Thursday, March 11, 2010

Census Records on Footnote.com FREE for awhile

I received this press release via email from Footnote.com:

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FOOTNOTE.COM LETS PEOPLE CREATE AMERICA’S FAMILY TREE THROUGH THE ONLY INTERACTIVE U.S. CENSUS

-Finding Ancestors and distant relatives can be as easy as clicking a single button-

Lindon, UT - March 11, 2010 – In order to encourage more people to find their ancestors and connect with family, Footnote.com, the web’s premier interactive history site, is opening all of their U.S. census documents for free to the public for a limited time.

Unlike any other historical collection on the web, the Interactive Census Collection has the unique ability to connect people related to ancestors found on the historical documents. Simply by clicking the “I’m Related” button for a name on the document will identify you as a descendent and also list others that have done the same. Never before has it been as easy to connect with distant relatives through historical documents. To learn how to get started with the Interactive Census, visit: http://go.footnote.com/discover.


Finding a record featuring an ancestor’s name provides not only an emotional experience but also a connection with the past. On Footnote.com it’s more than just finding a name on a census record. Interactive tools allow people to enhance the documents by adding their own contributions including:

· Photos
· Stories
· Comments
· Other related documents


Each contribution is linked to a Footnote member and provides a means for people to find each other and exchange more information about their ancestors.

“TV programs including ‘Who Do You Think You Are?’ on NBC and ‘Faces of America’ on PBS will surely increase the interest in family history in the United States,” explains Russell Wilding, CEO of Footnote.com. “We believe that using our Interactive Census Collection is a great way for those who are new to genealogy to get started.”


In addition to providing the basic information about ancestors with the census documents, Footnote.com has been working with the National Archives and other institutions to digitize and index over 63 million historical records that include:

· Military documents
· Historical newspapers
· City directories
· Naturalization records

“Using the records on Footnote to go beyond the names and dates is like adding color to your tree,” says Roger Bell, Footnote’s Senior Vice President of Content and Product. “The more details you add, the more colorful your family tree becomes.”


To search for an ancestor and experience family history like never before, visit: http://go.footnote.com/discover.

Additional Resources
Follow us on Twitter –
http://twitter.com/footnote
Join us on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/Footnotecom/52981708480

About Footnote, Inc.
Footnote.com is a subscription website that features original historical documents, providing visitors with an unaltered view of the events, places and people that shaped the American nation and the world. At Footnote.com, all are invited to come share, discuss, and collaborate on their discoveries with friends, family, and colleagues. For more information, visit
http://www.footnote.com.

Footnote.com Contact:
Justin Schroepfer
Marketing Director
(801) 494-6517
Justin@footnote.com

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Thank you to Justin for sending this information.

Footnote.com has the complete 1860 US Census and the complete 1930 U.S. Census - full images and indexes. The indexes are different from Ancestry.com's indexes. They are working on adding all of the other US census images and indexes in a long-term project.

The press release doesn't state when this free access to the census collection will end.

Disclosure: I am not a Footnote.com employee or affiliate, and have received no remuneration for posting this press release. I am a satisfied Footnote.com fully paid subscriber.

2 comments:

Darlene said...

I am onto what may be a Jefferson Hemmings thing in my fam. Exactly what I need right now. Thank you, Randy!

Abba-Dad said...

For some reason the indexes for Footnote and Ancestry seem to be different. I don't have time to do some real sleuthing but I've found several people on Footnote that I couldn't on Ancestry. It would be smart of people with brick walls to try to search the Footnote indexes to see if they can find those missing families.