FamilySearch Indexing
1940 US Federal Census
US 1940 Census
Census Form
Data Entry Area
Project Help Tabs
Note the Project Help tabs on the lower right hand corner of the batch.
Before indexing any project, click on the Project Instructions tab and read the project instructions. Be sure to scroll down. The option to “Click here for a summary of project updates” opens a page on the FamilySearch wiki.
The message box on the Project Updates page (outlined in red) will notify indexers of current information.
On the Project Updates page are four tabs. Click here to see how to navigate the wiki pages.
Field Help
The directions for indexing each field is shown in the Field Help section. To activate the field help, click on the Field Help tab. When the field is selected during indexing, the instructions for that field will automatically be displayed.
Image Navigation
The gray Image Navigation rectangle shows how much of the image is visible in the program window. Click the gray rectangle to move it around with your mouse to view the entire document. The fourth tab, Quality Checker will be discussed later.
Start indexing by filling out the Header Data in the Data Entry Area.
Click the drop down arrow to see a list of options. Carefully read the Field Help then choose the correct Image Type.
The image type selected will be displayed.
Next, fill out the Sheet Number and Letter- found in the upper right hand corner of the document.
This information is recorded only once for the entire batch.
Let’s look at how the rest of the document is indexed.
If the household number field in column 3 was left blank and the census taker recorded a new street address in column 2, then press Ctrl+B to mark this field as blank; do not copy the household number from the previous household. Please notice lines 14 and 15.
Look carefully and compare the indexed information with the document.
As you index, some fields may be highlighted
The highlight doesn’t indicate a mistake has been made. It shows that the entry is not in the look up list. It is a reminder to double-check the spelling. Notice that empty required fields are marked but if not required are tabbed passed.
Quality Checker
When the last record has been indexed, the Quality Checker will start automatically. If the highlighted entry is correct then click Accept. If it was indexed more than once, you can speed up the quality check by clicking Accept All. After the quality check is completed, you will be asked if you want to submit your batch. Congratulations! You have just completed your first batch.
The following slides have additional Instructions for: Retrieving Household Numbers and Surnames from the previous image Required Fields Marks of Repetition Blank lines Using Program Icons
Retrieving a household number or surname from a previous image Click the Previous Image Icon at the top of the program window.
Use the scroll bars on the previous image window to navigate to the needed information from the previous image.
Required Fields • Some of the field names will have an asterisk(*) in front of them. This indicates a required field. Before the batch can be submitted each required field must contain information or be marked , indicating there is nothing to enter. To mark a required field , use Ctrl+B or click the “Mark the field blank” icon. • If the field is not a required field and there is no information for it press Tab or Enter to skip the field.
Marks indicating information to be repeated
These lines indicate the previous information should be repeated. Other marks of repetition such as “DO”, ditto marks or a vertical squiggly line may be used. When indexing indications of repetition, enter the preceding information. In this case the surname Carruth would be entered for Mindy S, Peter W and Olive J.
The Data Entry defaults to 40 records, but some census pages have fewer than 40 records. All entry lines need to be accounted for. If an entry line on the census form is blank or has no data to be indexed, mark the record as blank in the data entry area. Be sure to mark it as blank in the same order as it appears on the census form. To mark a record as blank, press Ctrl+Shift+B, or click the “Mark the record blank” icon
The program has a useful row of icons. This is a quick summary of what they do. The numbers in the list apply to the icons from left to right. 1. Save your work 2. Submit your work. This icon is helpful if the option to submit a batch is not given after you’ve completed the quality check. 3. Cut—after the work in a field is highlighted, clicking this icon will delete it. 4. Copy information that is highlighted. 5. Paste information that has been copied. 6. Undo—removes work just entered. 7. Redo—restores work accidentally removed. This icon can be very helpful if a large amount of work was accidentally deleted. (Ctrl+Z will also work.) 8. Allows you to add diacritic marks when needed. 9. Handwriting helps. 10. Mark a field blank. 11. Mark a record blank. 12. Mark a field unreadable. 13. Mark a record unreadable. 14. Insert a line above another record (helpful when a name has been skipped). 15. Insert a line below another record. 16. Delete a line that is not needed.
