You Can Now Browse Your Family History Online
Jump for joy. You can now search your family history online, thanks to a new batch of records made available online today.
The government unleashed a colossal cache of census data today, making it possible for genealogists to browse digital images from the 1940 census. Every 10 years, the government unveils a new batch of census data. There’s usually a 72-year eligibility lapse for the information.
According to the archives site, the 1940 census consists of about 3.8 million images, scanned from over 4,000 rolls of microfilm. The National Archives and Records Administration made the records available online in conjunction with Inflection, a Silicon Valley-based family history site.
Searchable information includes names, ages, addresses, and marital status of family members. The database also includes number of children, occupations and, income. The 1940 census is garnering plenty of interest primarily because most of the Americans counted that year are still alive.
“There’s a little more excitement this time because it is being released online and it’s immediately available to people,” explains Rebecca Warlow, 1940 census project manager at the National Archives and Records Administration. “Anybody with Internet access can sit with their PC or desktop and search to their heart’s content.”
Hit up census.gov to browse your family history. Good luck!
(Photo: AP)
— Rizoh
Tags: 1940 Census
