I think the folks at Ancestry.com went home for the holidays but left the office unlocked. The following was written by Ancestry.com:
Below are the 30 collections that have been opened up for free between December 26-29th. This represents more than 300 million select records from collections added or updated in 2012. This has been a great year for content, and we want to give everyone an opportunity to search these records for free. The 1940 U.S. Census represents 134 million records that were indexed and are now searchable on Ancestry.com (These records will be free on Ancestry.com through 2013). Almost 9 out of 10 Americans have a relative in the 1940 Census, making this a great resource to start your family history journey.
To access these records, visit Ancestry.com/2012.
1940 United States Federal Census
Border Crossings: From Canada to U.S., 1895-1954
Border Crossings: From Mexico to U.S., 1895-1957
California, Railroad Employment Records, 1862-1937
Canada, Nominal Rolls and Paylists for the Volunteer Militia, 1857-1922
Canada, Voters Lists, 1935-1980
Galveston, Texas, Jewish Immigration Records, 1901-1917
Lancashire, England, Births and Baptisms, 1813-1911
Lancashire, England, Deaths and Burials, 1813-1986
Lancashire, England, Marriages and Banns, 1754-1936
London, England, School Admissions and Discharges, 1840-1911
Massachusetts, Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988
New South Wales, Australia, Convict Indents, 1788-1842
New South Wales, Australia, Police Gazettes, 1854-1930
New York, Naturalization Records, 1897-1944
New York, State Census, 1892
New Zealand, Maori Land Claims, 1858-1980
Pennsylvania, Church and Town Records, 1708-1985
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Immigration Records, Special Boards of Inquiry, 1893-1909
U.S. Marine Corps Muster Rolls, 1798-1958
U.S. National Cemetery Interment Control Forms, 1928-1962
U.S., Buffalo Soldiers, Returns From Regular Army Cavalry Regiments, 1866-1916
U.S., Burial Registers, Military Posts and National Cemeteries, 1862-1960
U.S., Confederate Pensions, 1884-1958
U.S., Records of Aliens Pre-Examined in Canada, 1922-1954
U.S., World War II Cadet Nursing Corps Card Files, 1942-1948
UK and Ireland, Masters and Mates Certificates, 1850-1927
United States, Atlantic Ports Passenger Lists, 1820-1873 and 1893-1959
War of 1812 Pension Application Files Index, 1812-1815
Washington, Marriage Records, 1865-2004
Included in the 1940 U.S. Census collection are the new fields that are now indexed and searchable. Though we are not done indexing all of the fields that we plan to, you can now enjoy the index for the following fields:
Two individuals from each page were asked additional questions and those fields have been indexed as well:
- House owned or rented
- Value of home or monthly rental if rented
- Attended school or college
- Highest grade completed
- Employment code
- Hours worked the week prior to the census
- Duration of employment
- Occupation
- Class of worker
- Occupation code
- Weeks worked in 1939
- Income
- Income from other sources
- Father birth place
- Mother birth place
- Native language
- Veteran
- If child, is veteran father dead
- Military Service
- Usual occupation
- Usual industry
- Usual class of worker
- Usual occupation code
- If a women have they been married more than once
- Women age at first marriage
- Number of children ever born
