United States Census 1820Edit This Page
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United States 
U.S. Census 1820 Census
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Content
The 1820 Census was taken beginning 7 August 1820, for thirteen months. The following information, in addition to the name of the head of the household, was recorded by the census taker:
White Inhabitants
- Free White Males under 10
- Males 10-16
- Males 16-18
- Males 16-26
- Males 26-45
- Males 45 and over
- Females same, but no 16-18
Slave Inhabitants
- Slave Males under 14
- Slave Males 14-26
- Slave Males 26-45
- Slave Males 45 and over
- Slave Females same as Males
Free Colored Inhabitants
- Free Colored Males under 14
- Free Colored Males 14-26
- Free Colored Males 26-45
- Free Colored Males 45 and over
- Free Colored Females same as Males
Additional Information
- "All other persons except Indians not taxed"
- Foreigners not naturalized
- Occupational categories: Agriculture, Commerce, and Manufacturing
1790-2000 Info: http://www.census.gov/prod/2000pubs/cff-2.pdf
Value
Use the 1820 Census to:
- Identify locality
- Distinguish target family from others of same name
- Help determine family size
- Locate possible relatives with same name
- Identify neighbors
- Identify slaveholders
- Identify name variations
- Free men of color listed as head of household
- Slaves in age group by name of owner
- Naturalization column may indicate length of residency in U.S. to find papers
1790-1840 Search Tips: http://www.archives.gov/research/census/1790-1840.html
Unique Features and Problems
- Breaks down the male group, 16-26, into two groups.
- Lists the number of persons not naturalized
- Occupation (agriculture, commercial, manufacture)
- African Americans are placed in separate groups: Free or slave
- Ages for the African Americans are broken into categories
- No printed form or paper provided
- Indians not taxed are not included
States and Territories Covered
States
| States Covered | States Missing |
| Alabama (part) Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Georgia (most) Illinois Indiana Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Mississippi New Hampshire New York North Carolina Ohio Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina Tennessee (part) Vermont Virginia (inc. West Virginia) |
New Jersey |
Territories
- Arkansas
- Florida
- Michigan
- Missouri
- Oregon (also a part of Britain)
Missing Records
Where to Find the Records
The 1820 Federal Census is available online.
Online
- 1820 United States Federal Census (Ancestry) ($)
- United States Census, 1820 (FamilySearch) - Index only
Web Sites
1790-2000 Info: http://www.census.gov/prod/2000pubs/cff-2.pdf
1790-1840 Search Tips: http://www.archives.gov/research/census/1790-1840.html
References
1. Szucs, Loretto Dennis and Sandra Hargreaves Luebking. The Source: A Guide book to American Genealogy. 3rd ed. (Provo, UT: Ancestry, 2006.)
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United States Census Population Schedules 1820 (FamilySearch Historical Records)
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