Kentucky Ancestors, Volume 46, Number 1 - Kentucky Historical ...

Finally, many genealogy librarians around the
country are being asked about the 1940 Federal
census–why it cannot be searched yet? Americans
cherish not only their independence but their
privacy as well. Previous census records showed that
Americans were living longer. Public Law 95-416
(enacted on 5 October 1978) required seventy-two
years before the release of the 1940 Federal census to
the public. 11 Thankfully, 2 April 2012 is just around
the corner and, according to the National Archives
and Records Administration, it will be released in
digital format.
In conclusion, the establishment and changes to
Federal census records over its history tell a unique
story that many researchers may not been aware
of before. Appreciating these changes and their
implications adds value to the lives of our ancestors
documented in its pages. Necessity not only drove
many of our ancestors to seek a better life in distant
lands; necessity also influenced the records that
documented their lives.
Noted events in the history of Soundex:
• 1902 U.S. Census Bureau establishes
an age search service in various cities
throughout the country.
• 1907 Passage of the Service and Age
Pension Act–a required modification of
previous legislation.
• 1916 Robert Russell receives the first
of six patents of an indexing system of
Federal Census records.
• 1921 1890 Federal Census is destroyed
by fire. 12
• 1927 Remington Rand Corporation
purchases the licensing rights to
Russell’s indexing system and applies the
trademark name–Soundex®.
• 1929 Stock market crash
• 1935 Creation of the Social Security
Administration and the Works Progress
Administration.
• Post 1935 Soundex indexing of the
1900 Federal Census by the WPA under
Census Bureau supervision–the most
critical enumeration at the time. This was
followed by the indexing of the 1880 and
1920 Federal census.
• 1941 The United States enters the
Second World War – the indexing of
1910 census slows to trickle.
• 1961 Events leading up to the passage
of the 1965 Medicare Act brings about
renewed efforts to complete the Soundex
indexing of the 1910 census.
ENDNOTES:
1 Joe Hardesty is the Kentucky history and genealogy
librarian at the Louisville Free Public Library,
Louisville, Kentucky. He holds both a master of arts
degree in education from Western Kentucky
University and a master of library science degree
from the University of Kentucky. He conducts
numerous workshops and has been a guest lecturer at
various genealogy society meetings and conferences.
He can be reached by email: Hardesty@lfpl.org.
2 David O. Stewart, The Summer of 1787: The Men
Who Invented the Constitution (New York, 2007).
3 1930 United States Federal census, Column 9 under
“Home Data.”
4 William H. Glasson, Federal Military Pensions in the
United States (New York, 1918).
5 Patent number 1,207,220, Official Gazette of
the United States Patents Office (Washington, D.C.,
1916),159.
6 George T. Kurian, Datapedia of the United States,
1790-2005: America Year by Year (Lanham, Md.,
2001).
7 An authoritative overview of the Works Progress
Administration can be found at: http://www.broward.
org/library/bienes/lii10204.htm (viewed 28 March
2010).
8 Willis Else, “Is Soundex Obsolete?” Everton’s
Genealogical Helper (November/December, 2006),
45-54.
9 http://1930census.archives.govsearchStrategies
Soundex.html (viewed 23 March 2010).
10 The Louisville Free Public Library is located at 301
York Street, Louisville, KY 40203.
11 To learn about what questions were asked on the 1940
U. S. census and tips on how to search it, go to http://
www.archives.gov/genealogy/census/1940.
Autumn 2010 | 29