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Maine, 1940. Before lobster had settled firmly into the position of high-priced delicacy. Before the eastern-most state had realized the impact World War II would have on its shipbuilding industry. Before there was a Stephen King to tell wonderfully creepy fictional tales about the place. That was Maine 72 years ago.

And as of last night, you can search for the state’s residents by name during that moment in time in the just-launched 1940 U.S. census index for Maine on Ancestry.com.

Adding Maine to our list of fully indexed, fully searchable locations brings us up to four: Maine, Nevada, District of Columbia and Delaware. Search for resident by name to find your own family’s Maine relations. Or look for famous Mainers including future actress Linda Lavin (a toddler at the time) and Leon Bean (better known as L.L.), who’s listed as the president of a sporting goods company. Or browse through the town of Strong, Maine to see how many residents made toothpicks for a living. It was big business back in Maine in the day – and for many years to come.

If Maine isn’t at the top of your wish list of states to search, take note: more states are on deck with indexes coming very soon. And the entire 1940 U.S. Federal Census will be fully indexed and fully searchable on Ancestry.com long before the end of the year. Plus you can browse through every 1940 census image, regardless of state or territory, already on Ancestry.com. Start browsing and searching now.