Allen County, Indiana Genealogy

Individual Census Records from 1790 to 1950 are maintained by the National Archives and Records Administration, not the U.S. Census Bureau.

The 1920 census started January 1, 1920. On January 2, 1920, the census enumerators Thomas E. Covington in Aboite Township, found on Roll 420, with Gertrude Coburn, found on Roll 421, and Nettie M. Smith, found on Roll 422, in Wayne Township started recording the 14th U.S. Federal Census. See What day was the census taken each decade? at the United States Census Bureau. The January 6, 1920 Journal Gazette had a photo of a woman census enumerator Census Hunt is on and the January 7, 1920 Fort Wayne Sentinel had a list of census enumerators in an article titled: Fort Wayne will show big gain in population shown in comments to a discussion May 22, 2019 on the 2020 census on You are positively from Fort Wayne, if you remember... Archived group only visible to existing members on Facebook.

Look at the Fort Wayne City and Allen County Directories issued yearly since 1858.

See the 1920 Overview at the United States Census Bureau.

Census Instructions

The decennial census has always required a large workforce to visit and collect data from households. Between 1790 to 1870, the duty of collecting census data fell upon the U.S. Marshals. A March 3, 1879 act replaced the U.S. Marshals with specially hired and trained census-takers to conduct the 1880 and subsequent censuses.

During the early censuses, U.S. Marshalls received little training or instruction on how to collect census data. In fact, it was not until 1830 that marshals even received printed shedules on which to record households' responses. The marshals often received limited instruction from the census acts passed prior to each census. 

Beginning with the 1880 census, specially hired and trained census-takers replaced the U.S. marshals. Door-to-door census by temporary census-takers was the primary method of conducting the census until the U.S. Census Bureau began mailing questionnaires to households in 1960.

As more and more households received and returned their questionnaires by mail, the role of census-taker changed. Today, the majority of households are counted by mailed questionnaires. Census-takers visit places frequented by transient households (shelters and soup kitchens, campsites, etc.) and households that do not return their mailed questionnaires (during the "Nonresponse Follow-Up" phase of the census). As a result, the "Instructions to Enumerators" provided here include the congressional acts U.S. marshalls reviewed during the early census, specially-published instructions for door-to-door census, and lastly, guides used for the limited number of personal interviews conducted during nonresponse follow-up operations.

Copied from the Census Intructions at the United States Census Bureauthat has the 1920 Instructions.

Roll 420 Page n453 - 14th census of population, 1920. [microform] (1992) on Internet Archive.

Roll 421 - 14th census of population, 1920. [microform] (1992) on Internet Archive.

Roll 422 - 14th census of population, 1920. [microform] (1992) on Internet Archive.

Links to Online Census Records

1. Ancestry.comblank 1920 census form
2. FamilySearch.orgWiki 1920 Census Information
3. FamilySearch.org- Browse 1920 Census by Township and Ward
4. FamilySearch.org- Search U.S. Census Index
5. FamilySearch.orgWiki for Indiana Census 1807 - 1940 links organized by year to various online census records.
6. FindMyPast.com Free US Census 1920
7. Use Steve Morse Census Search Tool for any census
8. Internet Archive- 14th census of population, 1920. [microform] (Volume Reel 420 - 1920 Indiana Federal Population schedules - Adams Co. (EDs 1-19) and Allen Co. (EDs 1-22, 26-31, and 47-51).) - United States. Bureau of the Census.
9. Internet Archive- 14th census of population, 1920. [microform] (Volume Reel 421 - 1920 Indiana Federal Population schedules - Allen Co. (EDs 32-38, 52-55, 69-74, 39-46, 64-68, and 82-88).) - United States. Bureau of the Census.
10. Internet Archive- 14th census of population, 1920. [microform] (Volume Reel 422 - 1920 Indiana Federal Population schedules - Allen Co. (EDs 56-63, 75-81, and 23-25) and Bartholomew Co. (EDs 1-22).) - United States. Bureau of the Census.
11. No USGenWeb 1920 Census transcription or indexing