New York State Census, 1875 - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
The collection consists of images of the 1875 New York State Census as of 1 June 1875. The following counties are not included:
 * Chemung
 * Clinton
 * Hamilton
 * New York (Manhattan)
 * Putnam
 * Queens
 * Seneca
 * St. Lawrence
 * Suffolk
 * Wayne
 * Westchester

This census includes several other sections, beyond the population schedules, that contain useful information. It includes two schedules with information of officers and enlisted men currently in the military and officers and enlisted men who had served in the military. This census contains information on when and where the individual first entered the military, their rank, how long they were in the service, their present health, as well as several other items.

The census also includes tables on marriages and deaths occurring during the year ending June 1, 1875. These tables contain typical marriage and death information. One other table that contains valuable information is entitled deaths of officers and enlisted men. This table contains deaths of individuals which had occurred while in the military or naval service of the United States, or from wounds or disease acquired in said service since April, 1861, reported by the families to which the deceased belonged when at home. It includes the name of the deceased, age at death, if married or single, if a citizen, several items relating to military information, date of death, place of death, manner of death, survivors of the deceased, place of burial and any remarks.

State censuses were created by the state of New York and were taken about every ten years beginning in 1795. This census does not cover the entire population of the state of New York because the counties of Clinton, Franklin, Hamilton, New York, Putnam, Queens, Seneca, and Westchester are missing.

The census was compiled to obtain a count and description of the population of the state of New York. Use the information with some caution, since the information may have been given to a census taker by any member of the family or by a neighbor. Some information may have been incorrect or deliberately falsified.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records:
 * Those persons whose usual place of abode was with this family on 1 June 1875
 * Head of household
 * Full name of each person in household
 * Age, gender, and race of each person
 * Marital status and occupation of each person
 * Relationship to head of household
 * In what county of New York, or in what state or country born
 * Parent of how many children
 * Number of times married
 * Citizenship (native, naturalized, or alien)
 * If owner of land
 * If handicapped

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * Names
 * Residence
 * Approximate ages

View the Images
View images in this collection by visiting the :
 * 1) Select the County
 * 2) Select the Locality to view the images.

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.

What Do I Do Next?
When you have located your ancestor’s record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given.These pieces of information may give you new biographical details. The information may also lead you to other records about your ancestors.

I Found the Person I was Looking for, What Now?

 * Add any new information to your records
 * Use the age listed to determine an approximate birth date
 * Birthplaces can tell you former residences and can help to establish a migration pattern for the family
 * Use the naturalization information to find their naturalization papers in the county court records. It can also help you locate immigration records such as a passenger list which would usually be kept records at the port of entry into the United States
 * If they are subject to military service, they may have military files in the State or National Archives
 * It is often helpful to extract the information on all families with the same surname in the same general area. If the surname is uncommon, it is likely that those living in the same area were related
 * Be sure to extract all families before you look at other records. The relationships given will help you to organize family groups. The family groupings will help you identify related families when you discover additional information in other records
 * Married family members may have lived nearby but in a separate household so you may want to search an entire town, neighboring towns, or even a county
 * Additional searches may be needed to locate all members of a particular family in the census

I Can’t Find the Person I’m Looking For, What Now?

 * Look for variant spellings of the names. You should also look for nicknames and abbreviated names
 * Look for another index. Local genealogical and historical societies often have indexes to local records
 * Search the indexes and records of nearby counties
 * There is also the possibility that a family was missed in the census
 * Consult the New York Record Finder to find other records

Research Helps
The following articles will help you in your research for your family in the state of New York.
 * New York Guided Research
 * Research Tips and Strategies
 * Step-by-Step Research

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.