1940 Census Additional Information
The U.S. census has been taken every ten years since 1790. Due to privacy concerns, census records are not made publicly available until 72 years after a census was taken. In April 2012, it will have been 72 years since the 1940 census was taken.
In past census releases, microfilm of the census was made available to regional National Archives & Records Administration (NARA) locations; this time, however, they will be releasing 3.8 million digital images of the 1940 census records FREE online on Monday, April 2, 2012.
The first thing to know about the 1940 Census is that individual names are not yet indexed. After the images are made available in April, both FamilySearch and Ancestry have announced plans to index the 1940 census. So how do you find people without an index?
Until name indexes are made available, you will need to know the enumeration district (ED) in which they lived. If you know where someone resided in 1940, you can search the 1940 Census ED maps for an address and then locate the ED number for that address.
How to prepare now for April 2, 2012:
- Make a list of every person you want to find in the 1940 census.
- Collect addresses of those people.
- Identify the ED where those addresses are located.
Bring that information with you to the Midwest Genealogy Center’s "Ready, Set, Go! 1940 Census!" event at 6 a.m. on April 2, 2012. There will be classes, 1940 census information, and breakfast for those early birds who want to get a jump on their 1940 research!
Helpful Links
National Archives 1940 Census Record Information
Steve Morse ED Search Tools
