Have you seen the news from the National Archives about the release of the 1940 census?

It was announced over a year ago that when the 1940 census was released there would be no indexes available, so it is no anything new. There are volunteers who do indexing that are just waiting for the release to begin working on it. As a volunteer I have not received indexing notification for the Census as yet. We didn't begin indexing the 1930 Census until after it had been legally released to the public so I doubt that the Federal Government will break the law by releasing the 1940 Census to anyone for any reason prior to the legal release date. The same thing happened with the release of the 1930 censers. This is not a new situation it is a federal law and with the addition of the Federal Privacy act has become even more protected. The Census doesn't just provide the resident location, but much more information.

If you know where the person lived you can search the census the way we use to,. which was to obtain the reel of the censers for the location and then to search through it one name at a time. Being able to do genealogical searches via computer has only really been available for about 10-15 years and is still far from being a complete way to obtain documents and public records/

Here is a portion of an article from the indexing newsletter as you can see in April everyone including the index volunteer will get the 1940 census.

On April 2, 2012, the National Archives (NARA) will provide access to the images of the 1940 U.S. Census for the first time. Upon its release, FamilySearch and many top genealogy organizations, archives, societies, and individuals will coordinate efforts to provide quick access to these digital images and immediately start indexing these records to make them search able online for free and open access.

As an indexer and someone who researched long before computers were available. within a year of the release the index will most likely be completed and available most of the internet sites.

Since I have several siblings and a number of cousins and second cousins born after that date, I would prefer that the law would not release the info for at least 101 years afterwards.

Thanks to Federal Governments the world over requiring the usage of Social Security numbers or National I.D. numbers, I.D. theft is the number one crime worldwide. Genealogy records make it so easy to steal someone's I.D. What is the Number One question banks use for "security"? Answer: What is your mother's maiden name (which is included in all genealogy data bases). Ancestry.com not only lists my parents and their parents, and all their siblings, but also all my siblings and myself, our children & grandchildren (full of errors, but still...)

Also, several genealogy sites have included info FROM the 1940 Census for the past two years.

But the real question is: why the big deal of using the Census? There is very little on the Census to identify a person as your ancestor (or relative for that matter). If you do not already know all the pertinent info of a person, the Census will not provide it.

And, of course, since my parents were already grown with children, who would care about the 1940 Census? Except as a curiosity item: "What does it say about me" type of thing.

First, the amount of misinformation sometimes presented here is amazing on the 1940 census.

NO ONE is name indexing the census until it becomes public. That includes Archives.com which was awarded the contract to provide a website and search engine for the 3.8 million census images. The contract, and you can look this up, prohibits Archives.com from starting a name index before it becomes public. Indeed, those working at Archives.com on the opening website have been approved by the Census Bureau to provide absolute secrecy on the actual data. https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&...

Ancestry.com and Familysearch.org also will not be doing any name indexing until the 1940 population schedule is released on April 2nd. In fact, and you can look this up also, Ancestry bought the full set of digital images for $200,000 and won't be able to pick up their purchase until April 2nd, 2012.

Second, the National Archives itself has NEVER name indexed the census. Soundex which provided a type of name index was done by the Census Bureau for the 1900, 1910, 1920, and partially the 1930 census.... and that was done in the 1930s for the first 3 censuses I mention, and the 1950s for the last one.

Third, we are lucky to have a 72 year waiting period, and it's not due to life expectancy, but to the history of the interaction between the National Archives, and the Census Bureau. See my article at: http://www.stevemorse.org/census/rule72.html on the subject. In fact, Canada and Australia now have in place on their current censuses the ability of people to "opt out" of releasing their information after the current 99 plus years of privacy. That data will be destroyed if an individual so desires.

Archives.com with FamilySearch International and findmypast are going to spearhead a volunteer effort to name index the census. I expect states to be "rolled out". This process may take as long as 6 months to get a full name index. In addition, Ancestry.com has indicated they will make available a name index, rolling out indexes starting about the middle of April, 2012, and will make it available for free through 2013.

In the meantime, you can find people on April 2nd, 2012 on this census if you know their locations or addresses. Use our tutorial quiz at: http://stevemorse.org/census/quiz.php to gain an understanding of all the tools now available to do locational searches. This is the best suite of locational tools for ANY previous US Census opening that we have had.... and all the locational resources and the filled in census sheets, will be available online, and for free. If one does have locational information, one does NOT have to thumb through all the census images for a county or large city, but only one or a few census districts that the locational tools will point to.

Added comments: If you are going to quote my answer, then quote it accurately and not out of context between your quote marks, and don't paraphrase what I wrote, and then make it appear that the phrase is mine. For example, somewhere in your translation "sometimes" became "all" and additional words and meanings crept in.

No, I am going to disagree with you.

Genealogists love the census..that's a given fact. What we have to consider is that every time the census is done, there are many thousands of persons who REFUSE to participate, on the grounds that it invades their privacy. I worked on the 1990 census. Trust me, it was not fun.

The entire idea is that in order for people to consent to providing info, many have to be assured that their personal info is not going to be used, at least while they are still living. If you know anyone over age 72 (and I know more than a few), their info is already out there.

We use it for research, but like all records, we need to remember that genealogy is NOT the primary reason for any records to be kept.

Being able to search by name and/or computer, by the way, is a relatively new concept. I started research before computers were widely in use. The only way to search was to order a reel of microfilm for the county where you THOUGHT your ancestors were...and literally read it, page by page, by page, by hand cranking a machine to advance the film. You were sol if your ancestor happened to have lived just over the county line and was enumerated on another roll of film.

Count your blessings.

To answer your question, yes.

To respond to your comment, I have an elderly relation who is still pretty sharp. She lives in a retirement community. It is dead easy for scam artists to look up phone numbers by address, call each one and say "Grandma, this is John, Edward's son. I'm in a jam. Can you wire $300 to me at ...?"

If they get the names right and their voice sounds reasonably close, they sometimes get the money. If the census came out the year after it was taken, it would be much easier for these thieves to work.

That is just one example of how privacy laws protect people. There are a thousand more. Think of the 1900 or 1910, when they asked how many children a woman had borne, and how many were still living. I would not want to paint that particular fact on my barn in letters 8 feet high.

What I heard, I think it was on Geneablogger Radio, is that several groups are indexing the census data as we speak. They include ancestry.com and Family Search. On 2 April or very shortly after, expect to be able to view indexed copies. As someone else suggested, Family Search is always looking for volunteers to help with indexing so if you have a little extra time, volunteer!

We are fortunate, as Maxi pointed out, both UK and Canadian census have an even longer wait.

To be able to search by names someone has to transcribe it, I believe familysearch.org are always looking for volunteers, why not help out with the indexing yourself?

Anyway just be glad you are looking for someone in a US census and not the UK, there you have to wait a hundred years to see the records.

Think yourself very lucky....................we in the UK have to wait 100 years.......................