Census : thousands hits in just three hours after release shows hunger for family history . Snow : When the 1930 Census records and those from earlier decades were released , searches largely were confined to people able to trek to National Archives facilities and depository libraries to work through microfilms produced by the Census Bureau in the 1930s and 40s . Hidden for opening day , it 's now available to all to verify family lore or learn a secret . Census shows U.S. during vast change , he says : coming war , receding Depression . Snow : The release was like the first pitch on 72 years for historians and economists .
Census : thousands hits in just three hours after release shows hunger for family history . Snow : Hidden for opening day , it 's now available to all to verify family lore or learn a secret . Census shows U.S. during vast change , he says : coming war , receding Depression . Snow : The release was like the first pitch on 72 years for historians and economists .