Find Your Ancestor's 1940 Address

As you know, next week the 1940 Census records will become available. Since an index to this census won't be available for some time, knowing your ancestor's 1940 Enumeration District will help you find them. An earlier blog post described how to find the Enumeration District. Knowing your ancestor's 1940 street address is an important first step to finding their Enumeration District.

A City Directory for 1941 will probably list your ancestor's address in 1940. (The information published in the 1941 Directory was collected in 1940). Some people have access to city directories through subscription databases such as Ancestry.com or through their local library.  However, the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County has uploaded their collection of Cincinnati City Directories to their Virtual Library and it's accessible from your own computer! So, avoid a potential line at the library and find your ancestor's 1940 address now:

• Go to the Virtual Library.
• Click on Downloadable City Directories.
• Scroll down to and click on 1941 Williams' Cincinnati Directory.

This 1941 Cincinnati City Directory is separated into three different files:

Each file will open in a separate window once you click on it. To help you find what you need quickly, I've listed the contents of each file here:

Each file is searchable by pressing CTRL + F.^*

Happy hunting!

Note:  If you are getting these posts through email notification, you cannot see the pictures that are a part of the post.  In order to see the pictures, click on the title of the post and view it within the blog.  If you're having trouble, leave a comment in the box below.


Submitted by:  Jenny Davis

^* Tech Tip:  A search box will appear. Enter your search word(s) and hit ENTER. Each time you press ENTER, it will take you to the next occurrence of your search word(s). Press your ESC key to close the search box, or just click on the little "x" on the search box.

1940 Census is Coming! Learn More April 7

On April 2, the National Archives and Records Administration releases the long awaited 1940 census. Due to the personal information on the census schedules, federal law requires that they be locked from public view for 72 years.  The census is a key resource for family historians and often provides clues to other records. The 1940 census marks the first time census records will be offered free online.

In addition to information about all members of the household including age, sex, ethnicity, citizenship status and occupation, the 1940 census provides important information not offered on previous census schedules:

•Street address

•Persons absent from household

•Person providing information

•More detailed employment data, including income and public relief

•Residence in 1935

The 1940 census comes with a giant caveat.  Initially, it will not contain a surname index.  All searches will require a geographic approach by street address or enumeration district.  The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, one of the few libraries in the nation that owns copies of all available U.S. census records dating back to 1790 and a nationally ranked genealogy department, is ready to assist.  The Genealogy and Local History Department has acquired 1940 directories for over 3,000 U.S. cities, large and small, to assist with the search for street addresses.  The librarians have undergone special 1940 census training and have developed tools to assist with the online search, including specialized maps and expertise with websites to identify enumeration districts. As an added bonus, the Library will place orders for 1940 census records on April 2 for 1940 Ohio census records on microfilm, courtesy of the Friends of the Public Library and the Library Foundation.  These records will provide important archival backup and are easier to browse than loading individual pages on many websites.

Presentation, April 7

Five days after the release on April 7, the Genealogy and Local History Department kicks off the census with a special program by Department Manager Patricia Van Skaik, 1940 Census Is Here: Techniques for Achieving Top Search Results. This program will provide strategies for accessing the wealth of new information available in the 1940 census. Cincinnatians will have the opportunity to attend this program one week in advance of its presentation in Cleveland at the Ohio Genealogical Society Conference.

About the presenter:

Patricia Van Skaik is an expert in census research.  Out of town librarians have come to Cincinnati to consult with her on 1940 census preparedness. Ms. Van Skaik also conferred with database providers in February for information about how online access to the 1940 census would function. Ms. Van Skaik is a recipient of the RootsTech Distinguished Speaker Award and lectures widely on the intersection of history, technology and librarianship.

1940 Census Online Providers

National Archives and Records Administration, http://www.archives.gov/research/census/1940/

Ancestry.com

http://www.ancestry.com/1940-census

Archives.com

http://www.archives.com/1940census

FamilySearch.org

https://www.familysearch.org/1940census

Find My Past

http://www.findmypast.com/1940-census.asp

Volunteer to Help Create a Surname Index

https://the1940census.com/?gclid=CNugktWT-K4CFUMTNAodT2i9yw

For more information and Countdowns

Video on the 1940 census:

http://1940census.archives.gov/

Go to the National Archives website, http://www.archives.gov/research/census/1940/  or follow on Twitter  http://www.twitter.com/archivesnews or Facebook http://www.facebook.com/usnationalarchives

Watch Twitter @cincylibrary or contact the Genealogy and Local History Department at 513-369-6905 or “Ask a Librarian” through the Library’s website, www.cincinnatilibrary.org.

From Press Release - submitted by Liz Stratton

Countdown to the 1940 Census

When the 1940 census is released on April 2, 2012 there will be no surname index available.  With a little advance preparation, however, you will be able to find your ancestors. In order to find your ancestors before an index is available you will need to know the census enumeration district (ED).  That requires that you know the place where they were living in 1940. If you cannot find where your ancestor was living in 1940 you will need to wait until the indexes are completed late in 2012.

There are several websites that will be of help in determining the ED for your ancestor.  They are  the National Archives website:  http://www.archives.gov/research/census/1940/start-research.html  and the Steve Morse census utilities:  http://stevemorse.org/census. I found using the Steve Morse utilities to be the easiest.  Following are examples of each of the types of procedures, large city, small city/rural and knowing the 1930 ED.

First example: My paternal grandparents lived at 6667 Bantry Avenue, Cincinnati, OH in 1940.  I used Steve Morse’s utility for large cities.

Click to Enlarge

When the census is released I will look for Ohio ED 91-228 and browse looking for Bantry Ave, house number 6667.

At the bottom of the screen at View Present . . . click on Google and then street view, and you will see the picture that Google has taken of that location.

This is the picture of my grandparent's house taken by Google in 2009.

Second example: My parents, older sister and I lived at East Franklin Av, Centerville, OH. I used Steve Morse’s utility “Finding ED Definitions for 1940 in One Step.”

Click to Enlarge

Click search then you will see.

Click to Enlarge

When the census is released I will look for Ohio ED- 63 and ED – 64  and browse looking for East Franklin Avenue, family of Elwood Burkholz. (I don't know if they lived in Centerville Village).

Third example: my maternal grandparents lived in ED 31-306 in 1930. I used Steve Morse’s Utility, “Converting between 1930 and 1940 Census EDS in One Step.”

Click to Enlarge

When the census is released I will look for Ohio ED 31–77 and 31-78 and browse for the Ulysses Cole family.

Doing your homework now will make it very easy to find your ancestor in the 1940 census without a surname index.

When the 1940 census is released free online this April 2 at 9 a.m. ET, you can view your ancestors’ records free at 1940census.archives.gov.

According to the National Archives announcement, no other website will host the 1940 census data on its April 2 release date. Shortly after, though, you’ll also be able to view records free on Ancestry.com.


Submitted by Gail Burkholz