1930 US Federal Census
Chicago, Cook, Illinois
This is the first American census that my grandparents Paul and Dagmar are in
noted from this census:
*This appears to be the first time they have dropped the "sen" from Sevaldsen and have shortened their name to Sevald. Later in September of 1930 Paul will become naturalized and make the name change official.
*Address is 1807 N. California Ave. which at this time is a mostly a Scandinavian immigrant neighborhood. They rent one apartment of this two flat building for $50 a month. The owner of the building occupies the other unit. This was no more than a 3 bedroom apartment and they have 4 roomers with them, a married couple and two single gentlemen.
*They own a radio, important enough to be a question on census records?
*Paul was 26, Dagmar 21 when they married
*Paul is said to be a "mechanic" at a "printing press". In actuality he was a machinest. He was still at work even though the country is one year into the Great Depression. It states Dagmar is at home which was common, almost universal, for married women at that time. She had worked earlier as domestic help for a rich Danish gold-coast family.
*Dagmar is still an alien but Paul although not quite a citizen does have his first papers or intent to naturalize. It is noted they arrived in 1923. (Dagmar actually immigrated a year later in 1924)
*They have had two children. My uncle Arnold (1925) and my mother Grace (1927).
1807 N. California still stands (2015) just two houses from the elevated tracks. My mother remembered riding the train on Sunday afternoons "for fun". They would go to the end of the line and back again numerous times, each time hollering and waving to their parents as they passed them sitting on the back porch visiting with friends. I am then guessing that they occupied the second floor apartment.
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