April 2, 2012 is the date the 1940 U.S. census images will be released online. The census forms are released 72 years after they were taken. I am looking forward to looking at the households of several relatives and am trying to be patient. Patience is not one of my good qualities!

To see a short video that will help you prepare for the research click here. Connie Potter, an archivist from the National Archives makes a short presentation to help you get ready for April 2d. The census won’t yet be indexed, but you can narrow down the area to search by using known addresses, addresses obtained from old city directories or telephone books, or old family letters from the time period that might be around your home.I have a list of addresses from city directories and have begin to narrow down the area to search by using the census enumeration maps.

Wish it were fully indexed? I do too, that’s why I signed up to help index this important research resource. Archives.com, brightsolid, and FamilySearch are partnering to promote this volunteer indexing project. Please join me and other family historians in this endeavor by signing up here. Our indexing results will be FREE and online.

I just know that two neat parts of the 1940 census will help my research tremendously. First, it identifies who supplied the information for the household. Second, it lists where someone was living in 1935. Oh, I hope the latter part solves some location issues.

For more on the 1940 census, visit these websites:

• http://stevemorse.org/#us  click on several articles at the top of the list

• National Archives http://www.archives.gov/research/census/1940/

• https://www.familysearch.org/node/1520
   
• Blank 1940 census form http://www.1940census.net/1940_census_form.php 

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