FamilySearch Announces Greatly Expanded Census Access

Through agreements with major genealogy entities Ancestry.com, FindmyPast.com and the Origins Network, FamilySearch will greatly broaden online access to censuses for the United States, England and Wales. The agreements include arrangements to offer improved digital images of census images, as well as better and enhanced census indexes. And since many of these records will eventually be available on FamilySearch, this will also improve their free census offerings currently available through FamilySearch Record Search.

Ancestry.com and FamilySearch, the two largest family history resources, have announced today that they will "exchange records and resources to make more historical records available online." That is great progress - to see those two great organizations working together. The first joint project will be an initiative to significantly enhance the U.S. Federal Census collection (1790 - 1930). FamilySearch is digitally converting master microfilm copies of the original census records and will give these improved images to Ancestry.com (technology has much improved since Ancestry.com first scanned their census images). The improved census images will also be made available for free access in NARA reading rooms and FamilySearch's 4,500 Family History Centers.

In return, Ancestry.com will provide FamilySearch with copies of its existing census indexes. These indexes will be merged with the new FamilySearch indexes currently being created by volunteers at FamilySearchIndexing to create enhanced census indexes which will be added to both sites. These enhanced census indexes will be free on Ancestry.com for a limited time as they are completed, and will also be available for free on FamilySearch.org. The new 1900 census images are now available on Ancestry.com, and the enhanced 1900 index will be available son. The 1920 census index is currently in process, with Ancestry's version being used as a first transcription, and FamilySearch indexers creating a second version with added fields. Discrepancies between the two index versions are then arbitrated by professionals.

Also today, FamilySearch announced that they are joining forces with FindmyPast.com, the Origins Network, and Intelligent Image Management, to make significant British historical record collections more broadly available. The first joint initiative seeks to publish online indexes to the censuses for England and Wales from 1841 to 1901. The 1841 and 1861 census indexes from FindmyPast.com are already available for free access on FamilySearch.org. FamilySearch, in conjunction with The Origins Network, will also provide digital images for the 1851, 1871, and 1881 British censuses and extend the 1871 Census index. Findmypast.com will provide FamilySearch copies of its English and Welsh Census indexes from 1841 to 1901. The Federation of Family History Societies will help complete the index for the 1851 Census. The census indexes, as they are completed, will be made available for free access on FamilySearch.org. The digital census images will be available for free access at Family History Centers, or online (for a fee) at subscription site FindmyPast.com.

I'm glad to see the genealogy "big boys" coming together to make family history more available to all, and can't wait to see what comes next out of these collaborative agreements!