And, thanks to the 1940 census site getting a tad less wonky as the day goes on, I now can see my German-born paternal grandparents — and my father. My grandfather Hugo Ernst Geissler is in line 44. My grandmother, who as far as I have ever known in my lifetime was always called by her first name of Marie and never by her middle name of Margarethe, is in line 45 — as Margarite — and she’s the one shown as providing the information!
1940 Cook County IL - my paternal grandparents
And I think the cross-out in my father’s citizenship column in line 46 is because he still had German citizenship and didn’t get to choose to accept his derivative citizenship (based on his parents’ naturalization) until he turned 21. On 5 July 1942. Great choice, huh? “Accept U.S. citizenship or, gee, how’s an internment camp as an enemy alien sound, kid?”
They were in the same house they’d been in five years earlier — and they appear to have owned it — something I never knew. Looks like I’m gonna need to look at deed records…
There was a scheme in Chicago where you “bought” the house by paying the interest but not the principal. 30 years down the road you still owed the entire principal. I don’t know if this was in widespread use or only used in certain immigrant neighborhoods or what. I will be interested in your deed research.
Hmmm… I wasn’t aware of that, Cheryl. It’ll be interesting to see what the story was here. I never knew my paternal grandparents — both were dead before I was born — so this whole look into their lives is a journey into the unknown! Thanks for the tip.