In the Census: Triple Play!

"Keep to the right and blow your horn!"

That was the refrain my grandmother and her siblings chanted as they made their way west from Idaho along the Columbia River Gorge via historic U.S. Route 30. This week's 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks prompt is "In the Census". I knew the Smith family had visited my great grandfather's hometown of Ukiah, California, when my grandmother was young but the census unexpectedly helped pinpoint the dates for one trip.

I had previously located the Smith family in 1920 living in Twin Falls, Idaho, exactly where I expected them to be. Curiously, they were enumerated twice on the same page, in two different handwritings. One entry was crossed out, so the enumerators realized their mistake. The basic details of the two entries are all pretty accurate, and consistent, but there are a few discrepancies. Son Ralph's middle name is recorded as Hanson by one enumerator and correctly as Haven by the other. Daughter Lois Margaret's name is half right and half wrong in both enumerations! 

Fourteenth Census of the United States, 1920. Twin Falls Ward 2, Twin Falls, Idaho. 
NARA T625-295; Enumeration District 296, Page: 17B; Line: 54; Arthur Clinton Smith. 

Ibid, line 66.

The surprise was also finding the family at 512 Arizona Avenue in Santa Monica, California. There was no question this was the right family as the names and details are incredibly consistent with the two Idaho enumerations. But Santa Monica? My Idaho-born-and-raised grandmother never mentioned living in California!

Fourteenth Census of the United States, 1920. Santa Monica, Los Angeles, California. 
NARA T625-116; Enumeration District 600, Page: 4B; Line: 84; Clinton A. Smith.

As it turns out, it's all in the details. Isn't it always? One important detail to note was the federal census was conducted on January 1st in 1920. Another was that Arthur's mother, Mary Osborn(e) is listed with the family in all three enumerations. Sometime after finding the Smith family in California, the Idaho Statesman newspaper became available online for the time period I was interested in. I searched every name permutation I could think of for the extended Smith family in search of little tidbits to help add detail to my family's story. The discovery of the following two news items finally brought the whole census mystery into focus!

The Idaho Statesman, November 19, 1919, pg. 11.

The Idaho Statesman, February 25, 1920, pg. 6. 

Clearly, the Smith family wasn't in Idaho at the time of the census. But it was understood they were returning to their permanent home. The timing was just right, however, for them to be recorded at their temporary winter address in California. If it wasn't for the census, these news items might not have captured my attention, thus solving the mystery of the three enumerations!