Well, folks...This is one of those "good news" - "bad news" stories. I just received this information from Mr. Hollis, via the Tippah County, MS mail list. It relates to the 1930 census: 1930 US Federal Census >From the Copper State Journal Arizona State Genealogical Society, Inc. According to sources familiar with the National Archives and Records Administration, the 1930 US Census scheduled for release sometime in the year 2002, after the 72 year restriction on public access, is only partially indexed in Soundex format. The indexing of the census was a Works Projects Administration (WPA) project to employ people during the depression years of the 1930's. The census index project started with the southern states and was only able to complete indexes for Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia plus seven counties in Kentucky and seven counties in West Virginia before it was stopped by labor demands for World War II projects. So if you were looking for an easy search for missing persons in the 1930 census be prepared to do some page by page searching unless you are lucky enough to have persons in one of the few indexed states. For more information about the 1930 and later census indexes, queries can be sent to inquire@nara.gov Clarie Prechtel-Kluskens Archivist/Genealogy Specialist Archives I User Services Branch (NWDTA) National Archives Washington, DC 20408 I wonder how many volunteers could be activated by all our genealogy societies in the United States. It seems as though indexing this information might also be a worthwhile project for some of the Job Corps "volunteers" in Washington, D.C. Have any ideas? Susan Barger Donahue BARGER FAMILY HISTORY SOCIETY 411 E. Roosevelt Road Wheaton, IL 60187-5564 suzid@tripod.net