From the long-awaited 1940 Census to a variety of new tools that allow you to connect with your family history wherever and whenever
you like, Ancestry.com has plenty in store for you in 2012. Here's a preview of what you can expect – and there's still much more to come.
The long-awaited 1940 Census comes to Ancestry.com this spring. Start by browsing for your family in copies of original, handwritten census documents. And stick with us throughout the year as we provide tips for using the 1940 Census to make new discoveries in both the census and other collections. It’s a debut you won’t want to miss.
Learn more.
Watch for the complete, indexed 1911 UK census and other international content, as well as new U.S. state census records. Each of these acts as a snapshot of your family in history and can help you make more discoveries in new-for-2012 additions to our military, voter list, city directory and immigration collections.
We’ll be adding vital records from two key states: Pennsylvania and Massachusetts. And in the UK, we’ll be adding parish vital records from Lancashire and the city of Manchester. Yes, the largest collection of digitized original parish registers in the world is still growing.
Churches have long kept precise details — everything from census-style
lists of household members to christenings, marriages, burials and all
the events in between. Look specifically for Quaker records from
the U.S., non-conformist records from the UK, other parish
details and Swedish church records, too.
Occupational details go beyond names and dates to
provide insights into your ancestors’ lives. In 2012,
you’ll find millions of new occupation-related records
from the U.S. and the UK, including railroad and
maritime records.
Soon you’ll be receiving more Ancestry Hints about records matching people in your family tree. Also look for new photo-related and story-related Hints. And enjoy a new portal page that displays and organizes your Hints as soon as we find them so you can review and sort them right away.
We’re making it even easier for you to uncover all the information hidden in a record. A new image viewer will make document images clearer and simpler to rotate, save and enlarge. Plus, we’ll roll out a brand-new experience with two of our most popular census collections involving advancements so sophisticated, you’ll put away your magnifying glass and cheat sheets. You’ll know exactly what’s on each handwritten line and how it relates to your ancestor.
A new discovery or inspiration can come at any time. That’s why we’ll continue to enhance our mobile apps for the iPhone and iPad. We’ll also introduce our new Android app, which you can use on devices including the Kindle Fire, NOOK and other Android-powered tablets and phones. And we’ll keep improving Family Tree Maker and enhancing TreeSync integration.
Learn more about our mobile apps.
We’ll be making it easier to share your discoveries with family and friends through social networking — even when your family isn’t logged in to Ancestry.com. You’ll also be able to connect with cousins, share records and discover new tools and techniques, any of which may hold the key to your next big discovery.
In 2012, we’ll unveil advances in our Ancestry.com DNA testing that leverage the latest in science and technology to deliver exciting information about your ethnicity and help you make new family connections.
We’re developing ways to tell you when a new record collection likely contains information about your family so you can dive straight into the answers you’ve been looking for. Plus, to keep you updated, our soon-to-be-revamped “What’s New” page will give you the scoop on recent and upcoming developments.
Look for more opportunities to get hands-on family history demonstrations from our own team of experts. We’ll be hosting Q&A sessions, providing tips to tackle the toughest research challenges and offering short lessons and suggestions that can help you get the most from Ancestry.com.
The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and Ancestry.com have teamed up and involved thousands of volunteers in creating the largest free online resource for information on victims of the Holocaust and Nazi persecution during World War II. Explore the first four collections made searchable through this effort.
View the 1910 U.S. Federal Census with clearer, crisper images and improved indexes, plus two new fields — mother’s and father’s birthplace — and millions of alternate names to help you locate hard-to-find relatives.