1940 Census

One of the more exciting events in American genealogy research is an every ten-year occurrence. In April 2012, family history enthusiasts search for their ancestors in the United States and territories will be able to inspect the 1940 census schedules which were collected / created in April 1940, but have been kept private for seventy-two years.

The 1940 census is notable because it was conducted at the end of the great depression and on the even of the American involvement of World War II. In addition to collecting a great deal of information specific to the census date of April 1st, it also captured information on residence in 1935. This can be helpful for tracking families that were on the move, seeking new opportunities during this difficult economic period in American history.

There is a more detailed site about the 1940 Census at www.1940census.net where you can learn all about the population and housing schedules, as well as the availability of an index for searching this historic collection.

• Create a list of ancestors (siblings, parents, aunts/uncles, grandparents) that were born prior to 01 April 1940, but that you believe from other sources were still living on the 1940 census date. It will serve you best if you could create lists by family group since that's how they will likely appear when you find them on population schedules.
• Consult birth, marriage, and death records for likely city/town names and, if possible, the street address where each family would likely be found on April 1st, 1940
• Identify the enumeration district (section of the city/town), see stevemorse.org