1950 Census — Countdown to 2022

There are -967 days remaining until Friday, April 1, 2022 and the release of the 1950 Census Schedules.

The official date for the 1950 Census was Saturday, April 1st. The 72-year privacy restriction will mature on Friday, April 1, 2022 and so reseachers may have weekend access to films or digitized files at the National Archives or may instead need to wait until files could be put online. Stay tuned for details.

Getting Ready for 1950 Research
Since you've got so much time, there may be no urgency to this right now, but don't wait until the night before to start getting ready for one of the biggest genealogical events since, well — since April 2002 when the 1930 Census was released.

Start by listing those direct-line ancestors who you have found in the 1930 census and that you know were still living in 1940. While it's possible that they may still be living in the same city or state, don't rule out the fact that your ancestors may have moved. Once you have listed these individuals, consider looking for anyone in their mid-to-late teens or 20s who may have been living in the household in 1930, but may now be found as a head of their own household. Next, you'll want to repeat this same process for indirect ancestors (aunts & uncles).

1940 Census — Street Transcription Project
On 01 April 2012, the 1940 Census will be released from the 72-year privacy mandate and family historians will flood to National Archives in search of ancestors. BUT there will not be an index available and so researchers will be required to know the Enumeration District in the city or town where their ancestors lived. If you would like to help in this effort, visit www.stevemorse.org for more details about a project to create a free time-saving tool for your fellow genealogists.