User:Batsondl/Sandbox 4

I Know the City/Town But Don’t Know the Street Address Where My Ancestor Lived in 1940
To locate your ancestor in the 1940 Census, use a name index or know the Enumeration District where your ancestor lived.

Check to see if the state where your ancestor lived has been indexed. LINK TO LIST

If the state index has not yet been completed, find your ancestor in a city directory to locate an address. Then, determine the correct Enumeration District number for the address.

Follow these stops to locate a street address for your ancestor:

Step 1 Locate Your Ancestor in a City Directory
Your ancestor may be listed in a city directory. A city directory is an alphabetical listing of residents and their street addresses in a town or city.

Some city directories may be found online:


 * Ancestry.com - ($)

If your city is not listed online, you can find city directories at:


 * City Directories of the USA - This website has a clickable map of all known city directories in the country and where they are located. This is an ongoing project and is not complete.
 * Public Libraries - Contact the public library in the town/city your ancestor to see if they have a city directory for 1940 or years close to that date (1939 or 1941). Contact information for Public Libraries in the United States.
 * University Libraries - Contact the University Library closest to the town they lived in to see if they have a city directory for 1940 or years close to that date (1939 or 1941). Contact information for University Libraries in the United States.

LARGE CITIES WITH NO 1940 CITY DIRECTORIES


 * Chicago
 * New York City
 * Philadelphia

If there is no city directory available for the city or town you are searching, use a substitute source to locate an address.

More information about City Directories

Step 2 Find the Cross Streets for Your Ancestor's Address
Search for your ancestor’s street address using a map website such as


 * Google Maps
 * MapQuest
 * Bing Maps

Locate the major cross streets near your ancestor's address and write it down.

Step 3 Use SteveMorse.org to Determine the Enumeration District (E.D.)
Do the following:


 * Go to Steve Morse's website.


 * Use the drop down lists to choose the state, county, and city or town where your ancestor lived.


 * Fill in the street address and the cross streets identified in step two to determine the E.D. The E.D. should consist of two numbers separated by a dash with the first number representing the county.


 * Click on the Enumeration District numbers displayed and choose 1940 E.D. Description in the box to see the names of the streets that border that enumeration district.


 * For links to original Enumeration District maps, go to Steve Morse's Website The images are hosted by the National Archives.

Step 4 Use FamilySearch.org to Browse the Images
Do the following:


 * Go to FamilySearch.org.
 * Find the 1940 Census
 * On the Explore the 1940 Census page ADD LINK, type in the state, county, city and Enumeration District into the available fields.
 * Click on the set of images.
 * Search the names on each census page for your ancestor. Be sure to use the arrows in the top right corner to move to the next image in the enumeration district