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Kentucky's reputation as a "feeder state," a state through which many ancestors passed on their way out west, is well known in genealogical circles. Having said this, we can attach special importance to the 1820 federal census for Kentucky, which lists 70,000 heads of households at a moment when westward migration was very much a factor in our history.

With this present publication we now have a reliable index to the 1820 census of Kentucky. It was compiled by two very capable genealogists and has their stamp of authority on every page. This work provides the researcher with a single alphabetical list of heads of households, further indicating the name of the county of which each head of household was resident and the page number of the original census schedule wherein full data on the household and its occupants may be found. The additional household data which may be found in the census itself includes the number of free white males and females arranged by age bracket; the number of male and female slaves and free colored persons by age bracket; the number of all other free persons, except Indians not taxed; and the number of persons engaged in agriculture, manufacturing, commerce, and the trades.