Finding the Roll Number for the 1940 Census

If you’ve begun searching the 1940 census, at some point you’ll want to enter the information into your genealogy software and/or paper files.  As with any source, you should always have a citation.  For censuses, one of the citation elements (for the first full reference) is the NARA roll number.

If you’ve used censuses before on Ancestry, the roll number is easy to find on the summary page of the household ( see below).

It can also be found in the image view by expanding the right-side panel (see below).

Unfortunately, finding the roll number for the 1940 census on the NARA website is not so easy.  In fact, I think it’s non-existent (I sure can’t find it!!).  Nor have I been able to find the roll number on FamilySearch or Ancestry (they’re using a different image viewer for the 1940 census, but it still has a right-side panel with the source information, just minus the roll number). 

So how do you find the roll number for your source citation?  Below are three ways to figure out the NARA roll number for a particular Enumeration District.

1. If you downloaded the entire Enumeration District from the NARA website, the file names for each image contain the roll number (see below).
   
   
   
   
2. If you already know the Enumeration District, visit Steve Morse’s website and visit the page Finding ED Definitions.  Make sure 1940 is chosen in the heading at the top of the page, then select the state, county, and ED.  Click the search button and a description will appear that identifies the roll number.
   
    
   
   
   
   
3. If you are in the process of searching for an Enumeration District on Steve Morse’s website, you can be proactive and obtain the roll number from the Unified 1940 Census ED Finder page.  Once you’ve found the ED (or EDs) you are going to search, select “1940 ED Description” from the box listed under the applicable ED number(s) and click on the link for the ED.  This will take you to the same page as noted in #2 above.  Make a note of the ED number and the roll number.
   
    

Have you found other ways to obtain the roll number?  If so, please share them in the comments.

Friday Finds – 07/16/10

Weekly column sharing genealogy-related things that I’ve learned or found.

52 Weeks of Online American Digital Archives and Databases: Massachusetts – Another great guide from Miriam over at AnceStories.

Exploring Newberry's Atlas of Historical County Boundaries – Randy over at Genea-Musings shares some tips for using the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries developed by the Newberry Library in Chicago.  I' haven’t explored it too much myself, but hope to use Randy’s tips in the near future (time is certainly not permitting these days).

First up, Illinois land grant records at NARA Chicago – This post from Blog of a Genealogist In Training contains a list of Illinois land grant records available at the NARA Great Lakes Region in Chicago.

Friday Finds – 04/30/10

Weekly column sharing genealogy-related things that I’ve learned or found.

Note:  Some of these are from last week, but I forgot to post them.

List of NARA Microfilm Publications and Original Records Digitized by Our Digitization Partners – This is list of records that have been digitized and are available via Ancestry or Footnote, as of March 2010.  They will update the list as more records become digitized.

Preparing for a Genealogy Research Trip – Elyse wrote a great article about getting ready for your next research trip.  She even includes a list of items to bring with you

52 Weeks of Online American Digital Archives and Databases: Iowa – Miriam delivers again in this series, this time focusing on Iowa.  I can’t wait to dig further into these sources for my Linn and Muscatine County families.

Non-Population U.S. Census Schedules Online – Kimberly Powell writes about the non-population schedules (agricultural, industry/manufacturing, and social statistics) that are being added to Ancestry.  She notes, “Not all available schedules are online as of yet. The states covered include California, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nebraska, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, and Washington Territory. Some states may have one type of non-population schedule online, but not others.”  Since Michigan was on the list, I spent the better part of the day collecting the agricultural schedules for my folks in Oakland County!

Connecticut Archives, 1629-1820 – According to the Connecticut State Library’s website, “The ‘Connecticut Archives’ are the papers and correspondence of the General Assembly, the Governor and Council, and other colony or state officials. Included in this collection are petitions, drafts of bills, acts, resolves, and other early government documents.”  Most of them are indexed, and the indexes are available online.  More on this is a separate blog post.

The Source:  A Guidebook to American Genealogy – The third edition, edited by Loretto Dennis Szucs and Sandra Hargreaves is available online through the Ancestry.com Wiki.  It’s nice to see this online, as I do not own this book.

Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources – The third edition of this book, edited by Alice Eichholz, is also available online through the Ancestry.com Wiki.  Although I own this book, it’s nice to have an online version for the times I need it when I’m away from home.

The Federation of Genealogical Societies to Digitize War of 1812 Pension Files – I’ve know about this for awhile now, but keep forgetting to post about it.  Running across Dick Eastman’s post, I figured now was as good a time as any.  The post also includes some general information about the War of 1812 and pension files.  I made three seperate donations:  one in honor of Marsha Hoffman Rising, and the other two for my fifth great-grandfathers who served in the war, Robert Parks and Aaron Webster.

FamilySearch Record Search – Tons of new records available this week!

Historical Register and Dictionary of the United States Army (1789-1903) – This book, by Francis B. Heitman, is available via Google Books.  Various details, particularly about officers.

List of Officers of the Navy of the United States and of the Marine Corps from 1775 to 1900 – This book, edited by Edward W. Callahan, is available via Google Books.