HELP CREATE THE 1950 ONLINE CENSUS INDEX

     On April 1, 2022, U.S. Census Bureau Director Robert Santos joined the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) for a virtual event celebrating the first release of population records from the 1950 Census. Unlike previous census years, these records will be available online as free digital images.

     Find your own family in 1950! The images are already available by using the search tools on the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) website, starting here. Click on the Search the 1950 Census button in the upper right, then identify the county and state in the dropdown lists.

     To help protect citizens’ privacy, the actual records of each U.S. Census, by law, are not released to the American public until 72 years after the enumeration.

     Enthusiasm and interest in the 1950 US census have been building steadily since the release of the 1940 census in 2012. These new records will introduce us to the 40,000,000 people born during this era of baby boomers. But this postwar decade wasn’t just prosperous for newborns. It also ushered in the civil rights movement, rock ’n’ roll, suburban living, and a wave of colorful innovations. Many of the powerful voices and inspired minds behind these changes will be found in the 1950 census.

     Many people alive today will find themselves in the 1950 US census. Others will be able to readily connect with relatives they knew personally or through family stories. Imagine the great resource this will be to current and future researchers and family history enthusiasts!

HELP CREATE A SEARCHABLE INDEX OF BAXTER COUNTY

      In cooperation with FamilySearch.org, individuals, societies, and organizations are invited to participate in an effort to review and improve a computer-generated index of the 1950 census, to help get the final index published faster than ever. Our Society is registered to participate in this project. Members of the Baxter County Historical and Genealogical Society have the opportunity to work together as a group to:

1. Find and verify the listing of your own family in the 1950 census.
2. Find and verify the 1950 census for other Baxter County families.
3. In cooperation with familysearch.org, help create an online index of the 1950 census for Baxter County so other researchers can find their families in the ’50 census.

     Of course, you can do this work as an individual for your own research, but as stated above, our Society is also registered as a participating group to verify the residents of Baxter County in 1950. And you don’t have to live in Baxter County to help with this project. You can participate from your home computer, and there will be a downloadable app for your phone.

     You can join our Society’s group and we will be able to track the progress of creating a 1950 Census Index for Baxter County. Group functionality will be available as the project is launched so that we can see the progress we are making together as a group.

Please keep returning to this page. We will soon provide you with the link to join as part of our BCHGS group.