Join IGS In Indexing 1940 Census

The Indiana Genealogical Society has joined forces with genealogy societies and organizations around the country as part of the 1940 U.S. Census Community Project. The initiative aims to publish a free, online searchable name index of the 1940 U.S. Federal Census after images of the census are released to the public on Monday, April 2, 2012. This online index will be free forever, offering family history researchers a rich genealogical data set for their ongoing use. Three leading genealogy organizations, Archives.com, FamilySearch International, and FindMyPast.com, launched the initiative at the end of last year.

The index created by the project will allow the public to easily search every person found in the census and view digital images of the original census pages where he or she is listed - all for free!

Here’s how you can join IGS in the 1940 U.S. Census Community Project:

1. Go to http://the1940census.com/society/
2. Under “Society Members,” click the red “Get Started” button. (This will prompt you to download the FamilySearch Indexing software. Download it and install it on your computer.)
3. When you launch the indexing software, you will be asked to “Register for a New Account” or “Sign In.” (If you already have a FamilySearch account that you use for indexing or for access to record images, you can just sign in.)
4. The “Register for a New Account” button will take you to the FamilySearch website to set up your account. Fill in all the information.
5. Join the IGS group by e-mailing your username to Vice President Tina Lyons at genwishlist@gmail.com. Alternatively, you might see a drop down box when you register that will allow you to select IGS as your society.
6. Tell the 1940 U.S. Census Project that you want to help by entering your e-mail, name and favorite state at http://the1940census.com. This will let them know how many people are available to index and keep you informed about the project through e-mail.

Now that you have a FamilySearch account, the FamilySearch Indexing software and have added your name to the Indiana Genealogical Society’s efforts, it’s time to start practicing your indexing. We’ll have more blog posts soon to help you get started!