“Wait a minute,” you’re probably saying. There is no such thing
as a 1917 US Census. There was a 1910 and a 1920, but no 1917.
Well, you’re right, but there was in the Virgin Islands. The US
took possession of the islands on March 31, 1917 and placed the
islands under control of the US Navy. The Government decided to
take an official census of all residents of St Croix, St Thomas,
and St John as of November 1, 1917. When the 1920 census rolled
around, they figured that they had just done the Virgin Islands,
so they included the 1917 census as part of the official 1920 US
census. If you look on census websites for the 1920 census, you
will find that the pages for the islands are actually dated
earlier. Of course, being the islands, the census for November 1
wasn’t actually begun until after Christmas, and wasn’t complete
until almost February. Island Time isn’t new!