New York State Census, 1865 - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This collection contains most of the 1865 New York state census records still in existence. Most counties are covered, but some records were destroyed. The record is a printed form that was filled in by hand by the enumerator. The records are usually arranged by county and town.

This census does not cover the entire population of the state of New York. The following counties are missing:


 * Allegany
 * Clinton
 * Franklin
 * Genesee
 * Hamilton
 * New York
 * Putnam
 * Queens
 * Seneca
 * St Lawrence
 * Sullivan
 * Westchester
 * Wyoming

Ten schedules were filed for each locality, including population, marriages, and deaths schedules.

The population schedule includes the name, age, birthplace, and occupation of each household member.

The collection includes two military 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, 1865. 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.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records:

Census
 * Name of every person whose usual place of abode was with this family on 1 June 1865
 * Head of household, name of employer
 * Name of each person in household
 * Age, gender, 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
 * Number of children born to mother
 * Number of times married
 * Citizenship (native, naturalized or alien)
 * If a land owner
 * If over 21 and illiterate
 * If handicapped
 * If currently or formerly in the Army or Navy

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * The full name of your ancestor
 * The place where the individual lived
 * The names of other family members

View the Images
View images in this collection by visiting the :
 * 1) Select the County
 * 2) Select the Town/City/Borough/Ward and Election District 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?

 * Use the age listed to determine an approximate birth date
 * Birth places 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
 * 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
 * Be sure to search both the male section (listed first) and the female section
 * There is also the possibility that a family was missed in the census

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.

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