In April, the U.S. National Archives published online the full set of records from the 1940 United States census. The records are published as images and have not been indexed, so they are a bit difficult to search. However, you can easily find the records for a particular location and examine the images for that location to search for names and addresses.

Above is the record for Thacher Island. If you click on it, you should be able to open it in a larger size for easier viewing.

It lists six residents of the island:

• George W. Seavey, light keeper, age 53, together with his wife Annie, age 49, and daughter Idella, age 16.
• Harry A. Wilbur, light keeper, age 36, together with his wife Louise, age 38.
• Austin B. Beal, light keeper, age 51.

The document also tells how much each man earned for his work as light keeper. Geary was paid $1,500 a year, Wilbur $1,200 a year and Beal $1,440.

Seavey was the principal light keeper from 1935 to 1945, according to Paul St. Germain’s book, Twin Lights of Thacher Island, Cape Ann. Beal succeeded him as principal keeper in 1945 and served through 1948.