Get Ready for the 1950 Census Release

The National Archives (NARA) will be releasing a digitized version of the 1950 census on April 1, 2022. Ancestry will create an initial searchable index using artificial intelligence and handwriting recognition technology, so the initial accuracy of that index will not be 100%.

Here are some things to do to help prepare for the release of the 1950 census:

Read Up on the 1950 Census

The National Archives website provides an overview of the project and record access.

Locate Pertinent Enumeration Districts (ED)

Since the initial index will have errors, locate the Enumeration Districts that will be most helpful to you. Steve Morse's Enumeration District Locator is a great tool to track down the districts containing your ancestors' locations. Steve Morse also has a great page on Getting ready for the 1950 Census. Lisa Louise Cooke talks with Steve on using his tools in this YouTube video. Thomas MacEntee has created a Determining Addresses and Enumeration Districts flow chart.

Create a List of Potential Connections

Use your genealogy software to generate a list of who was alive in 1950.

• Family Tree Maker - Creating a "People Alive in 1950" List
• Legacy Family Tree - Creating a List for the 1950 Census
• RootsMagic - Instructions for creating a "Who Was There" in 1950 List

(Instructions for Family Tree Maker, Legacy Family Tree, and RootsMagic by Nanci Remington, Laurel Smith, and Ed Vandehey.)

Become Familiar with the 1950 Census Form

The Midwest Genealogy Center has a fillable form based on the 1950 US Census Form P1 Population Schedule. You can access it here.