The National Archives and Records released its 1940 U.S. Census online Monday, making searching for family history even easier.
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The public now has free online access to the census taken during the World War II years, a big step toward making the archives more accessible through technology.
Previous censuses were typically available only through the libraries via microfilm that had to be reserved and ordered.
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"During World War II, the Bureau of the Census microfilmed the population schedules. We have taken that microfilm and digitized it, so for the first time, the census will be available digitally," said National Archives archivist Connie Potter in a video posted to YouTube.
The census was originally used to determine how many representatives each state was entitled to send to the U.S. Congress, but according to the National Archives, "It has become a vital tool for Federal agencies in determining allocation of Federal funds and resources."
"This is the 1940 Census, but it describes the country during the Depression," Potter said. "It reflects all of the economic dislocation -- how many people were immigrants, how many people had what level of education."
The 1940 Census currently does not feature a name index, so users will have to know the enumeration district in which the person they are searching for lived in 1940. The National Archives provides maps with the numbers on its website, www.1940Census.Archives.Gov.
To narrow down a search, the census asks a series of 34 questions about relatives in a family tree, and then asks another 15 about place of birth, language spoken and veteran status. It will also ask if the person had a federal social security number.
The U.S. has been working for more than a decade to find a better solution to store its records and make them accessible to the public.
Image via The National Archives and Records
This story originally published on Mashable here.
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