MEGenWeb Project ~ a proud part of the USGenWeb Project
MEGenWeb Project ~ a proud part of the USGenWeb Project
Maine Census Resources
1920 Federal Census

 

The 1920 census schedules are arranged by state or territory, and thereunder by county, and finally by enumeration district. The states are arranged alphabetically; however, Alaska, Guam and American Samoa, Hawaii, military and naval schedules, the Panama Canal, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands (taken in 1917) are listed last. There was no separate Indian schedule for 1920.

The format and information in the 1920 census schedules closely resemble that of the 1910 census. The 1920 census, however, did not ask about unemployment on the day of the census, nor did it ask about service in the Union or Confederate army or navy. Questions about the number of children born and how long a couple had been married were also omitted. The bureau modified the enumeration of inmates of institutions and dependent, defective, and delinquent classes. The 1920 census included four new questions: one asking the year of naturalization and three about mother tongue.

Because of the changes in some boundaries following World War I, enumerators were instructed to report the province (state or region) or city of persons declaring they or their parents had been born in Austria-Hungary, Germany, Russia, or Turkey. If a person had been born in any other foreign country, only the name of the country was to be entered.

The instructions to the enumerators did not require that individuals spell out their names. Enumerators wrote down the information given to them; they were not authorized to request proof of age, date of arrival, or other information. People were known to change their ages between censuses, and some people claimed not to know their age. The race determination was based on the enumerator's impressions.

Individuals were enumerated as residents of the place in which they regularly slept, not where they worked or might be visiting. People with no regular residence, including "floaters" and members of transient railroad or construction camps, were enumerated as residents of the place where they were when the enumeration was taken. Enumerators were also to ask if any family members were temporarily absent; if so, these were to be listed either with the household or on the last schedule for the census subdivision. Thus, the user should always check that page. The answers that appear on the microfilmed schedules depend upon what the enumerator recorded and what the people interviewed told the enumerator.The Maine 1920 Census records are extant for all counties.

Maine in 1920 consisted of the following counties: Aroostook, Androscoggin, Cumberland, Hancock, Franklin, Kennebec, Knox, Lincoln, Oxford, Penobscot, Piscataquis, Sagadahoc, Somerset, Waldo, Washington, and York.

There are two terrific Census Projects run by USGenWeb Project members.

Maine State Archives Federal Census Resources

 


Source(s) for narrative on this page: Map Guide to the U.S. Federal Censuses, 1790 - 1920 by William Thorndale and William Dollarhide. Copyright 1987. National Archives Records Administration (NARA).


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USGenWeb ProjectCopyright Notice: All files on this site are copyrighted by their creator and/or contributor. They may be linked to but may not be reproduced on another site without specific permission from the MEGenWeb Project [[email protected]] and/or their contributor. Although public information is not in and of itself copyrightable, the format in which they are presented, the notes and comments, etc., are. It is however, quite permissable to print or save the files to a personal computer for personal use ONLY. Our very special thanks to Holly Timm for the creation of the MEGenWeb Project graphic. The use of the Penny Postcard(s) in the title graphic and other pages within the MEGenWeb Project is used with permission of the Penny Post Cards a USGenWeb Archives Web Site.

State Coordinator ~ Tina S. Vickery
Special thanks to David Colby Young, Maine's previous State Coordinator.

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