April 2012
33 posts
1 tag
Your Story: 1920 Census Reveals Family Story
My mother was born prematurely in October 1919, in Seattle, Washington. Her mother, Estella, had been under a doctor’s care for a month prior to death per her death certificate. Estella died in the hospital at the age of 28, just two weeks after the birth, of complications typically seen with the notorious Spanish flu. The epidemic struck Seattle in 1918, and a year later was still...
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Ask Ancestry Anne: Finding someone in the 1940...
Help Anne!
I want to find George Canavan in 1940 in Pittsburgh, possibly on 1919 Warren St. But Pennsylvania is HUGE and I don’t know where to start. I’m impatient and really want to find something. Help me!
— Jolene Worth
Jolene,
Help is on the way. Let’s lay this out in steps, so we can repeat them later.
Step 1: Street Address Find a street address if you can. In rural areas...
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1940 Census Confirms Family Legend
Throughout my life my mother reminded me what a very bright child I was when I was very young. One story she told was that at 18 months old, I would go shopping for her every day to purchase a bottle of milk. It consisted of walking down a flight of stairs in the apartment building on Ten Eyck Walk in Brooklyn, and going around the building to a grocery store. After her death, I visited the area...
1940s Era Links
Here are a few links that you might find helpful in your 1940 Census searches:
1940 Census Page
Livestream Archive-1940 Live Look-ups (Scroll down past the live window)
1940 Research Guide (PDF)
1940s Era Records
U.S. City Directories (Beta)
U.S. City Directories
1940s Map
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More 1940 Census Tips and Tricks
Happy Friday, and it is a good one here in the land of everything family history! As of early this morning all of the 1940 images are live! Over 3.8 million images are now available to view. In addition, we have our first two indexes rolled LIVE as well on the site. Now you can search through Nevada and Delaware using a person’s name, not just page through the images.
So who besides me is making...
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Kris Williams: The Importance of the 1940 U.S....
We should all be aware of what took place in our country leading up to the 1940 census and what followed shortly after. Our country had experienced many ups and downs in just a short span of time. From the prosperity of the roaring 20’s till its end in 1929 with the crash of the stock market; resulting in The Great Depression. To the rise of organized crime in 1920 due to prohibition; till it’s...
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Ask-Ancestry-Anne: Interesting Tip from a Member...
This isn’t actually a question, but a comment that might help when people can’t find a specific address.
I worked the 1990 census in the “follow-up” phase where we went back to obtain forms from households who hadn’t returned them. There were many residences where the street name had changed due to increased traffic on the original road. It was no longer safe for...
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Three Days Lost in 1940
Wow, it’s been a busy three days! I don’t know about you, but I’ve been having a blast exploring he 1940s neighborhoods where my ancestor lived. While it’s really nice to have an index, the good thing about browsing and using enumeration district maps is the opportunity to really get to know the places where they lived. This kind of knowledge can pay big dividends down the...
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Finding Grandma Boone
Oh Boone family, where are you hiding? From city directories and school yearbooks, I recently discovered some great information but I know the 1940 census holds some new information! Velma and Howard married young. Velma was just 15 when they were married. In 1930 she is 16 years old and has a new baby. Howard is working as an electrician for the switch board. They are renting a home...
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1940 Census for Dad, check. Memories flowing,...
While we were sleeping, wonderful things were happening behind the scenes at Ancestry.com. I was thrilled to wake up this morning to find Ohio posted. Before I even had my morning cup of coffee, I was diving in to find my dad’s first appearance in the census.
I was not disappointed. As my eyes rested on this record that has been hidden from view for 72 years, it was exciting to see the whole...
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Ask Ancestry Anne: How do I know when my state is...
Question: More than one of our members has asked: “How do I know when my state is available in the 1940 census?”
Answer: Watch our status page: 1940 United States Federal Census - Ancestry.com
At the bottom of the page you will see a list of the States and Territories and where they are in process.
This is updated manually and you will see the update at the bottom.
Even...
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Looking for Lavenia's Granddaughters
I am waiting for Iowa. And I’ve tried to convince my friends in our data-processing center that Iowa would be such a great state to start with. No one is buying.
Though I can’t wait to see my grandparents, aunts and uncles in the 1940 census records, the folks I am waiting to find, I don’t even know yet. For years I have been tracing the female descendants of my 3rd great grand-aunt, Lavenia...
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DC and Nevada are Complete--Indiana and Other...
Wow, states are loading quickly, with Washington, DC, and Nevada now complete. My home state of Indiana has 55 counties represented (of 92), and I’ve already identified who was living in my old house and quickly found my brother-in-law’s family in Jasper County. Whoohoo! We are off and running.
I think it’s only appropriate that on a day that’s like Christmas for family...
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Hail to the 1940 Chief
Our first big find in the 1940 census! None other than Franklin Delano Roosevelt, President, Head Honcho in Chief. Tracy Slade in our Digital Preservation department found this way past most people’s bedtime. But none of us could sleep ‘cuz we’re all too excited.
BTW, the 1940 census started streaming live at approximately 1:20 a.m. EST April 2 on Ancestry.com. You should...
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Ask Ancestry Anne: My grandmother's story...
I lost touch with my mother’s side of the family many years ago. But I have rediscovered the family through the documents on Ancestry.com
I’ve learned a lot about my grandmother Jennie Elizabeth Payne and then all of her brothers and sisters. In 1930, I found her and her orphaned brothers and sisters living together, her father and mother having died in the 1920’s. It gave me a whole new...
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Finding Daddy in the 1940 Census
Robert, Judy, and James Szucs, with John Mekalski (and John Szucs, Jr. in the doorway), c. 1942
I feel like a kid on Christmas Eve. As I write this we’re 28 hours from the release of the 1940 census. Yes, we’re measuring it in hours now. This is the first census that I’ll be able to see that includes my dad. He was a young boy in 1940 and I’ll find him, his brother and sister, and my...
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Finding My Adopted Family in the 1940 Census
Lou arriving in El Paso in the arms of her grandfather, Raymond Dyer, 1943
It was 1943 when my father became ill and my mother was left to support six little children. At 22 months of age, I was taken in by my mother’s sister’s family. My grandfather flew with me from New York to El Paso, Texas to the Pyburn home and what was supposed to be a temporary arrangement. My father never recovered so my...
March 2012
15 posts
2 tags
Our 1940 Stories: Remembering Small Town America
My mom grew up in Caldwell, Idaho, a little town near the Oregon border.
The family home is gone now—replaced by a medical complex—but not my memories of it. As a young girl a trip to grandma’s always meant feasting on fried chicken, making dolls out of hollyhock blossoms, and getting candy from the Penny Wise drugstore.
When the release of the 1940 census was announced I knew my first stop...
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Your 1940s Stories
Can you believe it’s almost here! No longer are we talking about the release of the 1940 census in terms of weeks or months—it’s only days away! As we sit here watching the clock and counting down, we thought it would be fun to get us in the mood with some of the stories you’ve sent us for our 1940s time capsule. (If you’d like to share your story, see the details at...
