INTERGENERATIONAL ASPECTS OF AGING

National Bureau Of Economic Research, Cambridge MA

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Abstract

Printed family histories and genealogical records provide the possibility of studying aging and mortality through the inclusion of intergenerational and family histories of individuals who were born between 1815 and 1847, some of whom (about 2150) served in the Union Army during the Civil War. This sample (known as the intergenerationally linked aging sample or ILAS) will be used in conjunction with the larger recruit sample known as the Public-Use Tape on Aging, 1830-1940. Information from census records, pension files and military records will be attached to the demographic data already collected from family histories. Once the sample is formed, analysis will be conducted to compare the aging and mortality experience of those who served in the military with those who did not. The interaction of military service and its various dimensions such as battle stress and disease exposure will be explored. In addition, intergenerational influences will be measured directly through the common family background of brothers in ILAS. This project will provide a reference point to judge many of the results obtained from the analysis of the core public-use tape.