1940 US Census FREE and completely indexed!

Great news! Ancestry.com has the entire 1940 US census indexed. And it's free.

Search the 1940 Census FREE at Ancestry.com

I've already had some fun and found several of hubs collateral lines in N. Dakota and Michigan.

Hope you have a successful hunt too!

Update: 15 more states added to 1940 US Census!

This morning at 10 AM MST Ancestry.com will be adding 15 more states to the 1940 US Census database.  Staff are working hard  at Ancestry.com to bring the 1940 US Census to the public, and are now very well ahead of schedule from our initial completion predictions. Enjoy searching the following states, and look for more states coming soon.

·        California
·        Washington
·        Kansas
·        Nebraska
·        Oregon
·        Alabama
·        Indiana
·        Georgia
·        Kentucky
·        Arizona
·        New Hampshire
·        Michigan
·        Wisconsin
·        Montana
·        Hawaii

Six More States Indexed for 1940 on Ancestry.com

Ancestry.com  released 6 more fully indexed and searchable states to their 1940 U.S. Federal Census collection. The 6 new states include (with corresponding record counts):

Pennsylvania - 9,900,180

Ohio - 6,907,612

Tennessee - 2,915,841

Virginia - 2,677,773

Colorado - 1,123,296

Vermont - 359,231

These states will join the collection on Ancestry.com with four other searchable states and Washington D.C. (ME, NV, DE, NY).

Update on Newly Indexed States for 1940 US Census

• 20 states have published searchable indexes on FamilySearch.org. These states include Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, and Wyoming.   
• 8 additional states are 100% indexed, arbitrated and in the final stage of preparation for posting. 
• 3 additional states are 99% indexed and arbitrated.

1940 US Census: 18 States Searchable by Name on FamilySearch

1940 U.S. CENSUS COMMUNITY PROJECT MAKES HISTORIC RECORDS FOR 18 STATES SEARCHABLE BY NAME, CELEBRATES MILESTONE OF 75 MILLION NAMES INDEXED THROUGH NATIONAL VOLUNTEER EFFORT

More than Half of the 1940 U.S. Census Records Indexed in Just Two Months Thanks to Thousands of Volunteers Across the U.S.

07 June 2012

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH (June 7, 2012) – The 1940 U.S. Census Community Project announced today that its searchable index of 1940 U.S. census records has reached – and surpassed – the halfway mark toward completion. Thanks to the efforts of more than 125,000 volunteers, more than 75 million names from the 1940 U.S. census have been indexed with 18 state records already available to the public on all Project partner websites, including the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), Archives.com, FamilySearch.org and findmypast.com. The records will also be made available in more than 7,000 public libraries nationwide in the coming months by ProQuest. The national service project, the first and largest of its kind, aims to establish a comprehensive searchable database and make the 1940 U.S. census records available for free.

 

Following just two months of volunteer indexing, records for the following 18 U.S. states are currently available and searchable by name, location and family relation:

• Alaska
• Arizona
• Colorado
• Delaware
• Florida
• Hawaii
• Idaho
• Kansas
• Louisiana
• Mississippi
• Montana
• Nevada
• New Hampshire
• Oregon
• Utah
• Vermont
• Virginia
• Wyoming

“We believe that all people deserve free access to the 1940 U.S. census records so they can learn more about their family history, ancestors and the past. With the help of the Community Project partners, and especially volunteer indexers across the nation, we’re halfway to our goal,” said Megan Smolenyak, spokesperson for the 1940 U.S. Census Community Project. “We didn’t expect to make this much progress only two months after the 1940 census records were released, so we’re excited and thankful to all of the enthusiastic volunteers.”

 

Since April 2, Community Project volunteers have indexed more than 75 million records and this number continues to grow quickly as more than 7,000 volunteers sign up each week. The timely progression of making the census records freely searchable online is a direct result of the growing numbers of volunteers. Those interested in lending a hand can learn more and sign up to be an official 1940 U.S. census volunteer indexer at the 1940 census website (the1940census.com). The project will release free searchable records for individual states as they are completed. 

 

The 1940 U.S. Census Community Project is a joint initiative between the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), Archives.com, FamilySearch.org, findmypast.com, ProQuest and other leading genealogy organizations. Thanks to advancements in technology, online volunteers worldwide can lend a voice to countless untold stories of their ancestors living, working and persevering as the “Greatest Generation.”

