Thursday, November 25, 2010

U.S. Census Release Dates

Ever wonder why you can only search U.S. Federal Census Records up to 1930 so far?   The reason is because of privacy!   Census cannot be released to the general public until 72 years after the date they were taken.  The idea is to protect private information of those still living.

Granted people tend to live longer than 72 years today and so there are still some privacy issues which concern many.  But none the less, that's the rule.

And since U.S. Federal census forms are completed every 10 years, the 1930 U.S. Federal Census is the most current record available under the 72-year rule.  The 1940 U.S. Census is scheduled for release on April 2, 2012.

The first recorded Census in the United states was dated 1790.  There were just under 4 million people recorded on that census.  These records only listed the heads of family so tracing your family history using these records can be challenging.

The 1890 U.S. Federal Census was mostly destroyed, leaving very little data for us to search through.  This means that there is often a big gap (20 years) in information between 1880 and 1900. You still might be able to find information using public records (phone directories, voter records, etc.), but many us really feel the loss of the 1890 census records.

While Ancestry.com has had the 1930 U.S. Census online for a while now, FamilySearch.org is in the process of re-indexing those records now.   To many, wasting time and effort reindexing records seems useless.  But the goal is to ensure that accurate records are available.For more information about the 1930 U.S. Census Indexing Project, click here.

Reading handwritten information on U.S. Census records can be challenging. Sometimes the writing is faded and hard to read, other times the cursive letters used in the past no longer resemble our modern alphabet.  This is where downloading a Blank U.S. Federal Census Form can be helpful. Being able to read the form data being requested can help in deciphering the handwriting on the form.

If you're new to genealogy, you soon discover that Census Records offer some of the best information.and are very helpful in tracking your loved ones.  Waiting for the next census release date can seem like an eternity when doing genealogy research.  But hang in there ... 2012 is just around the corner!

Click here to Search US Federal Census Records
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Tuesday, November 16, 2010

What's New at Ancestry.com

Ever wonder what new information is available at Ancestry.com?    Their databases are constantly being updated as more and more records are continually transcribed by volunteers.

If you take a look at the card catalog in Ancestry.com, it will highlight information that is new or had been updated recently.  However, Ancestry.com also provides a list of all their recent additions to make it easier for folks to view.

To view recent additions to Ancestry.com, click here.
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Friday, November 12, 2010

Free Access to Military Records on Ancestry.com


Veterans Day
In honor of Veteran's Day, Ancestry.com is offering free access to their military records between 11-14 November.  Normally, Ancestry.com requires you to have a paid subscription to their site to access these records.  So if you have any veterans in your family, this is a great opportunity to obtain these records for FREE!

Ancestry.com has a good selection of military records including:  Civil War Records, World War I Records, World War II Records and more. 

These records can reveal loads of information including, which regiment your family member served in during a war and what their job title was.  You can find pension records, and awards and honors received too. 

Draft registrations can tell you where somebody was living when they were drafted as well as where they worked.  These records even offer physical characteristics of a person (hair color, eye color, height, etc.).  If a person had a physical handicap that prevented them from being enlisted, this will be revealed too!

I've even found regimental diaries on Ancestry.com!  If you like stories (and lets face it, genealogy buffs do), you'll enjoy these as much as I do.  These diaries offer a glimpse in what life was like during deployment for your loved one.

Military records are some of my favorite records available and this is a great opportunity to get a free look at them!  To Search for Military Records, click here!
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Saturday, November 6, 2010

1911 England and Wales Census Will Be Online Soon

Ancestry.com and TheGenealogist.co.uk have acquired the 1911 England and Wales Census.  They will begin transcribing it so it can be published online.  This is exciting news for folks researching their British family history!

Of course, membership to one of the above family research sites will be required to view the 1911 census record, which should be online by the end of 2010 or early 2011.

To learn more about membership plans at Ancestry.com, click here.

Try a new Ancestry.com Membership!
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Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Scottish Census Records

Trying to search your Scottish Ancestry? If you are, then you might want to take a look Graham Maxwell Ancestry. The folks that run this site have been transcribing census records for years while researching their own family history. They've been kind enough to share their transcriptions online.

You can click here, you can search Scottish Census Records for 1841, 1851, and 1861. You can search these records for free!

There are some other cool historical things on the site too like old newspapers, old photos and more. If you've discovered a link to Scotland in your family history search, then this is definitely a site you may want to have a look at.
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