United States Census, 1920 - FamilySearch Historical Records

This wiki article describes a collection that is available for free online at FamilySearch Record Search – Pilot Site. To access the collection, see 1920 United States Census

Collection Time Period
The U.S. federal census was conducted each decade from 1790 to the present. This information pertains to the census conducted in 1920.

Collection History
Federal census takers were asked to record information about all those who were in each household on the census day, which was 1 June for the 1920 census. 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 Census Office in the Commerce Department in Washington D.C. The 1920 census covers 95-97% of the population.

Why This Collection Was Created
The U.S. federal census was taken at the beginning of every decade, beginning in 1790, to apportion the number of representatives that a state could send to the House of Representatives in Congress. In the absence of a national system of vital registration, many vital statistics and personal questions were asked to provide a statistical profile of the nation and its states.

Collection Reliability
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.

Collection Description
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.

Record Content
Important genealogical information in the 1920 census:


 * Full name
 * Race
 * Sex
 * Age (can be used to calculate the approximate birth year)
 * Relationship to the head of household
 * Whether single, married, widowed, or divorced
 * Birthplace and birthplace of the father and mother (whether or not the parents were members of the household)
 * Year of immigration
 * Whether a naturalized citizen
 * Year of naturalization
 * Occupation
 * Native tongue spoken and that of the father and mother (whether or not the parents were members of the household)
 * Whether can speak English
 * Street address and house number

How To Use The Collection
The U.S. federal census is the best source to quickly identify a family group and residence. The census identifies other persons in the household and how they are related. Use the place of residence, and the birth state or country for each person along with his or her age to search for other record types. The census may identify persons for whom other records do not exist.

Related Article
United States Census 1920