According to the 1920 Hawaii Census, there are added initials above Father & Mother place of birth and Mother tongue entries. Listed as Gilbert Islands (south seas island chain) initials O.S. And Tongue Tokelau (south sea Island) initials O.L What does O.S. and O.L mean?
Nov 12, 2019 9:17 AM
Dear Ms. Taranto,
Thank you for posting your request on History Hub!
In regards to the initials O.S. above the place of birth, it may actually be listed as O.C. and means “Other Caucasian”. We suggest reading this Ancestry Message Board for further research clarification.
The O.L initials above the Mother Tongue entry may mean “Other Language”, as Tokelau is not the official language of the Gilbert Islands. Here is a Department of Commerce “Instructions to Enumerators” for the 1920 census that may be of use to your family research questions.
We hope this is helpful! Best of luck with your family research!