By Monica Wooton- President of the Magnolia Historical Society

This might be helpful to you in researching your families. Below is an excerpt from the June 5th, 2012 Seattle Times, plus a link to local resources for your research:

“Every 10 years, the Census Bureau releases original records from 72 years earlier — previously confidential demographic data from individual survey forms.

“These once-a-decade purges are highly anticipated by growing numbers of Americans looking to trace their family lines deep into the past. Genealogy’s growing appeal is evidenced by the popularity of such TV shows as “Who Do You Think You Are?”

“The 1940 census data were the first to be released digitally, rather than on microfilm, putting this kind of research literally at people’s fingertips. “The release is a big deal when it comes out,” said John LaMont, a genealogy librarian at Seattle Public Library.

“The 1940 census data from some states, such as Washington, have not been indexed fully to allow searches by name. But family researchers with some idea about where their relatives lived in 1940 can trace them”.

Find more at: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2018356166_census04m.html