New York, State Census, 1855 - FamilySearch Historical Records

Record Description
The collection covers the population schedules for the 1855 New York state census records still in existence. Most counties are covered, but some records were destroyed.

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

Record Content
A census can provide you with names and ages of family members, which can then be used to calculate birth or marriage dates. It can provide the county and town where your ancestor lived, people living with (or gone from) the family, and relatives that may have lived nearby. The census may identify persons for whom other records do not exist. Information found in the population schedules of the 1865 New York State Census includes:


 * Name of every person whose usual place of abode was in the family on the 1st day of June, 1865
 * Age
 * Gender
 * Color
 * Relation to the head of the family
 * In what county of New York, or in what state or country born
 * Married
 * Widowed
 * Length of residence in this town
 * Occupation
 * Citizenship (native, naturalized, or alien)
 * Person of color, not taxed
 * Could read and write
 * Owned land
 * If deaf, dumb, or blind

The following counties are included in the 1855 New York, State Census

• Albany • Allegany • Broome • Cattaraugus • Cayuga • Chautauqua • Chenango • Columbia • Cortland • Delaware • Erie • Essex • Franklin • Fulton • Greene • Herkimer • Jefferson • Kings • Lewis • Livingston • Madison • Monroe • Montgomery • New York • Niagara • Oneida • Onondaga • Ontario • Orange • Orleans • Oswego • Otsego • Rensselaer • Richmond • Rockland • Saratoga • Schenectady • Schoharie • Schuyler • Steuben • Sullivan • Tioga • Ulster • Warren • Washington • Yates

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


 * Name
 * Residence or address

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 the "Browse" link in the initial search page ⇒ Select the "County" category ⇒ Select the "Locality" category 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. Make a photocopy of the record, or extract the genealogical information needed. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details. Add this new information to your records of each family. The information may also lead you to other records about your ancestors. The following examples show ways you can use the information:


 * Use the age listed to determine an approximate birth date. This date along with the place of birth can help you find a birth record. Birth records often list biographical and marital details about the parents and close relatives other than the immediate family.
 * Use the race information to find records related to that ethnicity such as records of the Freedman’s Bureau or Indian censuses.
 * 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.

Tips to Keep in Mind

 * Birth places can tell you former residences and can help to establish a migration pattern for the family.
 * You may need to compare the information of more than one family or person to make this determination.
 * 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.
 * 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.
 * 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.

Unable to Find Your Ancestor?

 * Check for variant spellings of the surnames.
 * Check for an index. Check online or with local historical and genealogical societies.
 * Search the indexes and records of nearby counties.

For a summary of this information, see the wiki article: United States, How to Use the Records Summary (FamilySearch Historical Records).

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 Websites
1855 New York State Census

Related Wiki Articles
New York Census State Censuses

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
Citations for individual image records are available for this collection. Browse through images in this collection and click on the "Show Citation" box: New York, State Census, 1855

When you copy information from a record, you should list where you found the information. This will help you or others to find the record again. It is also good to keep track of records where you did not find information, including the names of the people you looked for in the records.

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