Operation Granny Files · Page 1 of 2
Make each clue traceable
06
EVIDENCE
No JavaScript needed: Print both pages. Use the workbook’s 1920 Moore sample on printed page 49, or an adult-selected historical record. The sample is a teaching example, not a verified historical transcription. The online decoder’s synthetic 1940 Moore household is a different practice record; do not mix them. A grown-up may scribe; skip private topics.
1 · Locate and decode
Mark the source as a teaching sample or historical record. Use the key for that census year; abbreviations and categories change. Historical labels reflect their time and may be unjust; they do not define a person’s worth or identity.
Source type / collection or workbook / census year / place
Where to find it again / sheet or page / household or row
Use a stable source reference, not a login link or private address.
Heading or abbreviation → meaning / key used / confidence
2 · Separate the entry from the explanation
Answer the workbook’s nine sample questions on printed pages 49–50. Add row and column clues. A census age suggests an approximate birth year, not an exact birth date.
What the entry states / supporting row and column
My inference / why I am unsure / what could check it
“Not recorded” is different from “none.” An entry alone cannot explain someone’s circumstances.
Family Portrait in Words
Write a short paragraph using the sample’s clues. Label imagined details “I imagine” and distinguish them from what the record states. Continue on extra paper if needed.
Operation Granny Files · Page 2 of 2
Compare with care
3 · Then and now
Fictional 2026 snapshot — invented practice data: Avery: reference person, 40, born Oregon, bus driver. Jordan: partner, 38, born Ohio, librarian. Casey: child, 12, born Oregon, Grade 7. This invented household rents its home. It is not related to either Moore example.
Default to this fictional snapshot. Alternatively, make an adult-approved private paper snapshot using safe labels; omit or skip sensitive details. Compare with the workbook’s 1920 sample or your adult-selected record. Mark which sources you used.
Then source/year / now source/date:
| Category | Then · entry and row | Now · entry and person label |
|---|---|---|
| Household / relationships | ||
| Ages / birthplaces | ||
| Work or school / own or rent |
Biggest difference / one similarity / what these snapshots cannot tell me
What might surprise someone from then? What would I ask them?
Label imagined reactions as guesses; two households cannot represent everyone in either year.
4 · Hand the question forward
Date / finding and confidence / open question / next source or action:
Which interview, document, tree or log skill helped, and how?
Update your Unit 5 Research Log. Keep both census records or safe copies with this comparison in your private Family Research Collection; include this printed fictional snapshot if used.
Check the whole unit together
Discuss why a census helps; review the Decoder Ring; finish the nine sample questions and portrait; play Census Bingo in the workbook (printed pages 51–52). Find Your Family (printed pages 53–54) remains optional, with adult guidance; no account or search is needed for this kit. Keep the comparison and update the log. This kit supports, rather than replaces, the workbook activities.