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PAGE: I Don’t Know the Town or State Where my Ancestor Lived in 1940
To find your ancestor in the 1940 Census, you need to know where they lived in 1940. There are many records that may list this information.

Check the following resources:

 * Relatives. Ask older relatives where the person lived in 1940. Relatives may have old address books or letters with return addresses.


 * Earlier censuses. Find the person on the, or on a state, or on a church census as close to 1940 as possible. Take note of the street (if any), town, and county where he lived. If the 1930 Census Enumeration District (E.D.) is known, use this online converter to determine the 1940 Census E.D.


 * Vital Records. Addresses on birth, marriage, or death certificates from around 1940 for close-relatives.


 * World War II Draft Registration. Street addresses were often included in the . Available for free on FamilySearch.org. Not all states are covered.


 * World War II Army Enlistment Records. These records also include street addresses for those that enlisted. Available on Ancestry.com ($)


 * World War I Draft Registration. Look for male close-relatives born between 1872 and 1900 on the WW1 Draft registration. Browse the images for free on  or use Ancestry.com's index online.  Registration cards show their address in 1917 or 1918. Men did not have to serve in the armed forces to appear on draft registration cards.

E. Obituaries. Search obituaries for clues about the residence of survivors or the deceased. Microfilms of newspapers with obituaries can be obtained via inter-library loan at college or public libraries. To learn the address of newspaper microfilm repositories in each state see the U.S. Newspapers Program on the Internet. Other newspaper columns may also include address information.

F. Tax lists or voting registers. Use the Family History Library Catalog Place Search to find the state and/or county, and then look for the topic Taxation, or Voting Registers for the years around 1940.

H. Social Security Application. The wiki page [Social Security Records for Genealogists] explains how to request a copy of your ancestor’s Social Security Application.

I. Family Group Records. Look at these records to find the places where the person was living, his parents, siblings, or children were born, married or died near the year 1940. There are several places to search for family group records: relatives, the Internet, and microfilms of the FamilySearch Family Group Records Archives Section andFamilySearch Family Group Records Patron Section.

PAGE: 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, you must use a name index or know the Enumeration District your ancestor lived in. Check to see if the state your ancestor lived in has been indexed. If the state index has not yet been completed, use the following steps to determine the correct Enumeration District number.

There are several ways to locate a street address for your ancestor. Use the following steps.

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 in a town or city.

Some city directories can be found online:


 * Ancestry.com - ($)

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


 * 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.

City Directories are not available for the large cities of: Chicago New York City

If there is no city directory available for the city or town you are searching, use a substitute source to locate an address. [I Don't Know the Town or State Where My Ancestor Lived in 1940|I Don't Know the Town or State Where My Ancestor Lived in 1940]

Step 2 Use SteveMorse.org to Determine the Enumeration District (E.D.)
Go to www.stevemorse.org/census/unified.html. 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 one to determine the E.D. (The E.D. should consist of two numbers separated by a dash with the first number representing the county.)

Once you1940 Enumeration District


 * Click on the enumeration district numbers displayed and choose 1940 ED Description in the box to see the names of the streets that border that enumeration district. Go to http://stevemorse.org/census/xml1940edmaps for links to the original enumeration district maps (images hosted by the National Archives).