Do you know where your family lived in 1940?  Are you curious to take a step back in time?  Perhaps take a glimpse into their lives on April 1, 1940?  Well, as of today, at 9am EST, you can.  The 1940 US Census has just been released to the general public!  Since 72 years has now past, it can now be released for public viewing.

Where can you view it?  The National Archives

Can I search by my relatives name?  Not yet.  Ancestry and Family Search are two sites that are working hard at indexing by name.

If I can’t search by name, how will I find my relative?  By the Enumeration District or E.D.  This is a number that was given to the area in which the census taker was assigned to cover.

How do I find the ED number?  Go to Steve Morse’s wonderful 1940 Tutorial Quiz.  This is a terrific and easy step by step way to find an ED number or at least point you in the right direction.  If you already have an ED number from a previous census (like 1930), then another option is to convert the ED numbers.  Steve Morse has a tool for that too!

Have more questions?  Please leave them in the comments or check out the National Archives site.

I hope you will take some time to check out this wonderful resource.  This is the first time that the National Archives has fully digitized a census for immediate availability.

Please share if you make any interesting discoveries!  Happy Searching!