1940 Census Records for Sugar Land Area

Those of you who are interested in genealogy have probably heard that the US Census Bureau has put the 1940 Census records online.  Ancestry.com is preparing a name index, but that's a big project involving lots of volunteers.  It may take quite a while to complete.  

The only search method at the moment is by enumeration district.  Once you find the number of the district you want, you still have to look through the records one by one to find your family of interest.  It can be a tedious process, but experienced genealogists know the drill.

If you go to the Web site, you'll see instructions for finding enumeration district numbers and searching the records.  I've provided the link below.

I've also included a link to the page covering my mother's family, who lived at the Humble Camp south of town.  Their entries begin on line 25.  My mother is Sally Ann.  You should be able to magnify the image, so you can read the headings.

This census recorded interesting information about incomes, work histories, housing and relief aid.  None of that was recorded before the '40 Census.  I've spent some time looking at both sets of records that cover the Sugar Land area.  I've found many people I know.  I've found people I didn't know lived in Sugar Land as early as 1940.  

I've also got a reasonably good idea of the relative financial position of residents, but who can guess the accuracy of the income figures?  I'm sure the census workers didn't verify the figures.  Some people probably guessed or exaggerated; others probably had no bank account or pay stubs and didn't know how much they made in 1939.

Link to 1940 Census Web site.

A logistical note: I've upload a copy of my family's census page, but Google reduces the resolution to the point you can't read the small print. I left the uploaded page anyway. I've added a link (below) to the same page on the Census Web site. You can see the full image there, but it's very awkward. They don't give you zoom and shrink widgets. If you want to do effective research, the best bet is to bite the bullet and download the zipped file for the enumeration district you want. It may take a while, but you'll be able to manipulate each image and do a reasonably good review to find your family. I think searching the records online is near impossible, but they'll probably develop a more sophisticated portal later.  

Link to same page on Census Web site.