by Evan Wilson
The California Genealogical Society has joined forces with genealogy societies and organizations around the country as part of the 1950 US Census Community Project, and you are invited to join the effort! The initiative will publish a free, online, searchable name index of the 1950 US census after images of the census are released to the public in April 2022. This online index will offer family history researchers a rich genealogical data set for their ongoing use.
FamilySearch and Ancestry launched the initiative in the fall of 2021, and the project is already engaging thousands of volunteers to help provide this invaluable resource to family historians around the world.
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 individuals are listed. The highly anticipated 1950 US census will be the most popular US record collection released to date.
“The 1950 census is attractive to both new and experienced researchers because most peopl in the United States can remember a relative that was living in 1950. It will do more to connect living memory with historical records and families than any other collection previously made available,” said David Rencher, Chief Genealogical Officer for FamilySearch.
The 1950 US Census Community Project is also receiving support from leading societal organizations like the National Genealogical Society and other societies around the United States.
Go to FamilySearch.org/1950census, and register to participate.
CGS board member Evan Wilson will host two informal Zoom sessions–one before April 1 and one after–so that CGS members interested in working on the project can compare notes, build morale, and discuss what they hope to find in the 1950 census records. If you would like to participate, please email him at erwilson@californiaancestors.
MAR
2022