New York State Census, 1892 - FamilySearch Historical Records

Record Description
The collection consists of an index and images of the population schedule from the New York census taken in 1892. This state census is an every-name index to the state's inhabitants as of February 16, 1892. The collection includes 40 counties. This census does not cover the entire population of the state of New York. Some of the modern-day counties did not exist in New York State in 1892. New York City organized its five boroughs six years later in 1898. New York created Nassau County that same year.

For a list of records by localities and dates currently published in this collection, select the Browse.

Coverage Table
A Coverage Table for this collection is available in the wiki article New York, State Census, 1892 Coverage Table (FamilySearch Historical Records).

The Coverage Table shows the counties included in the census. It also includes their records repository and corresponding Family History Library microfilm number if the information is available. Information is not available for all counties. Counties for which the population schedules are missing or lost are indicated by an asterisk (*)

This census does not cover the entire population of the state of New York. Some of the modern-day counties did not exist in New York State in 1892. New York City organized its five boroughs six years later in 1898. New York created Nassau County that same year.

Record Content
Information found in the 1892 New York State Census includes:


 * Name
 * Gender
 * Age
 * Color
 * Country of birth
 * If citizen or alien
 * Occupation

How to Use the Records
To begin your search it is helpful to know:


 * The full name of your ancestor
 * Other identifying information such as age

Search the Collection
To search the collection by name fill in your ancestor’s name in the initial search page. This search will return a list of possible matches. Compare the information about those in the list to what you already know about your own ancestors to determine if this is the correct family or person.

If you did not find the person you were looking for, you may need to search the collection image by image. ⇒Select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page ⇒Select the appropriate "County" ⇒Select the appropriate "Town/City/Borough/Ward and Election District" which takes you to the images

Look at the images one by one. Again you will need to compare the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine which one is your ancestor.

Be aware that with either search you may need to compare the information about more than one person to make this determination.

As you are searching it is helpful to know such information as your ancestor’s given name and surname, some identifying information such as residence and age, and family relationships. Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name as your ancestor and that your ancestor may have used nicknames or different names at different times.


 * If your ancestor used an alias or a nickname, be sure to check for those alternate names.
 * Even though these indexes are very accurate they may still contain inaccuracies, such as altered spellings, misinterpretations, and optical character recognition errors if the information was scanned.

For tips about searching on-line collections see the on-line video at FamilySearch Search Tips.

Using the Information
When you have located your ancestor’s record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. Save a copy of the image or transcribe the information. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details. Add this new information to your records of each family. You should also look for leads to other records about your ancestors. For example:


 * Use the age to calculate an approximate birth date.
 * Use the names and place of residence to search federal census records for 1800 and 1900, land records and church records.

Tips to Keep in Mind

 * 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.
 * You may be able to identify an earlier generation if elderly parents were living with or close by a married child.
 * You may be able to identify a younger generation if a young married couple still lived with one of their sets of parents.
 * Additional searches may be needed to locate all members of a particular family in the census.
 * The census may identify persons for whom other records do not exist.

Unable to Find Your Ancestor?

 * Look for variant spellings of the names. You should also look for nicknames and abbreviated names.
 * Look for an index. There are often indexes at the beginning of each volume. Local genealogical and historical societies often have indexes to local records.
 * Search the indexes and records of nearby localities.
 * Try alternative search methods such as only filling in the surname search box (or the given name search box) on the landing page leaving the other box empty and then click on search. This should return a list of everyone with that particular name. You could then browse the list for individuals with the same family number.
 * There is also the possibility that a family was missed in the census.

General Information About These Records
Colonial censuses were created by the state of New York and were taken about every ten years beginning in 1690. State censuses began to be taken about every ten years in 1795. This census does not cover the entire population of the state of New York. Some of the modern-day counties did not exist in New York State in 1892. New York City organized its five boroughs six years later in 1898. New York created Nassau County that same year.

New York state censuses were created approximately every decade beginning with 1825. This official date of enumeration for this census is Feb. 16, 1892. The census was compiled to obtain a count and description of the population of the state of New York.