 

“Volunteer indexers have the unique opportunity to step into the past and read through hand-written records captured by census enumerators as they walked from house to house,” said Joshua Taylor, spokesperson for the 1940 U.S. Census Community Project. “Through indexing, volunteers are essentially reliving history and helping provide others with the access they need to gain greater insights into the life and times of their own ancestors more than 72 years ago.” 

 

To learn more about the 1940 U.S. Census Community Project, track real-time progress of volunteer indexing efforts or become a volunteer, visit the1940census.com.  

New States Indexed for 1940 US Census

Attention Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Montana family historians! The 1940 census index for those four states is now available at Archives.com
Eighteen states total are now free to search by name.

 Ancestry.com just added the index for New York to their existing indexes for Delaware, District of Columbia, Maine, and Nevada.

Six States Indexed for 1940 US Census on FamilySearch

The following announcement was received by Olive Tree Genealogy from FamilySearch

1940 U.S. Census Community Project Nearly Halfway Complete

22 May 2012

The halfway point for indexing the 1940 U.S. census is fast approaching. 

 

Congratulations and thank you to all of the volunteers participating in this unprecedented genealogical community effort. Currently more than 20 states are at or above 85 percent complete. Six states—Delaware, Colorado, Kansas, Oregon, Virginia, and New Hampshire—are now indexed and searchable by name, location, and family relations. And thanks to the efforts of more than 100,000 volunteers, more states will be added in the coming weeks. Follow the day-to-day indexing status at the1940census.com dashboard and search completed states at familysearch.org/1940census.

 

Current and Completed Projects

To view a list of currently available indexing projects, along with their record language and completion percentage, visit the FamilySearch indexing updates page. To learn more about individual projects, view the FamilySearch projects page.

 

View the FamilySearch projects page to see the full list of available projects and to learn more about how to participate in various projects.

 

From Record to Reality - Gleaning Your Family's Story of Service

Olive Tree Genealogy is very pleased to present an article by Guest Author Marie Rundquist. Marie's books (listed at end of article) are available at  buybooksontheweb.com (Infinity Publishing), Barnes and Noble, along with other Internet and E-book sources. 

From Record to Reality

Gleaning Your Family's Story of Service

by Marie Rundquist

May 2012

At Memorial Day events and backyard barbecues, we cherish the memories of our beloved men and women in uniform, share their treasured photographs, and display their medals of honor, but what do we really know of their stories?  As time passes, and wartime memories fade, an ancestor's military registration record, limited to the most basic of vital information, may be the only evidence of his service to his country.  While genealogists highlight marriages, births, and family lines in their research, military service is often incidental -- a footnote annotation in a charted family tree.  When I initially researched my own family history, I found elaborate details related to my ancestors' marriages, births, and deaths, but noted only a cursory mention of their military careers.  


At a recent memorial service for my husband's paternal uncle, we had the opportunity to witness the presentation of an American flag by an Honor Guard, a stunning tribute to my husband's “Uncle Ed” and his service to his country.  At Ed's viewing, there were many stories shared about his love of family, his devotion to his real-estate career, his ability to organize community events, and put people at ease, but little was said about his military service.  As he was laid to rest, and an American flag, folded into the shape of a three-cornered hat, was presented by the Honor Guard to surviving family, all in attendance were at once reminded that Ed had enlisted in the the military during World War II, and were deeply moved.


Ed's World War II enlistment record offers an abbreviated view of a high school graduate with machine-shop training, a single man with dependents, who were his immediate family. Challenged to complete Ed's story of service, I searched the 1930 Federal Census records and discovered that Ed was, in fact, the youngest in a family of eight, that his mother and father were originally from Poland.  I examined the census reports of adjacent households in Trenton, New Jersey's sixth ward, observed numbers of Czechoslovakian and Polish surnames in close proximity, and concluded that Ed lived in a tightly-knit, Eastern European immigrant community.  I browsed the recently published 1940 Federal Census and unearthed the roots of Ed's (and my husband's) deeply ingrained work-ethic, for according to the enumerator, Ed's three elder brothers all contributed to the household, and each held a job – as, respectively, a night-club musician, a factory-worker, and my father-in-law was, at the time of the1940 Federal Census, an apprentice linoleum layer for a department store.  According to the census taker, Polish was the language most commonly spoken at home in Ed's neighborhood..  


