SALT LAKE CITY--()--The 1940 U.S. Census Community Project announced today that the entire set of 1940 U.S. census records for California can now be searched by name. Thanks to the efforts of more than 130,000 volunteers, more than 105 million names from the 1940 U.S. census have been indexed with complete records for 29 states now available to the public on Archives.com, FamilySearch.org and findmypast.com. Additionally, ProQuest plans to make the records available in more than 7,000 public and academic libraries nationwide in the coming months through Heritage Quest and the name index will also be available through the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) soon. The national service project, the first and largest of its kind, is fast approaching the completion of a fully searchable name index of 1940 U.S. census records.
"We're excited that one of the most populous states is now available, along with 28 other states, less than three months after the 1940 census records were released"
"We're excited that one of the most populous states is now available, along with 28 other states, less than three months after the 1940 census records were released," said David Rencher, spokesperson for the 1940 U.S. Census Community Project. "Thanks to our volunteers around the country, we're getting closer to our goal of providing consumers with free access to these records so they can learn more about their family history, ancestors and the past in a convenient way."
1940 U.S. Census Community Project volunteers and partner organizations have made several surprising, star-studded discoveries while indexing California census records, most notably within the star-crossed streets of Hollywood and the Greater Los Angeles Area:
- Judy Garland: Shortly after the "Wizard of Oz" is released, Garland is a 17 year old living with her mother Ethel, and sister Sue. Garland was the family breadwinner, earning more than $5,000 a year.
- Marilyn Monroe: Enumerated as "Norma Jean Baker," Monroe was 13 years old, living in an apartment on Nebraska Avenue in Los Angeles.
- Walt Disney: Disney was 39 years old and building an empire that would become part of the fabric of American culture.
- Shirley Temple: The young Temple reported her income at more than $5,000 a year.
In addition to California, the following states are available for free online searching by name: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and Wyoming. Thanks to advancements in technology, online volunteers worldwide can lend a voice to countless untold stories of their ancestors living, working and persevering as the "Greatest Generation." Since April 2, more than 142,000 volunteers have indexed more than 105 million records and this number continues to grow quickly as approximately 5,000 new volunteers sign up each week.
To learn more about the 1940 U.S. Census Community Project, track real-time progress of volunteer indexing efforts or become a volunteer, visit the1940census.com.
About the 1940 U.S. Census Community Project
The 1940 U.S. Census Community Project is a web-based, national service project with the goal of creating as soon as possible a free, high quality online index linked to the complete set of census images. The index will allow the public to easily search every person found in the census and view digital images of the original census pages. The collection will be available online for free to the general public at 1940census.archives.gov, Archives.com, FamilySearch.org, findmypast.com and by ProQuest through public and academic libraries. All of these organizations are respective website sponsors of the community project. Archives.com, findmypast.com, and ProQuest will make substantial financial contributions to make the 1940 U.S. census online name index possible and will work with the nonprofit organization FamilySearch to bring additional new historic records collections online—making even more highly valued family history resources available to the entire genealogical community.
