that no index would be available for 1930 except for 12 Southern states that had already been done. The staff at the Bangor Public Library tells us that the public may use the AncestryPlus database at the library, and that the whole census is indexed. There is a limit of one hour on this computer, so that all patrons can have access to it. The library is at 145 Harlow St.

The Mid-Coast Genealogy Group will hold its first meeting of the new year at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 22, at the LDS Church, Old County Road, Rockport. A roundtable discussion will allow participants to bring in problems or receive help on getting started on their family research. All are welcome. For information, contact Marlene A. Groves at 594-4293.

3209. HANSON-TURNER-MCININCH. Seeking any information regarding the family of Eliphalet Hanson, who md. Ann McIninch. Eliphalet, the son of Sylvester and Marie (Turner) Hanson, d. Jan. 2, 1885, at Great Pond. Eliphalet and Ann had four children: Ella, John, Rozelmer and Dudley L., my great-grandfather. Any info on Eliphalet or Ann appreciated. Pat Fillmore, 24 Field Crest Terrace, North Reading, MA 01864.

Send genealogy queries to Family Ties, Bangor Daily News, P.O. Box 1329, Bangor, ME 04402; or send e-mail to familyti@bangordailynews.net.