A 1941 parish directory was shared at Ed's memorial service, its pages lined with the photographs of young men in uniform, their faces full of hope, eyes bright and shining.  Leafing through the directory, I was reminded that while most view senior year as a launching point for college and careers, for a high school graduating class in the early 1940s, senior year was a weigh-station on a long and perilous journey – one that for many would end on foreign shores.  From a published obituary, I learned that Ed was an Air Force veteran of World War II, who served in the Asiatic Pacific campaign.  After returning home, Ed approached life with boundless optimism  -- that he, as a survivor of World War II,  had the opportunity to marry, buy a home, build a career, educate his children, and be of help to  his family and friends ranked highest among his concerns. A lover of music and song, and a devoted family man, Ed didn't “sweat the small stuff.”  Quibbling over trivial and insignificant events of the day simply didn't factor into Ed's priorities – nor did quibbling factor into his brother's priorities, as I recall, and certainly my husband is not a quibbler..


By extending my research beyond a single military registration record, to include the 1930 and 1940 Federal Census, newspaper articles, and other published sources, I gained insight into a family's shared traits, uncovered the greater reality that upheld “Uncle Ed's” military enlistment record, and, in honor of Memorial Day, advanced one enlisted man's story of service from footnote to front-and-center.



Marie Rundquist is a DNA project manager, collaborative research community moderator, president of an information systems consulting firm and author of Revisiting Anne Marie: How an Amerindian Woman of Seventeenth-Century Nova Scotia and a DNA Match Redefine “American” Heritage and Cajun by Any Other Name Recovering the Lost History of a Family and a People. For more information visit: http://dna-genealogy-history.com

Press Release: More States Indexed for 1940 US Census

The following announcement was received by Olive Tree Genealogy 

From Archives.com

We are happy to announce that the 1940 census name index for three more states - Florida, Utah, and Wyoming - are now available for free at Archives.com . (Archives members can also search these records in the Member area.)

These states join Colorado, Delaware, Kansas, New Hampshire, Oregon, and Virginia as part of the quickly-growing 1940 census index.

6 Indexed States for 1940 U.S. Census Now Available!

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH (May 9, 2012) – The 1940 U.S. Census Community Project announced today the availability of a free, searchable index of 1940 U.S. census records for six U.S. states, including Delaware, Colorado, Kansas, Oregon, Virginia and New Hampshire. Records for these states are now searchable by name, location and family relations thanks to the efforts of more than 100,000 volunteers nationwide.

“For the past month, Community Project partners have worked to establish the first free, searchable database of 1940 U.S. census records made possible entirely through the hard work of volunteers,” said Josh Taylor, spokesperson for the 1940 U.S. Census Community Project. “We’re proud to bring easily searchable 1940 U.S. census records for Delaware, Colorado, Kansas, Oregon, Virginia and New Hampshire online for people to learn about their ancestors and life and times in these states more than 72 years ago.”

Since April 2, Community Project volunteers have indexed more than 45 million records and this number continues to grow quickly as more than 10,000 volunteers sign up each week. Those interested in lending a hand can learn more and sign up to be an official 1940 U.S. census volunteer indexer at the 1940 census website (the1940census.com). The project will release searchable records for individual states on an ongoing basis with an aim to make the entire 1940 U.S. census searchable by the end of 2012.

The 1940 U.S. Census Community Project is a joint initiative between the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), Archives.com, FamilySearch.org, findmypast.com, ProQuest and other leading genealogy organizations. Thanks to advancements in technology and to volunteers nationwide, Project partners and volunteers can lend a voice to countless untold stories of their ancestors living, working and persevering as the “Greatest Generation.”

“When you index U.S. census records, what you’re essentially doing is stepping back in time and walking in the shoes of the enumerator some 72 years prior,” said Megan Smolenyak, spokesperson for the 1940 U.S. Census Community Project. “The indexing experience is much like walking down a street, ringing doorbells and learning about a specific neighborhood in 1940. Only now, volunteers can explore these fascinating records from the comfort of our own homes.”

To learn more about the 1940 U.S. Census Community Project and to track real-time progress of volunteer indexing efforts, visit the1940census.com.

