The 1940 Census images were released this morning! Here’s what I did to find my first set of relatives:
Note: This is a biggie — my relatives were farmers who didn’t move between 1930 and 1940. These tips won’t work to find people who relocated during that time period.
First, I used HeritageQuest or Ancestry Library Edition to look up a family member by name and state. Once I found my great-grandfather, I viewed the original record to find the Enumeration District.
Click on any image to view a larger version!
Once you have the enumeration district for the 1930 Census, you can find out the enumeration district used in the 1940s Census.
Visit: http://1940census.archives.gov/ and click on the large red “Get Started” button.
Look for the box to convert the 1930 enumeration district to the corresponding one from the 1940 Census. Enter in the necessary information and click “submit.”
Click on the link provided to view or download the correct enumeration district.
If your relatives had not moved between the 1930 and 1940 Censuses, you should have your results!
Keep in mind that the Archive’s servers are overworked at this moment. Be patient. I had the best luck when I downloaded the images to my computer and not trying to view them online.
Happy hunting!