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Anna Meier’s 1929 immigrant ID card. Image courtesy Debra Steidel Wall.

Census Records Solve National Archives Adoption Mysteries

Deputy Archivist of the United States Debra Steidel Wall, second from right, with her sister and biological half first cousins in 2018. Photo courtesy Debra Steidel Wall.

Deputy Archivist of the United States Debra Steidel Wall shares her personal journey of discovery in this latest National Archives News Standout Census Story, Using the U.S. Census to Solve Adoption Mysteries.The National Archives will release the records of the 1950 Census online on April 1, 2022.

Read the story to learn:

What sparked the Deputy Archivist’s interest in genealogy?
What did she learn through census records?
How she find her father’s biological parents?
How did she use old original records and modern apps to create extensive family trees?
How does she continue to help others discover their pasts and connect with relatives?
How did she use census records and DNA test results to connect NARA great Sam Anthony with his biological father just days before Sam died?

This newfound genetic genealogy hobby has again driven home to me the importance of our mission and our work at the National Archives. It’s both exhilarating and humbling to see firsthand how our records can make a highly personal and meaningful difference in someone’s life, including my own.

I’m eager for the 1950 Census release, and I’m grateful for the work National Archives staff is doing to prepare. I’ve got some more mysteries to solve.-Debra Steidel Wall

Sam Anthony and Craig Nelson in 2021. Photo courtesy of Debra Steidel Wall.

Thanks to Debra Steidel Wall’s genealogy research, Sam Anthony was able to identify his birth parents and connect with his biological father, Craig Nelson, just days before his death.

Read the incredible New York Times story:
52 Years in 11 Days: A Son, Facing Death, Finds His Father
After struggling with cancer for years, Sam Anthony was running out of time. Before he died, he found the courage to mail a letter that he had long been afraid to send.

See also Beth McNichol’s moving profile of Sam in the Carolina Alumni Review:The Guiding Light.