Millions of families can now research their history with 1950 census records

The digital records were released on Friday and are available to the public free of charge at a dedicated website, allowing viewers to research their family histories and backgrounds. They include 6.57 million population schedules — many of which include multiple families and households — and 33,360 Indian Reservation schedules for Native Americans living on reservations.

In a video celebrating the release of the archives, Archivist of the United States David S. Ferriero explained the National Archives has been preparing for the release for a decade. The images shown on the website are actually microfilms taken by the bureau in 1952 that had to be carefully scanned by archive staff. The original paper documents were destroyed in the 1960s.

The archive recommends users search for the first and last name of the head of household they’re looking for; the database will return close matches even if users don’t know the exact spelling. The archive used an Artificial Intelligence technique called “Optical Character Recognition” to extract names from images of handwritten text, so not all the names are perfect.

The 1950 census included 20 questions for all respondents age 14 years and older; some respondents were also asked an additional six questions.

Notably, the 1950 census marked the last time census takers personally visited most households. The bureau then switched to mailing households enumeration forms, and today citizens can fill out the census online, by phone, or by mail.

According to the archive, censuses from 1960 and later are not available to the public “because of a statutory 72-year restriction on access for privacy reasons,” but they can be privately requested from the US Census Bureau.

“The Census is full of family stories, and we know you are eager to look for yours,” said Ferriero.