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.
Questions Asked in the 1820 Census
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; and town or district and
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); and number of other persons except Indians.
Research Tips for the 1820 Census
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.
