On April 2, 1940, there were 132,164,569 people living in America. And today, 87 percent of Americans can find a direct family link to one – or more – of them.
When the 1940 U.S. Federal Census is opened to the public this April, you’ll have a window into every one of those 132 million lives. Their names, where they lived, who shared their house, even where they were five years earlier.
And that’s just for starters.
At midnight on April 2, 2012, the National Archives will hand off the 1940 census records to Ancestry.com. Then we will start working around the clock to get each census page online so you can browse it with our new image viewer. And Ancestry.com will also provide you with updates, advice and custom guidance throughout the process, allowing you to make your discoveries as quickly and easily as possible.
April is just around the corner. But when you’re waiting for something this big, even a few months can seem like an eternity.
So don’t just wait. Get ready today.
Your Ancestry.com family tree is the best way to start keeping tabs on your family in 1940. Add 1930 census records and passenger lists you’ve discovered. Search for more clues in WWII draft registration cards, city directories, newspapers, yearbooks and other 20th-century collections.
Information you save in your Ancestry.com family tree helps us uncover more Hints about
your family members in other historical record collections – both existing collections and ones yet to come, including the 1940 census.
Once the 1940 census becomes available, we’ll use family tree information to provide you with key clues, research tips and advice to help you learn more about your family.
So get ready for 1940. In just a few months, you’ll have access to one of the most extensive and revealing American family history resources ever. And it’s coming right here to Ancestry.com.
Learn more about finding your ancestors today and preparing for the 1940 census.
Census records capture a day in the lives of your family every 10 years. And the U.S. government releases the census to the public exactly 72 years after it was taken. That means today, the most recent census record you can peruse is from 1930 – quickly approaching its 82nd birthday. But that will change this April when the 1940 census reaches the magic age of 72 years, too.