Welcome to the 30s
On April 1, the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) released the census records from 1930 in the form of 2,667 rolls of microfilm.
The microfilmed copies will be opened for research at the National Archives Building in Washington, D.C., and at 13 of the National Archives regional facilities across the nation as well as through the National Archives rental program, according to www.nara.gov/nara/pressrelease/nr02-19.html, the NARA’s official Web site.
The 13 regional facilities are located in Iowa, New York, Missouri, Kansas, Massachusetts, Texas, Michigan, Georgia, California, Texas, Maryland and Arkansas, and are now open for research along with decennial censuses dating back to 1790.
Paul Nauta, manager of communication for the Family and Church History Department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, said the release will be particularly helpful and interesting to genealogy researchers.
“Family historians will have a higher likelihood of success, because with a higher life expectancy now, many of the family members are within living memory,” Nauta said.
He said this will be the most extensive census available publicly. Some of the inquiries on the census were addresses, relationship of people in the household, sex, race, birth, year immigrated, literacy, trade and profession and establishment.
“Researchers should be able to find really precious information about the lives and lifestyles of relatives in the 1930s,” Nauta said.
Nauta said The Church of Jesus Christ has ordered copies of the census complete, and when they have received the copies in Salt Lake City it will be made available through the 3,700 worldwide Family History Centers.
Nauta said researchers should go to www.familysearch.org to find out what particular copies they need. These can then be obtained at one of the centers.
William Jones, director of the Cache Family History Center, said, “From our standpoint the copies will be distributed on a request basis. Researchers can fill out a form and request records through the center.”
Jones said he expects the census requests will be available at the Family History Centers by the end of the summer.