The 200th Anniversary of the 1820 Census Celebrated This Month

By Laura Ploenzke, Adult Services librarian, Avon Lake Public Library

In 2019, Avon Lake celebrated its 200th anniversary, commemorating the arrival from New York State of Adam Miller and his family, who were the first permanent white settlers. This year, another significant bicentennial occurred, but one that did not merit year-long festivities, and most likely went unnoticed: The first federal census taken in this area.

Although the very first federal census was taken in 1790, it wasn’t until the fourth federal census in 1820 that the area then known as Troy Township (which eventually became what are now Avon and Avon Lake) was included, simply because the township did not exist prior to 1818. Originally part of Cuyahoga County, and known as Xeuma, a Native American term meaning “those who came before us”, Troy Township was created to the west, along with Dover Township to the east, when the county redrew its boundaries.

Most early pioneers, mainly from New England, began coming to this area in 1814, shortly before the War of 1812 ended, but settled in what is now Avon. The Miller family home is located on the shore of Lake Erie within the boundary of what eventually became Avon Lake, which is why they are considered Avon Lake’s first permanent white settlers.

Because only heads of households were listed on the federal census until 1850, when the name of every member of a household was recorded, the 1820 Troy Township census lists only 59 individuals, mostly men, in roughly alphabetical order by surname. Other household members are indicated with a total number by gender and age group (e.g., females “to 10”, “to 16”, and so forth). Among the 347 free white inhabitants of Troy Township, the groups included: Males – 62 under 10, 25 between 10 and under 16, 45 between 16 and under 26, 35 between 26 and under 45, 22 age 45 and older (Total: 189); Females – 55 under 10, 32 between 10 and under 16, 33 between 16 and 26, 25 between 26 and under 45, and 13 age 45 and older (Total: 158).

Standard census forms were not created until 1830, so census takers were responsible for creating their own forms, which accounts for the different looks among census records of that year. For the first time since 1790, a separate column was added to indicate which family members were engaged in agriculture, commerce, or manufacturing, so census takers also had to determine an individual’s primary livelihood, since that individual could be assigned to only one category, even if he engaged in more than one.

Compared to Avon Lake’s current population of more than 24,000, the 347 residents of 1820 seems like a large crowd at a community event. However, Ohio boasted the fifth largest population in the United States that year, behind New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and North Carolina. Combined with the other 18 states, the country’s population totaled more than 9.6 million.

By the 1830 census, Troy Township had been renamed Avon Township and had become a part of Lorain County. New Englanders continued to move into and beyond Ohio, and the population of Avon Township increased by almost 60 percent in that decade, from 347 to 555. The Millers, like many other families listed on the 1820 census, remained in the area, with some lines descending for many subsequent generations. As genealogists and local historians are well aware, the census is an indispensable record of the legacy of these first families.

If you are interested in learning more about Avon Lake history or have local history items that you would like to share with or donate to the Avon Lake Public Library, please contact Adult Services librarian and local history and genealogy specialist and Avon Lake Historical Society board member Laura Ploenzke via e-mail at lploenzke@avonlake.lib.oh.us or by phone at 440.933.8127.