The record is a printed form that was filled in by hand by the enumerator. The schedules are usually arranged by county and political subdivisions. The information is generally reliable. However 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.

Family History Library Microfilm Numbers for this Census

 * New York. Allegany County. 1892 state census. Allegany County Courthouse, Belmont, New York. FHL Microfilm 501959
 * New York. Cattaraugus County. 1892 state census. Cattaraugus County Courthouse, Little Valley, New York. FHL Microfilm 584495
 * New York. Chautauqua County. 1892 state census. Chautauqua County Courthouse, Mayville, New York. FHL Microfilm 479648
 * New York. Chemung County. 1892 state census. Chemung County Courthouse, Elmira, New York. FHL Microfilm 850934
 * New York. Clinton County. 1892 state census. Clinton County Courthouse, Plattsburgh, New York. FHL Microfilm 863412
 * New York. Cortland County. 1892 state census. Cortland County Courthouse, Cortland, New York. FHL Microfilm 843868
 * New York. Delaware County. 1892 state census. Delaware County Courthouse, Delhi, New York. FHL Microfilm 832853
 * New York. Dutchess County. 1892 state census. Dutchess County Courthouse, Poughkeepsie, New York. FHL Microfilm 565250
 * New York. Erie County. 1892 state census. Erie County Courthouse, Buffalo, New York. FHL Microfilm 825692, item 2-825696, item 1
 * New York. Genesee County. 1892 state census. Genesee County Courthouse, Batavia, New York. FHL Microfilm 810479
 * New York. Kings County. 1892 state census. Kings County Courthouse, Brooklyn, New York. FHL Microfilm 1930226-1930244
 * New York. Monroe County. 1892 state census. Monroe County Courthouse, Rochester, New York. FHL Microfilm 833783-833785
 * New York. Montgomery County. 1892 state census. Montgomery County Courthouse, Fonda, New York. FHL Microfilm 479335
 * New York. Niagara County. 1892 state census. Niagara County Courthouse, Lockport, New York. FHL Microfilm 878329
 * New York. Orleans County. 1892 state census. Orleans County Courthouse, Albion, New York. FHL Microfilm 592751
 * New York. Otsego County. 1892 state census. Otsego County Courthouse, Cooperstown, New York. FHL Microfilm 869029
 * New York. Rockland County. 1892 state census. Rockland County Courthouse, New City, New York. FHL Microfilm 564819, item 2
 * New York. Saratoga County. 1892 state census. Saratoga County Courthouse, Ballston Spa, New York. FHL Microfilm 559941
 * New York. Schenectady County. 1892 state census. Schenectady County Courthouse, Schenectady, New York. FHL Microfilm 503210
 * New York. Schoharie County. 1892 state census. Schoharie County Courthouse, Schoharie, New York. FHL Microfilm 868883
 * New York. Steuben County. 1892 state census. Steuben County Courthouse, Bath, New York. FHL Microfilm 512430
 * New York. Tioga County. 1892 state census. Tioga County Courthouse, Owego, New York. FHL Microfilm 816369
 * New York. Tompkins County. 1892 state census. Tompkins County Courthouse, Ithaca, New York. FHL Microfilm 856517
 * New York. Washington County. 1892 state census. Washington County Courthouse, Fort Edward, New York. FHL Microfilm 512705
 * New York. Wayne County. 1892 state census. Wayne County Courthouse, Lyons, New York. FHL Microfilms 479873; 479874, item 2
 * New York. Yates County. 1892 state census. Yates County Courthouse, Penn Yan, New York. FHL Microfilm 838916

Known Issues with This Collection
For a full list of all known issues associated with this collection see the attached Wiki article. If you encounter additional problems, please email them to [mailto:support@familysearch.org support@familysearch.org]. Please include the full path to the link and a description of the problem in your e-mail. Your assistance will help ensure that future reworks will be considered.

Related Web Sites
New York State Library

Related Wiki Articles

 * New York Census
 * New York Census State Censuses
 * New York Censuses Existing and Lost

Citation for This Collection
The following citation refers to the original source of the information published in FamilySearch.org Historical Records collections. Sources include the author, custodian, publisher, and archive for the original records.