New App from MyHeritage for Searching Records including 1940 U.S. Census

  The following announcement was sent to Olive Tree Genealogy by MyHeritage. MyHeritage was the first to put up indexes of the newly released 1940 U.S. Census and they continue to lead the field in their endeavors

World’s largest family network unveils new mobile experience for searching historical records, including the 1940 U.S. Census, on iPhone, iPad and Android 

PROVO, Utah & LONDON & TEL AVIV, Israel – April 5, 2012: MyHeritage, the most popular family network on the web, today announced the ability to search billions of historical records, including the 1940 U.S. Census, on-the-go via a new version of the free MyHeritage Mobile App for iPhone, Android and iPad. The new version 1.2 of the MyHeritage App also searches more than 22 million family trees, helping users with their family history research. The move further extends MyHeritage’s leadership by offering an intuitive and exciting experience for families to discover more about the lives of their American relatives in 1940 and to trace their roots around the world, all on-the-go.

The MyHeritage Mobile App was first introduced in December 15, 2011 and has since amassed an install base of more than 500,000. In addition to searching historical content, it allows users to take their family tree on-the-go with an attractive display specially suited for mobile devices, capture family moments for future generations and stay in touch with family anytime, anywhere.

As millions of people rush to satisfy their curiosity and access the 1940 US census - one of the most significant sets of historical records ever to be released - MyHeritage is currently the only commercial player offering both a complete set of images from all US states and a preliminary searchable index, available via the new MyHeritage App and on www.myheritage.com/1940census. Access is completely free and no registration is required.

All 3.8 million images of the 1940 U.S. Census, and the initial collection of indexed records searchable by names, facts and other criteria, are now available to explore for free on the MyHeritage App, downloadable from the App Store or Google Play (formerly Android Market). The app can search the entire MyHeritage data collection of more than four billion records, many exclusive to MyHeritage, including birth, marriage, death, immigration and military records, census records, newspapers, yearbooks and much more. Available in more than 20 languages, the app enables family history lovers all over the world to explore their family’s history.

Update re 1940 US Census from Ancestry

Ancestry has informed Olive Tree Genealogy that they should have every page, all 3.8 million of them, of the 1940 U.S. Census online on Ancestry.com sometime tomorrow (latest ETA is by 2 p.m. Eastern by this Friday – maybe sooner). At the same time, they’ll be launching a handful of tools that can help you find answers in those images.

Once all images are uploaded, Ancestry.com tells me they will move the focus to creating a searchable index for all 132 million records. Apparently this process has been underway since they picked up the images at 12:01 a.m. Monday.

Keep checking this blog for updates as I hear them from Ancestry and other sites with the census.

Searching the 1940 U.S. Census - Who Has What

Lots has been happening since the 1940 U.S. Census went live yesterday morning. As most of you know, it's not indexed yet so you have to search by location. The good news is that the census is free to search

And there have been problems. NARA's site went down within the first few hours of use. Over 22 million hits in 3 hours tends to do that to servers! They've now had over 37 million hits since 9:00 a.m. yesterday. Wow.

Other sites uploading the census images also had problems which they are working to correct. But let's talk about what sites have census images online.

NARA has all states uploaded and they also have an E.D. finder to help you narrow your search. If you use Steve Morse's One Step Unified 1940 Census ED Finder you will be provided with an automatic link to the correct images on NARA. I've been using Steve's site and so far have only had to search through less than 30 images in each group.

Ancestry.com has this chart online which is updated frequently

State	Image Status
Alabama	Coming Soon!*
Alaska
American Samoa	Completed 4/2/2012
Arizona
Arkansas
California	In Process*
Colorado	Coming Soon!*
Connecticut
Delaware	Completed 4/2/2012
District of Columbia	Completed 4/2/2012
Florida
Georgia	Coming Soon!*
Guam	Completed 4/2/2012
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana	Completed 4/2/2012
Iowa
Kansas	Coming Soon!*
Kentucky	Coming Soon!*
Louisiana
Maine	Completed 4/2/2012
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska	Coming Soon!*
Nevada	Completed 4/2/2012
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York	In Process*
North Carolina	Coming Soon!*
North Dakota
Ohio	In Process*
Oklahoma
Oregon	Coming Soon!*
Panama Canal Zone	Completed 4/2/2012
Pennsylvania	In Process*
Puerto Rico
Rhode Island	Completed 4/2/2012
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee	In Process*
Texas	In Process*
Utah
Vermont	Coming Soon!*
Virgin Islands	Completed 4/2/2012
Virginia	In Process*
Washington	In Process*
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming

*Imaging status was updated at 9:20 am MDT, 03 Apr 2012

FamilySearch.org  had the following states online as of 2 p.m. EDT: Alabama | Colorado | Delaware | Florida | Kansas | Oregon | Virginia

MyHeritage has images and their blog states that the following States are ready for searching: California, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maine, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, Missouri Wyoming and Rhode Island.

