United States, Census, 1820
Name index to the population schedules listing the inhabitants of the United States in 1820. This was the fourth national census conducted since 1790. No schedules are known to exist for New Jersey. Index provided by Ancestry.com.
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United States, Census, 1820
Source: https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/United_States,_Census,_1820_-_FamilySearch_Historical_Records
What is in This Collection?
The collection consists of an index to the population schedules listing the inhabitants of the United States taken August 7, 1820. The schedules are from NARA microfilm publication M33 Fourth census of the United States,1820 and is from Record Group 29 Records of the Bureau of the Census. No schedules are known to exist for New Jersey. Index provided by Ancestry.com.
Federal census takers were asked to record information about every person who was in each household on the census day, which was the first Monday in August for 1820. A census taker might have visited a house on a later date, but the information he collected was supposed to be about the people who were in the house on the census day. The basic census enumeration unit was the county. Each county was divided into enumeration districts, one for each enumerator. The completed forms were sent to the Commerce Department’s Census Office in Washington, D.C.
Federal censuses are usually reliable, depending on the knowledge of the informant and the care of the census enumerator. Information may have been given to a census taker by any member of the family or by a neighbor. Some information may have been incorrect or deliberately falsified.
Population schedules consisted of large sheets with rows and columns. The schedules were arranged by place, such as township or post office. The places were not filed in any particular order. The arrangement of families on a schedule is normally in the order in which the enumerator visited the households. The original schedules are well preserved at the National Archives in Washington, D.C. They were microfilmed in the 1950s and 1960s. The schedules for some counties in varying censuses are missing.
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Additional records and/or images may be added to this collection in the future.
To Browse This Collection
| You can browse through images in this collection using the waypoints on the Collection Browse Page for United States Census, 1820. |
What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records:
- Township, county and state where census was taken
- Name of head of household
- Number of free white males and females under age 10
- Number of free white males and females between ages 10-16
- Number of free white males and females between ages 16-26
- Number of free white males and females between ages 26-45
- Number of free white males and females over the age of 45
Collection Content
Sample Image
1820 United States Census, Fairfield Connecticut
Collection Details
Location of Original Records
National Archives and Records Administration
"United States, Census, 1820." Database with images. FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : 21 April 2026. Citing NARA microfilm publication M33. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.
