New York CensusEdit This Page

Federal population schedules

Microfilm images

1791-1930 The National Archives and Records Administration and its regional centers, the Family History Library, the New York Public Library, and the New York State Library have microfilm copies of the U.S. federal censuses of New York for 1790, 1800, 1810, 1820, 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, and 1930. The original county copies of the federal censuses, 1850–1880, are normally at the county clerk's offices. These copies are more accurate than the federal copies. The Family History Library has county copies on microfilm.

Indexes: fiche, film, or book

For a list of microform and book indexes for the population schedules of New York, click here

Federal non-population schedules

Online indexes and images

    Microfilm images

Indexes: fiche, film, or book

For a list of microform and book indexes for the non-population schedules of New York, click here.

State, Territorial, and Colonial Censuses

Main article: New York Census State Censuses

New York often took censuses in the years between the federal censuses.  The dates are listed below. State census records may have columns that were different or more unusual than those found on federal censuses. The responses and years of coverage may give additional information on the family.

• 1969 Native Americans ^[9]
• 1845-1950 Native Americans ^[10]
• 1875-1921 Almshouses and poorhouses – census is online at the New York State Archives. These are not indexed.
• 1890 Manhattan police census – Ancestry.com has 26 of 894 surviving census books indexed online. On 59 microfilms. FHL film 1304777 (first of 59)^[11]
• 1870 New York County 2nd enumeration ^[12]
• 1771 Shelter Island (Suffolk County), Gloucester County, Newtown (Queens County)^[13]
• 1776 Suffolk County ^[14]
• 1657-1799 Lists of inhabitants ^[15]
• 1663-1772 Colonial censuses – About every ten years. ^[16] Also, to locate existing colonial censuses and lists of petitioners, taxpayers, militia lists, freeholders (those who owned property), and persons taking oaths of allegiance, use:

• Stemmons, John D., The United States Census Compendium, Logan, Utah: Everton Publishers, 1973. WorldCat 714466;[FHL Book 973 X2st].

• 1696 Association Oath Rolls – Not technically a census, the 1696 Association Oath Rolls serves as a census substitute. The original records are found in class C 213 at the National Archives, Kew, England. ^[17] Gandy published abstracts of oath takers living in British plantations, including New York:
  

• Gandy, Wallace. The Association Oath Rolls of the British Plantations [New York, Virginia, Etc.] A.D. 1696. London: the author, 1922. Digital version at Internet Archive; reprint: FHL 970 F2L 1995. [New York entries begin on page 33]

• New York Genealogy Census Records has a listing of links for statewide and countywide census years. The county links are particularly helpful.

For a list of questions asked in each New York state census from 1825 to 1925, click here.

How to Find State Census Records

Ancestry has digitized and indexed the 1892, 1915, and 1925 New York State Censuses.

Microfilm copies of all surviving New York state censuses are at the State Library. Manuscript copies for 1915 and 1925 are at the State Archives. The staff will not search these unindexed records for you. All state censuses are available on microfilm at the Family History Library.

Street indexes
The Family History Library has street indexes for the 1905, 1915, and 1925 Manhattan censuses on 36 films. The library also has a manuscript street index to the 1915 Brooklyn census, 1915 Queens census, and 1925 Queens census. 1925 census maps showing assembly and election district boundaries are available on microfiche for New York City FHL fiche 6088624, Buffalo FHL fiche 6088619, Rochester FHL fiche 6088627, and some other cities. More information on New York census records is in:

• Douglas, Marilyn and Melinda Yates, New York State Census Records, 1790–1925, Bibliography Bulletin 88, Albany, New York: The State Education Department, 1981. FHL book 974.7 A1 number 72.

Existing and Lost Censuses

For a list of available and missing New York censuses, click here.

Why Use a Census?

A well-indexed census is one of the easiest ways to locate where an ancestor's family lived and when they lived there. You can also use censuses to follow the changes in a family over time, and identify neighbors. These and other clues provided by censuses are important because they help determine additional records that contain information about the family.

More About Censuses

Click here for additional details about how to use censuses, such as:

• Index Searching Tips
• Analyzing and Using What You Find
• Census Accuracy
• Historical Background
• Contents of Various Census Years and Types

Sources and Footnotes

Wiki articles describing online collections are found at:

• New York 1865 State Census (FamilySearch Historical Records)
• New York 1875 State Census (FamilySearch Historical Records)
• New York 1892 State Census (FamilySearch Historical Records)
• New York 1905 State Census (FamilySearch Historical Records)
  
• New York State Census, 1915 (FamilySearch Historical Records)
  
• New York State Census, 1925 (FamilySearch Historical Records)
  
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