Are you ready for the 1940 United States Census? It is the biggest, most exciting, genealogy resource that will be released in 2012. If you are new to genealogy, or, if this is the first census that you will be using as a resource, you might need some guidance. Here are some online resources that can help you to get the most out of your 1940 Census research.
FamilySearch might be a good place to start. This website has enlisted the aid of volunteers who will be indexing the names that appear in the 1940 census. When the census is first released, it will not have a search engine that will let you search it by the name of your ancestor. FamilySearch is going to have one on their website shortly after the census is released.
Want to volunteer to help FamilySearch create that index? There is information about how to get started doing that on their website. They have put together a detailed page about the 1940 United States Census that contains historical information from the time the census was taken. They also have an indexing simulation that you can try.
The National Archives has an Official 1940 Census website. Right now, the only thing on it is a video. The website says that the 1940 Census will be opening April 2, 2012, at 9:00 in the morning, Eastern Time.
Further details at the bottom of the page say: “The 1940 Census is an official web site of the U.S. Government, administered by the National Archives and Records Administration in partnership with Archives.com”. It would be a good idea to visit this page on, or after, the 1940 Census is released.
Ancestry.com has a free, downloadable, guide that genealogists can use to get the most out of their research with the 1940 Census. It is called “10 Census Questions That Lead to Answers”. The answers to these questions will give you clues about what other record collections at Ancestry.com would be a good idea for you to search through.
FamilyTree Magazine has a well written blog called “Looking Forward to ’40”. It has a good explanation about what an enumeration district is, and why it is important to know which one your ancestors were in when the census was taken. It has some good suggestions about where to look in order to find that out. Their blog also has details about the 34 questions that the enumerators asked people who took the 1940 Census.
Family Tree Magazine also has a podcast episode that was released in July of 2011. This episode covers many topics, including a discussion about the 1940’s census enumeration districts, with Genealogy Insider Diane Haddad.
Image by U.S. Department of Agriculture on Flickr