I have also spent some time in admiration of all those people who transcribe and index all those handwritten records. I can't imagine how it would be to pursue my genealogy in earlier times. I have to admit I probably would not be doing it. Anyway, for those that are new(er) to genealogy, I thought I would share a couple things about census searching that have helped me. I recently discovered, thanks to some generous people on another list, how to search with genealogy.com. They don't seem to emphasize it all, but it is wonderful. After choosing the census database, select a state. Then put the first 2-3 letters in the "jump to surname" spot. This will allow you to scroll through the index alphabetically so that you have a better chance to catch misspellings. I am researching various Polish names right now, and this allows me also to see many names that are obviously Polish but spelled phonetically. I found 4 siblings of my greatgrandfather this way, and I had thought he had come alone! Another trick I learned recently is with Ancestry.com. I think this is what is called a wild card search, I am not sure. After you get to the census year that you want to search, put a question mark for the first letter of the last name, then the rest of the name and use the soundex search. If you have the head of household first name, enter that also. The same if you know the state, town, etc. to filter it as much as possible. Also remember that the 1930 is an everyname index, so if a wife or child has a more unusual name, search with that one. But also be careful when using specific states, etc; one family I was searching for was living in Florida instead of Illinois as I had assumed. If you can find it, there is a very helpful book titled "A Practical Guide to the 'Misteaks' Made in Census Indexes" that will give you more ideas. Carolyn Cptoehedd@aol.com