Just four months after it was released to the public on April 2, the 1940 United States Census has been indexed and is searchable by name on a number of websites. Ancestry.com, the subscription genealogy website, is providing
free access to the 1940 Census for a year. In addition, a number of
other companies and organizations partnered with the
National Archives to make the images available to the public.
FamilySearch.org, an always-free genealogy website, used volunteers (I was one of them!) to index the census. The last few states indexed are being quality-checked and will be posted on their site (as well as on
Archives.com and
FindMyPast.com) soon.
If you are searching for your ancestors in the 1940 Census, I recommend you try both Ancestry.com and FamilySearch.org. Why? Indexers aren't perfect. Sometimes it's tricky to read an enumerator's handwriting, and interpretations differ. (Not to mention, enumerators often misheard and misspelled names). If you can't find your relative on one site, try the other. If you need help, see Amanda Pape, Special Services Librarian, on the lower level of the Dick Smith Library.
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