Bubbie's Bubbie in the 1940 US Census

My mother-in-law's family was in Woodbine, Cape May County, New Jersey, for decades. I already wrote about finding her and her family in the 1940 Census here. Across the street (Jackson Avenue) was my mother-in-law's grandmother, Goldie Levitt.

Detail from 1940 U.S. Census, Woodbine, Cape May, New Jersey, Roll T627_2324, E. D. 5-48,
page 1B, line 74, household of Goldie Levitt

The 1940 U.S. Census tells me the following about "Bubbie's Bubbie": Goldie owned her home, and it was valued at $2,000. She is the only one listed in her household. The next columns indicate that she is female, white, 62 years old, and widowed. (Her husband died in 1935.) Actually, I believe she was at least 70 or 71 years old based on other records.

"No" in the next column indicates that she did not attend school during the previous year and the following column reports that the highest grade of school completed was 0 (zero). I have noted before that this "highest grade of school completed" for immigrants is quite low and I wonder if it was hard to determine an equivalent of their schooling in the U.S. education system, or perhaps some immigrants truly had very little in the way of formal schooling.

Goldie was born in Russia and is a "NA" naturalized citizen. (See her immigrant passenger list here.) The last column above indicates that she lived in the "Same Place" in 1935. However, I believe it could have been the same house, since the Levitt family is found on Jackson Avenue in the U.S. Federal Censuses for 1930, 1920, and 1910.

The remaining information for "Bubbie's Bubbie" tells me that she worked at home as "Housekeeper" and that she received income of $50 or more from sources other than money wages or salary. As no boarder was listed with her on April 1, 1940, perhaps the income was from a boarder earlier in the year.

Below is a photograph of Goldie Levitt's former home on Jackson Avenue in Woodbine, as photographed during a visit in August 2003.

Bubbie is a Jewish or Yiddish term for Grandmother. Goldie Levitt is "Bubbie's Bubbie" because of the following relationships:

Golda (Segal) Levitt (Mother-in-law's Bubbie)

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Rose (Levitt) Goldstein (Husband's Bubbie,

known as Bub in her later years when she was a great-grandmother)

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Mother-in-law (My children's, nieces' and nephews' Bubbie)

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Husband (and siblings)

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Children (and cousins)