Congratulations! 1940 US Census Indexing Complete!

The following is from the 1940 Census Community.

We did it! Today (Aug 3, 2012)  just before 2:00 p.m. (MDT), the very last batch of the 1940 US Census was arbitrated and submitted for publication. The indexing portion of the 1940 US Census Community Project is officially done!

Just look at what we accomplished: The project was supposed to take at least six months, yet it was completed in just 124 days—two full months ahead of schedule! An "army" of more than 160,000 volunteers participated. Plainly stated, there is nothing in the annals of the genealogical community that can compare with this achievement. Because of the familiarity of the volunteers with the names and places contained in the records, the resulting index is thought to be among the most accurate of any census ever published. Tens of millions of people will benefit for generations. That's quite a legacy!

It will take a few more weeks to complete the quality audit of the remaining states and publish them online for searching; however, the majority of the 1940 US Census records are already searchable online at the sites of the consortium members. Meanwhile, we hope the feelings you have at this moment of accomplishment are satisfying and will motivate you to continue giving. Families are being united across the generations with every name you index or arbitrate.

What's next? If you are wondering where the next "big thing" is for the indexing community, check out the new US Immigration & Naturalization Community Project. We're starting with passenger lists from all of the major US ports, so there will be something in this project for everyone. Just look for the "US (Community Project)" label on all record sets belonging to this new project.

This is your next chance to be part of something really big. Don't miss the boat!