Archives.com Blog

NGS Here We Come!

2012-05-09T02:41:16Z

We can't believe it's been only been a year since the first time Archives.com exhibited at a family history conference - NGS 2011! So much has happened since then it's amazing to look back at how far we've come. This year we're back again, this time in Cincinnati, with a new look and we can't wait for the conference to begin!

Tomorrow Joe Godfrey, Product Director for Archives.com, will be addressing NGS attendees before the Opening Session. Make sure to come early to get a good seat. You'll learn more about where Archives.com is headed, and why we're psyched about joining with the Ancestry.com team. (Read the announcement here).

Understanding the 1940 Census

2012-05-04T17:47:37Z

It's been one month since the release of the 1940 census. Whether you've found family members on the National Archives website at 1940census.archives.gov or found them here on Archives.com using the growing number of indexes we have available, you might wonder what some things in the census mean.

Here we'd like to answer some common questions to help you more easily find your family, and better understand these records.

The "X" In a Circle or In Parentheses:
The circled X or an X in parentheses shows who gave the enumerator the information for the household. This can help you judge the accuracy of the answers.

Inflection Sells Archives.com to Ancestry.com Inc.

2012-04-25T08:18:25Z

REDWOOD CITY, CA, April 25, 2012 --Inflection, a Silicon Valley Big Data startup, today announced the sale of its family history website Archives.com to Ancestry.com Inc. (Nasdaq: ACOM) for $100 million in cash. Archives.com will continue under Inflection leadership until the completion of customary closing conditions.

"The sale is an exciting moment for Inflection and the broader family history community," said Inflection CEO Matthew Monahan. "Thanks to Archives.com General Manager Joe Godfrey's inspired leadership and our extraordinary team, Archives.com has quickly become one of family history's most dynamic web properties. Our plan for a simple and affordable family history experience will be accelerated thanks to Ancestry's deep expertise and resources."

New! Search Colorado 1940 Census Records By Name

2012-04-25T00:35:39Z

Today, Archives.com has made the entire 1940 census name index for Colorado available to search for free at Archives.com/1940census. There you can search all 1940 census records from Colorado, and view the images, at no cost.

This is the second state to be made available on Archives.com from the 1940 census, and more will be added continually!

Kudos to the tremendous effort of the 1940 U.S. Census Community Project volunteers who are helping to bring these records online in record time. If you're not involved already, this important national service project needs you!

Archives.com Partners with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America to Publish Millions of Church Records

2012-04-17T18:39:46Z

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., April 17, 2012 - Archives.com, a website that makes family history research simple and affordable, is pleased to announce its partnership with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) to digitize and index 1,000 reels of microfilm containing millions of baptism, confirmation, marriage, and funeral records. Archives.com will make these records available online for the first time as part of its ongoing effort to expand its collection of over 2.1 billion historical records.

With the help of digitization and indexing partners, Archives.com will create digital indexes of these records. The documents cover Lutheran congregations throughout the U.S., and will be accompanied by images of the original parish register ledger books. Dating from 1793-1940, these new collections will help users uncover valuable information about their ancestors that isn't available anywhere else online.

Archives.com Adds First State to its Search-By-Name Index of the 1940 U.S. Census

2012-04-13T18:29:13Z

Last week, Archives.com and the U.S. National Archives made the entire U.S. 1940 census available digitally at 1940census.archives.gov. While census images are hugely valuable, the lack of a name index can impede speedy searching. To help remedy this, Archives.com and other like-minded family history organizations have sponsored the 1940 U.S. Census Community Project, a national service effort that will index 3.8 million census images by name. Archives.com is proud to...

American Icons in the 1940 Census

2012-04-05T21:41:02Z

After 72 long years, the 1940 census was released on April 2, 2012. Take a peek at the records of some famous American icons who are included in the 1940 census.

Behind the Scenes: the 1940 U.S. Census Release

2012-04-04T21:37:26Z

The 1940 U.S. census launch has been enormous. Whether it's the scale of the census data or the huge amount of traffic to the census site (http://1940census.archives.gov/), everything about the past few days has been big! Archives.com thinks a closer look into this enormous undertaking is in order. Check it out!

Archives.com Offices, April 2, 9am EDT

2012-04-03T21:29:53Z

The April 2nd release of the 1940 U.S. Census proved one thing: America hasn't gone this gaga over something since, well, Lady Gaga. While Archives.com engineers have been tirelessly working to accommodate the massive rush of traffic to the site, the Design team has been feeling a little left out. Here's their oh-so-helpful contribution. Oh, artists!

Simple Image Viewing And Fast Download

2012-04-03T16:47:26Z

Our engineers have been working tirelessly throughout the night to improve the reliability of the 1940 census website and we've made some great progress.

Some highlights include...

1940 Census Update: We Expected A Flood And Got A Tsunami!

2012-04-02T21:56:09Z

First, we want to apologize to the millions of people who came to the 1940 census website this morning in search of information about their family history. While many users have been able to find and download records, many others have experienced problems when searching for enumeration districts and viewing census images.

As the National Archives and Records Administration's (NARA) official development partner on this project, Archives.com is responsible for the website performance and stability. We take full responsibility for the technical issues that have occurred and are very sorry for the inconvenience you may have experienced.

Archives.com Joins with the National Archives to Release the 1940 Census

2012-04-02T13:23:29Z

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., April 2, 2012 - Archives.com, an innovative family history website that makes family history research simple and affordable, has joined in partnership with the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) to provide the public with free digital access to the 1940 Federal Population Census on April 2, 2012.

The entire 1940 census is available online today exclusively at 1940census.archives.gov, the official U.S. government website for the 1940 census. Archives.com built the tools that allow researchers and amateur historians alike to browse, view, and download images from the 1940 census, the most important collection of newly released U.S. genealogy records in a decade. Archives.com has bolstered users' census research experience by integrating a robust set of finding-tools and resources.

Find Your Family in the 1940 Census [INFOGRAPHIC]

2012-03-29T16:30:11Z

The 1940 Census is almost here! Are you ready? Archives.com has prepared this infographic to show some of the cool things you can discover about your family in the 1940 Census. It also shows the steps you'll take to find them when the Census is released on April 2.

Archives.com is proud to have been selected by the National Archives to host the 1940 Census. Starting April 2, go to 1940census.archives.gov and find your family.

So, who is that with great-grandpa?!

1940 Census: Who We're Searching for and Why

2012-03-29T00:45:36Z

The genealogical world is all atwitter at the prospect of the release of the 1940 U.S. Federal Census, which will materialize fully digitized at 1940census.archives.gov at 9:00 a.m. Eastern on April 2nd. The website, created for the National Archives and Records Administration by Archives.com, will give everyone free access to this tremendous record trove that captures the pivotal moment the Greatest Generation was exiting the Great Depression only to be pulled into the demands and sacrifices of World War II.

This remarkable record set will undoubtedly be pored over and analyzed by historians, economists, sociologists and countless others, but I was curious about the personal reasons that so many of us are counting down the minutes

Let Archives.com Sponsor Your 1940 Kickoff Event

2012-03-23T23:30:41Z

The release of the 1940 Census is one of the most anticipated genealogical events ever. How can you have an event like this without a kickoff party? And what's a party without gifts?!

If you or your library, archives, or society is hosting a 1940 census kickoff event, Archives.com will provide up to 3 free memberships, which can be used as door prizes or raffle items. To receive these, simply email 1940census@archives.com with the name of your organization and details about your event.

Archives.com is proud to be partnering with the National Archives and Records Administration to bring you the 1940 Census at 1940census.archives.gov beginning April 2.