Did You Know?

The 1940 U.S. Census was indexed in record time! Read this article to learn more about the reasons it went so fast!

The 1940 Census Indexing is Complete!

Look...it's my dad!

This is so cool to see my dad in the context of a son with his parents! What a treasure the 1940 Census is! If you haven't yet found your ancestors on the 1940 Census, give it a shot at FamilySearch.org or Ancestry.com. The 1940 Census opened up a whole new world for lots of us. It's like we can touch our ancestors! For more information on the 1940 Census, check out this article published in the Daily Herald a few days ago.

Indexing Update on the 1940 Census

Did you know that the 1940 U.S. Census on FamilySearch.org is 92.47% indexed? Below is the list of the states that are not 100% done yet.

Maryland 83%                    South Carolina 58%
Massachusetts 63%            North Carolina 78%
Wisconsin 95%                   Georgia 85%
Michigan 61%                    New Jersey 41%
Tennessee 74%                  Connecticut 92?
Ohio 90%


If you would like to help with the indexing (there are many, many records to index besides the 1940 Census), click here for more information!

Are You An Arbitrator for the 1940 Census?

Arbitration is very important in getting the quality of the indexing right on the 1940 Census. Please don't take offense, but these "10 Commandments" from FamilySearch will help you be the best arbitrator that you can! Thanks for all of your hard work! It benefits us all!

Infographic from Archives.com

Why all the hype about the 1940 Census? Take a look at the infographic below from Archives.com. It shows why we should be excited about the 1940 Census and also the way to find your family BEFORE the index is ready to use! Have fun! Your family is out there just waiting to be found!

Let's Get Indexing!

As of 9:00 am MDT, today, images for the 1940 US Census for Colorado, Delaware, Kansas, Oregon, and Virginia were posted on FamilySearch to index. Let's get indexing!

Help Index the 1940 Census!

They're here! The images from the 1940 Census have been released! I was going to post some helps for the 1940 Census, but GraniteGenealogy beat me to it! So, head over there to get a whole bunch of help on what to do and where to go to make the most of the 1940 Census! Before you do that, though, watch this video on what you can do to help the indexing project along! Thanks to Dear Myrtle for the YouTube Video!

We're Getting Closer!

Under Creative Commons License: Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike

The 1940 Census is Coming!

This coming Saturday at the Riverton FamilySearch Library you can learn more about the upcoming 1940 Census. Read more info here!

Another post providing information about the 1940 Census can be found on the Genea-Musings blog written by Randy Seaver. Great notes!

1940 US Census! Time to Get Excited!

I stumbled upon this YouTube video this morning. I must say that the thought of the 1940 US Census warms my heart! I too would love to hold up a picture of a relative and say, "He's in it!"



If you would like to discover "who's in it?" please consider volunteering to help index the 1940 US Census! Head on over to familysearch.org/1940census to sign up! Many indexers means faster access to those records of the "Greatest Generation!" Speaking of the "Greatest Generation," click here to see an enlightening little tidbit from the 1940's.

Bring on the 1940 Census!

http://www.1940census.net/

2012 will bring us the 1940 census! Yahoo! I can't wait! While we all sit and twiddle our thumbs waiting for April 2, 2012, I thought that I would direct you to a couple of posts that are interesting and informative about what to expect with the 1940 census. The first one is by Randy Seaver, who posted a Q and A session about the 1940 census with Julie Hill of Archives.com. The second article is from FamilySearch. I saw this small post in the Daily Herald Newspaper, December 24, 2011.  It talks about the role of FamilySearch with the 1940 census. Also check out the 1940 Census website. We will be hearing lots about the 1940 census in upcoming months. A good number of us have relatives that were alive in the 1940's and they should be in this census. More family history information! More clues to work with! As I said before, Yahoo!

Ancestry Announcement!

Photo Credit: PatriotIcon.org

1940 U.S. Census to be Free on Ancestry.com

PROVO, UTAH (August 17, 2011)- Ancestry.com, the world’s largest online family history resource, today announced that both the images and indexes to the 1940 U.S. Federal Census will be made free to search, browse, and explore in the United States when this important collection commences streaming onto the website in mid-April 2012.

When complete, more than 3.8 million original document images containing 130 million plus records will be available to search by more than 45 fields, including name, gender, race, street address, county and state. It will be Ancestry.com’s most comprehensively indexed set of historical records to date.

Ancestry.com is committing to make the 1940 Census free from release through to the end of 2013, and by doing so hopes to help more people get started exploring their family history. As this census will be the most recent to be made publicly available, it represents the best chance for those new to family history to make that all-important first discovery.
“The release of the 1940 U.S. Census will be an exciting event for any American interested in learning more about their family history,” said Ancestry.com CEO Tim Sullivan. “By making this hugely important collection free to the public for an extended period, we hope to inspire a whole new generation of Americans to start researching their family history.”

“Ancestry.com is working to make the 1940 Census a truly unique interactive search experience...as well as the starting point to help new users easily get started on the world’s leading online family history resource. After finding that first family connection in the 1940 Census, we believe new users will be able to make amazing discoveries by searching our 7 billion digitized historical records, exploring the 26 million family trees created on Ancestry, and collaborating with our nearly 1.7 million subscribing members. We think that 2012 is going to be a great year of discovery for all family historians.”

Are You Ready?

1940's

Franklin D. Roosevelt, circa 1940
http://americasbesthistory.com/abhtimeline1940.html

For what you may ask? For 1 April 2012! Date doesn't ring a bell? Oh yeah, it's April Fool's Day, but this is no joke! Well, yeah, it is. 1 April 2012 is a Sunday, so we will have to wait until 2 April 2012 for the release! For humble (or not so humble) genealogists, that date is significant because the National Archives will release the 1940 Census films. Yahoo! That date marks the end of the mandatory 72 year privacy window. Of course, there won't be an index available at that time, but we know how to work without indexes, don't we? To see all of the questions asked and to learn more about the 1940 Census, go to http://1940census.net. This site will give you information about the census form itself, 1940 maps, and general information about the 1940 Census. Click on the above link and learn all about the decade of the 40's. It will definitely give you a backdrop for your ancestor's lives!