The Census Project

A new website has been launched which will allow anyone to research information on individuals who lived on Vashon-Maury Island since the beginning of formal record keeping.  Alice Larson and Bruce Haulman, through the assistance of King County 4Culture funding, have created The Census Project which, for the first time, brings together all of the Census data for Vashon-Maury island.

The Census Project is part of the web site vashonhistory.com, which has been newly revised with the help of webmaster Royce Wall.  The Project lists all Census data for Vashon-Maury Island from 1880 through 2010.  The Project presents this material in downloadable Excel spreadsheet format so that anyone can easily search the records to find out more about individuals or families that lived on the Island until 1940.  After 1940 only summary census data is available.
“We are very excited about this Project and the opportunity if offers for everyone interested in those who have ever lived on Vashon” said Alice Larson, the researcher/demographer and co-developer of this effort.  The site’s co-developers say they undertook the project because Vashon, unlike most areas, has stayed the same geographic area.

The Census Project also provides sections on “Research and Presentations” and “Charts and Graphs” where papers summarizing and analyzing the information are presented.

The redesigned Vashon History web site has other information, which will be of interest to those interested in Vashon History.  The includes a Vashon History section with drop downs that can take the user to the Vashon History Timeline, a Vashon-Maury Island Place Name glossary, an extensive Bibliography, and links to other Vashon history related web sites.  The Timeline is supplemented by a Newspaper Summaries section in development by Islander Mike Sudduth, who is working on a digest of articles in every issue of all Vashon newspapers. The website’s Publications section has drop downs for Vashon History Writings, the Beachcomber’s “Time&Again” Series, and various Vashon History Commentaries.  The Vashon 101 portal of the website concerns the course offered for the last seven years by Vashon College.  This section has drop downs for each of the course’s five class subjects related to Vashon: geology, historical ecology, modern ecology, human history, and demographics.

“Like any good ongoing research effort, the Vashon Census Project and the Vashon History Project are works in progress,” Bruce Haulman, co-developer of the Census Project noted.  “They are being continually revised and expanded.”  As you use the site, please let the Project staff know any corrections that should be made.  You are invited to add your analyses and observations using site information to the Project staff for possible publication on line.