Daily AncestorSW
SW in the 1940 census veterans column means service in both the Spanish-American War and the World War.
The 1940 census asked whether a man was a veteran, or the wife, widow or young child of one, and then named the war with a symbol: W for the World War, S for the Spanish-American War, Philippine Insurrection or Boxer Rebellion, SW for both, R for peacetime regular service and Ot for any other.
For a wife, widow or child, the code refers to the husband's or father's service, so SW on a woman's line describes her husband.
As seen in a recordVeteran columns of the 1940 census
Brandle, Otto, Head, M, W, 63 ... Yes, SW
How to cite this page
Daily Ancestor. "SW." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/abbreviations/census-sw. Last checked 2026-10-12.