Daily AncestorSP
SP in the 1930 census veterans column means the man served in the Spanish-American War of 1898.
The 1930 census asked men 21 and older whether they were veterans and, if so, of which war. SP was the suggested short form for the Spanish-American War, fought between Spain and the United States from April to August 1898.
The 1940 census grouped this war with the Philippine Insurrection and the Boxer Rebellion under the single letter S, and wrote SW for a man who served in both the Spanish-American War and the World War. In 1930 those wars still had codes of their own.
As seen in a recordVeteran columns of the 1930 census
Ward, Edwin, Head, M, W, 54 ... Yes, SP
Sources
How to cite this page
Daily Ancestor. "SP." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/abbreviations/census-sp. Last checked 2026-10-10.