Censuses Conducted by New York State

      and Available on Microfilm at the NYS Library

                               in Albany, NY

                     by Cliff Lamere   1 Aug 2002

New York State began conducting statewide censuses in 1825; the last one was done in 1925.  There was only one copy of each census.  It was turned in to the state, but after a period of time, the census register was returned to the county.  Historical records were not as important in the past as they are today.   

Many counties eventually discarded the early registers according to someone I consider to be a very reliable source.  That is just one explanation for the missing censuses in the list of counties below.  It is also possible that not all censuses were microfilmed or, if they were, they may not have all been owned by the NYS Library (this does not seem very likely except for those of the New York City counties which do not seem to be well represented below). 

The federal censuses for NY were conducted every 10 years from 1790 to the present, although the 1890 census was lost due to a fire in 1921 (the surviving parts being later discarded).  

The years that the state censuses were conducted are as follows:  1825, 1835, 1845, 1855, 1865, 1875, 1892, 1905, 1915, 1925.

Below, you will find a list of the counties of the state and what census years were available on microfilm at the New York State Library in Albany, NY. in 1993.  

Counties formed after 1825 (year of first state census)

Since these counties formed after some of the censuses were conducted by the state, they could not possibly have a complete set of censuses.

Bronx        1914

Fulton        1838

Nassau      1899

Schuyler    1854

Wyoming   1841

COUNTY                         YEARS ON MICROFILM AT NYS LIBRARY (1993)

Albany        1855, 1865, 1875, 1892, 1905, 1915, 1925
Allegheny     1855, 1865, 1875, 1892, 1905, 1915, 1925

Bronx         1915, 1925

Broome        1825 (statistical), 1835, 1855, 1865, 1875, 1892,

                   1905, 1915, 1925

Cattaraugus   1825, 1835, 1845, 1855, 1865, 1875, 1892, 1905,

                   1915, 1925

Cayuga        1855, 1865, 1875, 1892, 1905 (Auburn only), 1915,

                   1925

Chautauqua    1825, 1835, 1845, 1855, 1865, 1875, 1892, 1905,

                   1915, 1925

Chemung       1855, 1865, 1892, 1905, 1915, 1925

Chenango      1855, 1865, 1875, 1905, 1915, 1925

Clinton       1892, 1905, 1915, 1925

Columbia      1845 (city of Hudson only), 1855, 1865, 1875, 1905,

                   1915, 1925

Cortland      1825, 1835, 1845, 1855, 1865, 1875, 1892, 1905,

                   1915, 1925

Delaware      1855, 1865, 1875, 1892, 1905, 1915, 1925

Dutchess      1865, 1875, 1892, 1915, 1925

Erie          1855, 1865, 1875 (part), 1892 (part), 1905 (part),

                  1915, 1925

Essex         1855, 1865, 1875, 1892, 1905, 1915, 1925

Franklin      1875, 1905, 1915, 1925

Fulton        1845, 1855, 1865, 1875, 1905, 1915, 1925

Genesee       1875, 1892, 1905, 1915, 1925

Greene        1855, 1865, 1875, 1892, 1905, 1915, 1925

Hamilton      1892, 1905, 1915, 1925

Herkimer      1835, 1845, 1855, 1865, 1875, 1892, 1905, 1915, 1925

Jefferson     1865 (part), 1875, 1905, 1915, 1925

Kings         1855, 1865, 1875, 1892, 1905, 1915, 1925

Lewis         1825, 1835, 1855, 1865, 1875, 1892, 1905, 1915, 1925

Livingston    1855, 1865, 1875, 1915, 1925

Madison       1855, 1865, 1875, 1892, 1905, 1915, 1925

Monroe        1855, 1865, 1875, 1892, 1905, 1915, 1925

Montgomery    1855, 1865, 1875, 1892, 1905, 1915, 1925

Nassau        1915, 1925

New York      1855, 1915, 1925

Niagara       1855, 1865, 1875, 1905, 1915, 1925

Oneida        1915, 1925

Onondaga      1855, 1865, 1875, 1892, 1905, 1915, 1925,

                  1850-1905 Syracuse street ward index

Ontario       1855, 1865, 1875, 1892, 1915, 1925

Orange        1825, 1835, 1845, 1855, 1865, 1875, 1915, 1925

Orleans       1855, 1865, 1875, 1892, 1905, 1915, 1925

Oswego        1855, 1865, 1875, 1892, 1915, 1925         

Otsego        1825, 1855, 1865, 1875, 1892, 1905, 1915, 1925

Putnam        1915, 1925

Queens        1915, 1925
Rensselaer    1855, 1865, 1875, 1905, 1915, 1925

Richmond      1855, 1865, 1875, 1915, 1925

Rockland      1855, 1865, 1875, 1892, 1905, 1915, 1925

St. Lawrence  1815 (part) [sic], 1845 (part), 1865 (part), 1905,

                  1915, 1925

Saratoga      1855, 1865, 1875, 1892, 1905, 1915, 1925
Schenectady   1835, 1845, 1855, 1865, 1875, 1892, 1905, 1915, 1925
Schoharie     1825, 1835, 1855, 1865, 1875, 1892, 1905, 1915, 1925
Schuyler      1855, 1865, 1875, 1915, 1925

Seneca        1915, 1925

Steuben       1825, 1835, 1845, 1855, 1865, 1875, 1892, 1905,

                  1915, 1925

Suffolk       1865, 1915, 1925

Sullivan      1855, 1875, 1915, 1925

Tioga         1825, 1835, 1855, 1865, 1875, 1892, 1905, 1915, 1925

Tompkins      1825, 1835, 1865, 1875, 1892, 1905, 1915, 1925

Ulster        1855, 1865, 1875, 1905, 1915, 1925

Warren        1855, 1855 (agricultural), 1865, 1875, 1892, 1905,

                  1915, 1925

Washington    1825, 1835, 1855, 1865, 1875, 1892, 1905, 1915, 1925

Wayne         1892, 1905, 1915, 1925

Westchester   1905, 1915, 1925

Wyoming       1875, 1915, 1925

Yates         1825, 1835, 1845, 1855, 1865, 1875, 1892, 1915, 1925

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