Family Tree Friday: 1940 Census – Following the instructions (of the enumerators!)

This week's blog post comes once again from guest blogger Diane Petro, Archives Technician in the Research Support Branch at the National Archives Building in Washington, DC.  Diane is working on reference activities relating to the upcoming 1940 census release. Researchers often go to the Instructions to the Enumerator when trying to interpret a question … Continue reading Family Tree Friday: 1940 Census – Following the instructions (of the enumerators!)

Archives 360°: “Keeping Humans in the Loop” in Chicago

Founded in 1936, the Society of American Archivists (SAA) celebrates its 75th anniversary this year. During the week of August 22, almost 1,800 archives professionals from all over the globe gathered in Chicago, Illinois for SAA’s annual meeting and anniversary celebration. Today's blog features my introductory remarks for SAA session #701 that I chaired, "New Perspectives for the 1940 Census" providing a quick history of innovative technologies used for processing and accessing census data.

Family Tree Friday: The 1940 Census

Today's Family Tree Friday is brought to you by Constance Potter, Archivist in the Archives I Research Support Branch. The 1940 census opens on April 2, 2012. For the first time, the census will be released digitally, not on microfilm. As with other censuses, this one reflects the previous decade of the 1930s and the … Continue reading Family Tree Friday: The 1940 Census

Family Tree Friday: Getting Started With Census Records

New researchers are always asking us how to start tracing their family tree. We have so many records that it’s very easy to become overwhelmed when you are beginning your research. We usually tell people to gather as much information about their family as possible, and to ask themselves how their ancestors interacted with the … Continue reading Family Tree Friday: Getting Started With Census Records

NARA and the 2010 Census

This guest blog post was written by Paul Wester, head of the Modern Records Programs at NARA. Portions of the genealogical community are under the impression that the 2010 Decennial Census forms will not be preserved by the NARA. This impression is mistaken. NARA has not officially received and registered a proposed records retention schedule … Continue reading NARA and the 2010 Census