The National Archives site is virtually non-functional. It is apparently clobbered by search requests. The 1940 Census is there but the servers don't have the capacity to handle the load. I've tried several times but have decided to be patient. Ancestry could not have access to the records before today according to the law governing the census so what is listed so far is what has been done since midnight.

Other sites that will have the 1940 census have been very specific about which states will be available and when (such as 10 p.m. eastern standard time). As much as many people want to jump on the 1940 census, it's best to wait and be realistic that indexing it will be a *huge* task that takes months, not days. I don't know what Ancestry advertised, since I'm not a member, but I'm sure it made it sound like images AND indexes would be completely available on the 2nd. Their ads are often so misleading, which is why I'm not a member.

I chose just one ancestor I desperately need to research (she's a brick wall and the 1940 census is the last one in which she should have appeared, before she died), and bookmarked the NARA page for her town. I'll look at the images in my morning, when everybody back home in the U.S. is asleep, and hope that NARA traffic has slowed down by then!

Other than that, I'm waiting until the excitement of the newly-released census has subsided, and some indexes have been created. I'm an FHL indexer, and will certainly contribute to the effort.

Charlie, do you know where they lived? (the exact address) If you do, you can find the enumeration district and find them now. If you have the address go here and type it in. after you do that click on the map for cross streets and it will take you to that enumeration district when you click on the number.

I`ve decided to also wait a few weeks - for me I felt disappointed when I couldn`t find my great grandfather. I know where he lived - he always lived there and died there and yet somehow he wasn`t there. I can only hope he was off visiting someone and was counted there - for now I have to walk away or it will drive me insane

Off Topic to charliemis.... Re: Philadelphia: Is Ralph's Italian Restaurant still in business? Ate there once, my wife bought the cook book, been eating Ralph's recipe's ever since.
Joe B.

Thanks Charlie. It must have been 20 years ago. Glad to hear it's still prospering, nice people running the place. Joe