Tag Archives: #Elkins

1940 Census – Frank and Mary Elkins Family

In the 1940 Census, the Frank and Mary Elkins family was living at 3045 Anderdon Street in Detroit, Michigan. The rent was $30 a week and they had lived in the same house in 1935.  Everybody in the household had been identified as “W(hite)”, that was crossed out and “Neg(ro)” was written over it. Unfortunately, no household on this page has the person who provided the information to the enumerator identified.

Frank Elkins at work.

The father of the family, Frank Elkins, was 57 years old and had completed 4 years of high school. He worked at an auto plant as a  courtesy driver. One of his granddaughters has informed me that he worked as a driver for Graham Paige Motors.

Three Marys - daughter Mary, mother Mary and my Aunt Mary V. Graham.

His wife, Mary, was 47 and not employed outside the home. She had completed 2 years of High school. She had made $50 in the last year outside of wages or salary.  Daughter Mary was 21 and single.  She had completed 4 years of high school and was not enrolled in school. She was not employed outside of the home.

Mother Mary Elkins and son Frank “Bud” Elkins

Young Frank was 19, single and had completed 1 year of college. He had attended school sometime since March 1, 1940. He was not employed.  His daughter, Dee Dee, remembers that Frank graduated with honors from Cass Technical High School and went right to work, starting  Elkin’s Electric Company.  He tried to join the Electricians Union, but they barred Black folks from joining.  In 1941 Frank and my aunt Mary V. Graham were married at Plymouth Congregational Church.

1940 Census – Where We Lived in Detroit

Several days ago Cassmob’s of Family history across the seas blog had an interactive map of places she’s been writing about in Papua, New Guinea. I immediately went to Google Maps to figure out how to do it myself. Below is a map of places my family lived during the 1940 Census in Detroit. If you click on the blue markers it will tell you who lived there and how they are related to my grandparents.


View 1940 Detroit, Michigan – Where we lived in a larger map

Detroit is divided by Woodward Avenue into Westside and Eastside. My Cleages are all clustered close on the Westside, which is also where I grew up. The Grahams are more spread out on the Eastside. Plymouth had a vibrant youth group program in the 1930 and that is where my parents met. The old Plymouth Congregational Church was urban renewed in the late 1970s and moved location but in 1940 it was located at Garfield and Beaubien, right in the middle of what is now the Detroit Medical Center.

There is a way to insert pop up photographs too which I am going to figure out next.