I’m looking at a 1940 US Census entry taken in Philadelphia, in which a woman born before the Irish Free State existed listed it as her birthplace. The Irish Free State was dissolved before the census, in 1937, so her choice to use that name seems like a testament to potential pro-Treaty political beliefs? In the 1950 US Census she lists her birthplace as ‘Ireland.’
Thank you!
Edit: The census taker wrote down “Northern Ireland” or “Ireland” in other close by entries, so “Irish Free State” seems a deliberate choice by the person in question.
Do you know when this person emigrated to America? If it was between 1922-1937, is it possible that she believed the Irish Free State was the proper or official name for her country of birth, but did not know this name was no longer in use?