US 1940 Census
Census Form
Data Entry Area
Project Help Tabs
Note the Project Help tabs on the lower right hand corner of the batch.
Before indexing any project, click on the Project Instructions tab and read the project instructions. Be sure to scroll down. The option to “Click here for a summary of project updates” opens a page on the FamilySearch wiki.
The message box on the Project Updates page (outlined in red) will notify indexers of current information.
On the Project Updates page are four tabs. Click here to see how to navigate the wiki pages.
Field Help
The directions for indexing each field is shown in the Field Help section. To activate the field help, click on the Field Help tab. When the field is selected during indexing, the instructions for that field will automatically be displayed.
Image Navigation
The gray Image Navigation rectangle shows how much of the image is visible in the program window. Click the gray rectangle to move it around with your mouse to view the entire document. The fourth tab, Quality Checker will be discussed later.
Start indexing by filling out the Header Data in the Data Entry Area.
Click the drop down arrow to see a list of options. Carefully read the Field Help then choose the correct Image Type.
The image type selected will be displayed.
Next, fill out the Sheet Number and Letter- found in the upper right hand corner of the document.
This information is recorded only once for the entire batch.
Let’s look at how the rest of the document is indexed.
If the household number field in column 3 was left blank and the census taker recorded a new street address in column 2, then press Ctrl+B to mark this field as blank; do not copy the household number from the previous household. Please notice lines 14 and 15.
Look carefully and compare the indexed information with the document.
As you index, some fields may be highlighted
The highlight doesn’t indicate a mistake has been made. It shows that the entry is not in the look up list. It is a reminder to double-check the spelling. Notice that empty required fields are marked but if not required are tabbed passed.
Quality Checker
When the last record has been indexed, the Quality Checker will start automatically. If the highlighted entry is correct then click Accept. If it was indexed more than once, you can speed up the quality check by clicking Accept All. After the quality check is completed, you will be asked if you want to submit your batch. Congratulations! You have just completed your first batch.
The following slides have additional Instructions for: Retrieving Household Numbers and Surnames from the previous image Required Fields Marks of Repetition Blank lines Using Program Icons
Retrieving a household number or surname from a previous image Click the Previous Image Icon at the top of the program window.
Use the scroll bars on the previous image window to navigate to the needed information from the previous image.
Required Fields • Some of the field names will have an asterisk(*) in front of them. This indicates a required field. Before the batch can be submitted each required field must contain information or be marked , indicating there is nothing to enter. To mark a required field , use Ctrl+B or click the “Mark the field blank” icon. • If the field is not a required field and there is no information for it press Tab or Enter to skip the field.
Marks indicating information to be repeated
These lines indicate the previous information should be repeated. Other marks of repetition such as “DO”, ditto marks or a vertical squiggly line may be used. When indexing indications of repetition, enter the preceding information. In this case the surname Carruth would be entered for Mindy S, Peter W and Olive J.
The Data Entry defaults to 40 records, but some census pages have fewer than 40 records. All entry lines need to be accounted for. If an entry line on the census form is blank or has no data to be indexed, mark the record as blank in the data entry area. Be sure to mark it as blank in the same order as it appears on the census form. To mark a record as blank, press Ctrl+Shift+B, or click the “Mark the record blank” icon
The program has a useful row of icons. This is a quick summary of what they do. The numbers in the list apply to the icons from left to right. 1. Save your work 2. Submit your work. This icon is helpful if the option to submit a batch is not given after you’ve completed the quality check. 3. Cut—after the work in a field is highlighted, clicking this icon will delete it. 4. Copy information that is highlighted. 5. Paste information that has been copied. 6. Undo—removes work just entered. 7. Redo—restores work accidentally removed. This icon can be very helpful if a large amount of work was accidentally deleted. (Ctrl+Z will also work.) 8. Allows you to add diacritic marks when needed. 9. Handwriting helps. 10. Mark a field blank. 11. Mark a record blank. 12. Mark a field unreadable. 13. Mark a record unreadable. 14. Insert a line above another record (helpful when a name has been skipped). 15. Insert a line below another record. 16. Delete a line that is not needed.
