1940 US census - indexing problems

URWelcome

I was researching sources to attach to families when I came across these two examples of indexing problems on the 1940 US census. The families are on the images, but are not indexed. So, I'm unable to attach them. They are not the only ones missing from these pages.

I was looking for Wilhemina Engelbrecht's family. I can see it on the image, but it's not indexed.

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G9M1-7WY?i=22

I was trying to attach Louis Donota & family, but they are not included on the indexing. There are only 2 other families indexed on the entire page....

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-89MY-D4J3?i=21&cc=2000219

I would really like to document these families using the Family Search sources.

Julia Szent-Györgyi

It's unfortunate that the index on FS (which is completely different and separate from the index on Ancestry) missed so many people on these pages, but @Unabletodisplay, @maryellenstevensbarnes1, there's no need to go to Ancestry or anywhere else to cite the images on FamilySearch.

Go to the census image. In your favorite text editor (or on a piece of paper, if you prefer), take notes about the things that you want to include in the Notes/Description field. Then click the "Source Box" button in the top gray strip, choose "+ Add to My Source Box", and fill in the citation title and notes. (You'll notice that the popup for creating the source citation is immovable and obscures the middle of the image you're trying to cite. This is why I suggested starting with your favorite text editor.) The title should be fairly generic, so that the same citation can be used for everyone in the family: something like "United States Census, 1940: Wilhelmina Elgelberht and family, Cleveland, Ohio".

Once you've filled in the two fields, click Save. You then have two choices for how to attach the newly-created citation to the profiles of the people mentioned: you can start from the profile end, or from the Source Box end.

If your new source citation only applies to one or two profiles, start from the profile(s). Go to the Sources tab, click "Add Source", and choose "Attach From Source Box". Find the citation (it should be right at the top), click the Attach button, (optionally) add a reason, and click Attach. Repeat for anyone else mentioned. (The hardest/most tedious part is navigating to everyone's Sources tab.)

If your citation applies to lots of people, it's easier to start from your Source Box. Click your name-and-picture at the top right of your screen and choose Source Box. Find the new source (it should be right at the top) and click Attach. You have three choices for how to choose a profile: by name, by ID, or from your Recents list. I find it easiest to have a relevant profile open in another tab, where I can use "Copy ID" on each person, and then use By ID. Once you have the person, click Attach, (optionally) add a reason, and click Attach.

Mike357

@Unabletodisplay, the most important information on this issue, you have already received from @Julia Szent-Györgyi; however, the comment from @maryellenstevensbarnes1 caused me to look at your issue a little more closely.

It appears that this is a FamilySearch system problem. One can search for Wilhemina Engelberht (note the spelling) and see that the index record details page is found; thus, we know that her record has been indexed.

However, as you pointed out, there is no link to the index record details page when we look at the original census record. At one time, we had a similar problem; it looks like a variant of that problem may be showing up again.

Thank you for raising this issue. I will make sure that it gets into the queue for engineers to review and fix. Unfortunately, there is no way to suggest when the problem will be fixed.

maryellenstevensbarnes1

Hi @Unabletodisplay, Since I've been indexing for the past 9-10 years, I found it hard to believe we (speaking for all indexers) would have missed so many families on every single page, so I browsed thru adjoining images 22, 24, 25, etc --the images aren't in any chronological order and I checked other resources---which I think you can search for free (according to https://www.ancestry.com/cs/1940-census) so I think the real problem is not that we missed all these people, its a glitch with the FS technology that shows only a part of the Index Image portion of the page. For Wilhelmina use https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/35811353:2442?_phsrc=Mmd363&_phstart=successSource&gsfn=Wilhelmina&gsln=Engelbrecht&ml_rpos=1&queryId=0450f3812505f3f6286da908675e78f4 --- if it truly is free, you can do the same for your Donato family --- copy the citation into your FS Tree and fill in the individual data for each family member also do a Record Search to see if the individual is already in Family Search with his/her unique ID number

maryellenstevensbarnes1

Thanks @Julia Szent-Györgyi for easy-to-follow and excellent instructions - I'll save & print to keep handy😎

maryellenstevensbarnes1

Hi @Mike357 Thank you for reviewing this issue - and sending it up to engineers -- Happy moderating - you are all much appreciated 😎

SteveLinke

I think I ran across a similar issue with the 1940 US Census for Belfield, North Dakota. As an example, if you browse Sheet 7A (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G9M1-TS83?i=12), the names in the index below are all mixed around, and the three in which I am interested (Herbert, Brenda, and Sharon Altenburg) do not even appear in the index. However, I was able to find them through a search.

Mike357

@SteveLinke, thanks for the additional example. We have reported the problem to the appropriate group for review and resolution. I am glad that you are able to find your family by using the Search function.

I did verify that the Altenburg's were not found in the index; but, as you, I was able to find them when I searched the 1940 U.S. Census.

N Tychonievich

@Unabletodisplay Thought I'd give you an update on the incomplete (sometimes missing entirely) image indexes in the 1940 US Census. Word back from engineering is that they have identified the problem. Somehow the 1940 Census is tied to the 1950 census in ways I don't pretend to understand. But, they tell me that when FamilySearch completes the 1950 census and fully publishes its index, the index problem for the 1940 census will also be fixed. Sorry I don't have a projected date for this to happen.

Most of the time you can find the people who are not in the image indexes if you search the 1940 Census record collection and use a record details page for a quick attach to Family Tree. Or, if you find the image while browsing, you can use the image itself as your source.