1940 Census United States - Finding Rural Ancestors

The 1940 Census will be released on April 2, 2012 without a corresponding name index. Without an index, Enumeration Districts are essential in locating a specific town in the census where your ancestor lived. You may search the 1940 Census for the E.D. where you think your ancestor lived in 1940 or if you know where you ancestor lived in 1930, you may convert the E.D. from 1930 to 1940. Occasionally, a town will have more than one E.D. Once you have the1940 E.D (s)., you will navigate to the correct census images, and then you will need to scroll line by line (for several pages) until you find your ancestor.

IF YOU KNOW THE TOWN WHERE YOUR ANCESTOR LIVED IN 1940

1. Use FamilySearch.org to browse the images

Go to FamilySearch. Navigate to the 1940 Census. Fill the state, county, city and enumeration district into the available fields. Navigate to the set of images. Scan through the names on each page for your ancestor and his or her family. Use the arrows in the top right corner to move to the next image in the enumeration district.

IF YOU KNOW THE 1930 ENUMERATION DISTRICT FOR THE SAME ADDRESS

1. Search the for your ancestor. Scroll through the search results and make a note of the 1930 E.D. number.

2. Use SteveMorse.org to determine the Enumeration District (E.D.)

Go to the website stevemorse.org. In the top left corner, hover over US Census and then choose 1920-1930-1940 ED Finder/Converter. At the top of the page, make sure you are converting between 1930 and 1940. Use the fields to select a state and fill out the 1930 E.D. The 1940 E.D.s will be listed at the right.

1940 Enumeration District

3. Use FamilySearch.org to browse the images

Go to www.familysearch.org. Navigate to the 1940 Census. Fill the state, county, city and enumeration district into the available fields. Navigate to the set of images. Scan through the names on each page for your ancestor and his or her family. Use the arrows in the top right corner to move to the next image in the enumeration district.