1940 Federal Census

I have not written about the 1940 United States Federal Census that became available in April.  Frankly, I was waiting for an index.  Not waiting.  Working on other projects until an index was available.  The sites froze often in the beginning and my eyes tired quickly looking at page after page.  Volunteers are still indexing and I thank them for their work.

New Jersey is not indexed yet.  You can browse the images for free at FamilySearch.  I saw what I wanted to see from New Jersey (thank you J.D.I.) and will view the rest when the index is available.



FamilySearch.org

The index as well as the images will be free to all through FamilySearch.  The index is free at Ancestry, but the images are not free.  Quivering leaves on my family tree indicated that New York's index is available, so I looked for some people.



Ancestry.com
1940 United States Federal Census
Lewisboro, Westchester County, New York

Ancestry has quite a few bells and whistles.  The person of interest is highlighted in yellow and the rest of the household is green.  You should always review the neighbors, and Ancestry makes this easy.



Ancestry provides a typed name as you scroll through neighbors,
and highlights the neighbor's line in peach.

As you stroll along the page, the names are still viewable in a typed format.
The highlights continue.
The names of columns are visible at the top.
This ensures that you gather information from the correct line.

Hobby versus Career

Thomas MacEntee over at GeneaBloggers is posting several articles about money and genealogy. 

People have asked me and I have asked myself, "Why don't you do this professionally?"

I am not sure.  My day job as a nurse pays the bills, but it's not as glamorous as what you see on television.  People do not place a high monetary value on genealogical research.  They do not realize the time, effort, travel, and reading required to uncover a scattered or elusive lineage.  People also feel that the records should be of little or no cost, while we know that states charge upwards of $30 for a vital records certificate.  People often email me (often with misspellings and without providing their name) asking me, "Can I have all your research on this line?"  As if I didn't spend years crawling through cemeteries, sneezing over moldy record books, and straining my eyes deciphering grainy microfilm to reach the point where I am in my research.  If I wanted my research online for anyone to take and credit themselves, I would have already done that.

Did I digress?  Pardon me.

I am enjoying Mr. MacEntee's articles and encourage you all to read them as well.

Me (left) and my sister Danielle (right) in 2004
at Holy Cross Lutheran Cemetery
Bushkill Center, Northampton County, Pennsylvania



DNA Testing Sale at FamilyTreeDNA

Hello Everyone.

As I mentioned in a comment to a post, I ordered DNA kits because of sales.  FamilyTreeDNA is having a sale.  Their autosomal testing kit, "Family Finder," is on sale for $199 through July 15, 2012.  Their usual price is $289.  In comparison, the autosomal test at 23andMe is $299.  This is a one-time fee.  FamilyTreeDNA offers additional tests that you can purchase later, if you so wish.

Autosomal testing will produce distant cousins who are descended from any one of your ancestors.  If you have been waiting to test, a sale is a great time to go ahead and order the kit.  You will naturally want to test yourself.  If your parents or grandparents are alive, test them.  If one parent is deceased or not available but the other is still living, test yourself and the living parent.  Cousins who match you but not the living parent are likely related through the untested parent.

FamilyTreeDNA.com
Sale on autosomal DNA test