Comments on: 1940 U. S. Census Records Ready for Release on April 2, 2012

By: Jack Mitchell

Jack Mitchell — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 00:15:45 +0000

Thank you, Joan.

By: Shawn

Shawn — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 22:21:37 +0000

I’ve been researching my family for well over 20 years myself.
The onset of computerized databases, and now sites like Ancestry.com (an excellent commercial site) and familysearch.org (a free resource by the Mormon church) has sped up work exponentially.

What once took weeks to find out, becomes an hour or so on the computer.

But the fun parts are the visits to courthouses, graveyards and archives to see the actual gravestone, or land deeds, or a will from 150 years ago, or the signature of an ancestor who signed a baptismal certificate or a passenger list during the Irish emigration.

“Do you Know Who You Are?” on Friday nights highlights the searching of family “mysteries,” drawing many into the hobby. I’ve broken through a number of brick walls myself and solved a couple mysteries.. though there are still a few I’m working on.

This release of the 1940s census will be a great new asset, but I believe there will be some real server failures during the first weeks of access.

I had no idea the library did any classes on this either. I’ve just been awaiting the release.

By: Joan H

Joan H — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 21:50:13 +0000

Jack there are many many free genealogy websites on the internet. There are also several good paid ones. I have been doing genealogy for over 35 years. It’s an addiction. LOL
PS Dick knows how to reach me privately if you have any questions.

By: Jack Mitchell

Jack Mitchell — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 15:26:16 +0000

I never really understood the genealogy kick until my sister’s last visit. She belongs to some website that allows for records searching. It was fascinating to watch her click around. “Oh. let’s mark that one.,” she’d say. Or, “Nope. Not that one.” Click. Click.

Names long forgotten, like my great-granmother Catherine Mitchell or her uncle Joe Barrett, just popped up on her laptop, via the census data, ect. Several times she said, “I can’t wait for the 1940′s Census.”

Odd. How I felt my roots strengthening with every click. It was the damndest thing.

By: C R Krieger

C R Krieger — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 13:36:09 +0000

So much for advertising. I didn’t hear about the lectures at the Pollard Library. So much to do and so little time.

Regards — Cliff