It's Here! The 1940 U.S. Census Arrives. And it's FREE

The following announcement was sent to Olive Tree Genealogy from Ancestry.com

The National Archives and Records Administration will open the 1940 U.S. Federal Census on April 2, 2012—the first time this collection will be made available to the public. Once we receive the census, Ancestry.com will begin uploading census images to our site so the public can browse them.  (Update from Lorine: Several states and their images are already online this morning)

 Initially, this collection will be what we call a browse-only collection. This means a person can scroll through the pages of the census districts much like you would look at a microfilm or a book. At the same time, we will be working behind the scenes to create an index of the census that will eventually allow people to search for their family members by name as they currently can with all other censuses on Ancestry.com.

Note also that the 1940 U.S. Federal Census will be accessible free of charge throughout 2012 on Ancestry.com.

By the way, two key questions people have are how long will the upload process take? and when will my state be ready. Unfortunately, until we start the process we have no idea exactly how long it will be before all images or a specific state will be uploaded.

We like to use this analogy: think about how long it takes to upload all of the images on a memory card onto a home computer. Now imagine that memory card holds 3.8 million, very-high-definition images. You get the picture.

You Can Help With the 1940 US Census (37 days and counting)

Are you ready? 37 more days until the 1940 US census comes online!

I was invited to be a 1940 US Census Ambassador and have signed up. If you would like to participate, you can submit a request to be an Ambassador or you can volunteer to help index the census.

Volunteer to be part of the 1940 US Census Community Project

Volunteer to be part of the 1940 US Census Community Project to help index the 1940 US Census

You can also follow the Twitter account for the 1940 US Census Community Project at @the1940Census

Register to become a 1940 Blog Ambassador 

As a 1940 Blog Ambassador, you will have access to exclusive content including badges for your site, blog post and contest ideas, blogger events, project updates and more. 1940 Blog Ambassadors will also have opportunities to be featured on the 1940 U.S. Census Community Project Official Blog.





Sponsors

The following websites and societies are sponsoring the 1940 US Census. Please pay them a visit.

Archives.com
FamilySearch
findmypast.com
Association of Professional Genealogists
Federation of Genealogical Societies
National Genealogical Society

Three Genealogy Powerhouses Join Forces to Publish 1940 US Census

News Release

For Immediate Release

16 December 2011

Three Genealogy Powerhouses Join Forces to Publish 1940 US Census
 
SALT LAKE CITY—Three leading genealogy organizations, Archives.com, FamilySearch International, and findmypast.com, announced today they are joining forces to launch the 1940 US Census Community Project. The ambitious project aims to engage online volunteers to quickly publish a searchable, high quality name index to the 1940 US Census after it is released in April 2012 by the National Archives and Record Administration of the United States (NARA). The highly anticipated 1940 US Census is expected to be the most popular US record collection released to date. Its completion will allow anyone to search the record collection by name for free online. Learn more about this exciting initiative or how to volunteer at www.the1940census.com.

The 1940 US Census Community Project is also receiving additional support from leading societal organizations like the Federation of Genealogical Societies, National Genealogical Society, and Ohio Genealogical Society.

The population of the US in 1940 was approximately 130 million. NARA’s census images will not have a searchable index. The goal of the 1940 US Census Community Project is to create a high quality index online linked to the complete set of census images as soon as possible. The index will allow the public to easily search every person found in the census and view digital images of the original census pages. The collection will be available online for free to the general public at Archives.com, FamilySearch.org, and findmypast.com, the sponsors of the community project. This new collection will open access to family history research like never before for this period in the US.

“The 1940 Census is attractive to both new and experienced researchers because most people in the US can remember a relative that was living in 1940. It will do more to connect living memory with historical records and families than any other collection previously made available,” said David Rencher, Chief Genealogical Officer for FamilySearch.

The collaborative project will also pool the collective resources, know-how, and marketing reach of Archives.com, FamilySearch, and findmypast.com to engage and coordinate the volunteer workforce needed to deliver the ambitious project. Additionally, Archives.com and findmypast.com will make substantial financial contributions to make the 1940 US Census online name index possible and work with nonprofit FamilySearch to bring additional new records collections online—making even more highly valued family history resources available to the entire genealogical community.