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The 1820 census was begun on 7 August 1820. The count was due
within six months but was extended by law to allow completion within
thirteen months.
- Name of family head
- Number of free white males and females in age categories 0
to 10, 10 to 16, 16 to 18, 16 to 26, 26 to 45, 45 and older
- Number of other free persons except Indians not taxed
- Number of slaves
- Town or district
- County of residence
- Additionally, the 1820 census for the first time asked the
number of free white males 16 to 18
- Number of persons not naturalized
- Number engaged in agriculture, commercial, or manufacture
- Number of “colored” persons (sometimes in age categories)
- Number of other persons except Indians
The 1820 census records are useful in identifying the locality to be searched
for other types of records for a named individual. The 1820 census will,
in most cases, help distinguish the target family from others of the same
name; help to determine family size; locate possible relatives with the same
name; identify immediate neighbors who may be related; identify slaveholders;
and spot spelling variations of surnames. Free men “of color” are
listed as heads of household by name. Slaves appear in age groupings by name
of owner. By combining those age groupings with probate inventories and tax
list date, it is sometimes possible to determine names of other family members
and the birth order of those individuals.
The added questions in the 1820 census break down ages so that
it is possible to gauge the age of young men more accurately. However,
the redundancy of asking the number of free white males “Between
16 and 18,” and “Of 16 and under 26,” “Of
26 and under 45,” “Of 45 and upwards,” is frequently
cause for confusion in attempts to calculate the total number of
persons in a given household. The column regarding naturalization
status may be some indication of length of residency in the United
States and the possibility of finding naturalization papers in
a local court.
The questions asked regarding number and nature of those involved
in agriculture, commercial, or manufacturing enterprises allow
researchers to make some distinctions about the occupation of the
head and any others in the household who were employed. Some, though
admittedly not much, identifying information is available where
schedules go beyond stating the number of “colored” persons
and provide an age breakdown as well. The 1820 manufacturing schedules
are on twenty-nine separate rolls of microfilm.
The information above is an excerpt from The Source: A Guidebook
of American Genealogy, edited by Loretto D. Szucs and Sandra H.
Luebking, Chapter 5, “Research in Census Records,” by
Loretto D. Szucs (page 112).
1820 Census Information Links
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