Dateline April 8, 2002--- Volunteers today boxed, labeled and put into cabinets the 1930 census. It's been a long wait-72 years!-but the public (YOU) will be able to access the 1930 census rolls and selected Soundex starting Tuesday, April 9, 2002 and thereafter.

OH, GOODY! WHAT DO I DO NOW?

First, go online at http://www.wrhs.org to get the address, phone no. and hours of the library. Come to the Western Reserve Historical Society Archive Library and check in at the reception desk. You will be given a set of worksheets to use for your 1930 census search, which will include important how-tos for your search, plus an ancestor chart and a 1930s census worksheet.

Be sure to fill out your ancestor chart so that those volunteers helping you can easily find your information. Fill out the 1930s census worksheet as well, or you can create one ahead of time by merely making columns on a sheet of plain paper to include the following: name of person you are looking for; the state they lived in; county, city, village, town or township; street address; enumeration district; and roll number of the microfilm.

You won't be able to fill in all these blank sections perhaps, but begin to fill in what you can so you have a working method for searching.

ONLINE HELPS YOU CAN USE

Although the Soundex was only created for Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, 7 Kentucky counties, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and 7 West Virginia counties, you can STILL find your ancestors in the remaining states by using a number of helps created by the government.

Go to http://1930census.archives.gov/beginSearch.asp to read how you can find enumeration districts WITHOUT having an index such as Soundex to put you in the right town and street. It will definitely help if you can find an address to match with an ancestor before you arrive to research at WRHS, but online maps and directories may give you clues.

Even so, finding the right ED for your search may involve some scrolling through a microfilm reel before you hit "pay dirt"

LIBRARY HELPS FOR YOU WHEN YOU ARRIVE

As noted before, volunteers are going to be helping you begin to research. Please be patient if you don't get to a microfilm viewer right away. Come prepared to do other work if you must wait for a machine, and if the demand is high, time on a machine may be limited as well. You will be limited to having one roll of 1930 microfilm at a time.

The Genealogical Committee has purchased an Ohio Enumeration District description book that sets out the boundaries for the ED's in the 1930 census for Ohio. This can be helpful for your Ohio research. A number of Cleveland maps will be available for you to check for wards and street co-ordinates.

READY, SET, GO!

Okay, the doors open on April 9th at 9am-5pm. Wednesday hours are 9-9. Get your information together, check online beforehand for hints and helps, and again, happy ancestor hunting!

(Last in a series) Amy Kenneley