High demand slows access to 1940 census website
High demand for access to newly released personal data from the 1940 Census is causing a slowdown on the host website, according to officials at the National Archives.
The 1940 census information, which was released on the National Archive's website Monday morning, is supposed to offer a more detailed picture of how survey respondents fared during the Great Depression.
Many users who have visited the website are finding it hard to search for information, since the maps and documents are slow to load.
A spokesperson at the Archive says the department is working on the problem, and is asking users to be patient and try to gain access later.
The 1940 Census was unique in that for the first time it asked Americans questions about their employment status, education and value of their property or how much rent they paid.
The records aren't searchable by name. Site users will have to search for ancestors by entering the state, county, city and street where the relative lived. Or they can use online maps to find the relatives' census district.
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