This extraction of the New York State Census for 1875 was done for the convenience of genealogists. The information herein may not be 100 percent accurate, but is our best attempt at extracting the information written 125 years ago in sometimes difficult handwriting. For example, if you find a name that begins with an L or an S, consider that it may have begun with it\’s opposite. There were times when we had no clue which was which, no matter how long we puzzled over the matter .We admit to altering some information when we actually knew what the family name was (i.e.,the Bourne family in Dunkirk), but did our best to be true to the original. Some census takers treated us to great information-almost all maiden names given in the Town of Busti. Then, in Portland, we found minimum information-here we find only initials for all but one of the given names. All information one expects to find may not be included herein. The 1875 census available to us did not include Marriage or Death records for the towns of Portland or Villenova. The researcher can find information in the original that was not included in this extraction, particularly in the Agricultural Statistics and Miscellaneous Statistics that follow the population schedules for each town. The population schedule listed the county of birth if within NYS. These were given three letter abbreviations as follows:
Alb Albany Kin Kings Sch Schoharie
All Allegany Lew Lewis Sct Schenectady
Bro Broome LI Long Island Scy Schuyler
Cay Cayuga Liv Livingston Sen Seneca
Che Chenango Mgm Montgomery Ste Steuben
Chf Chemung Mon Monroe StI Staten Island
Chs Chester Nia Niagra StL St Lawrence
Cli Clinton One Oneida Suf Suffolk
Col Columbia Ono Onondaga SuI Sullivan
Cor Cortland Ont Ontario Sus Sussex
Del Delaware Ora Orange Tio Tioga
Duc Duchess Orl Orleans Tom Tompkins
Ess Essex Osw Oswego Unk Unknown
Fra Franklin Ots Otsego Usl Uslter
Ful Fulton Put Putnam War Warren
Gen Genesee Que Queens Was Washington
Gre Greene Ren Rensaeller Way Wayne
Ham Hamilton Ric Richmond Wes Westchester
Her Herkimer Roc Rockland Wyo Wyoming
Jef Jefferson Sar Saratoga Yat Yates
The two letter postal abbreviations are used for states, including DC. We used the best three capital letters we could think of to designate a foreign country of birth. When there was a specific place designated such as \”The Isle of Man, \” or \”on the ocean, \” or even a specific village in NYS, we did our best to fit the information into the line for that individual.
If the enumerator noted the start or end of a specific area within the town, we included this at the place it was entered in the record, usually in bold-faced type. Comments by the enumerator included in the record, were enclosed in quotation marks.
Explanation of column headings: Town & family #. Here we have used a two letter abbreviation for each town or division within that town. Each section is explained in the header for that district, therefore no list of district abbreviations is needed here. This designation is used when a search is done by CCGS on one surname and a printout results from that search. The family number was assigned by the enumerator . There was only one district in which the enumerator kept his numbering system straight, but we have tried to number as the enumerator did, so that this work can serve as an index to the original entry .The surname is not repeated when more than one individual with that surname is listed consecutively. The given name, age/sx are all straightforward. Each enumerator used his own bias when stating relationship. We tried to use all information given, either in this column or in the information column. The column headed status replaced three boxes in the original-headed M, W, S for Married, Widowed or Single. There were a few D\’s entered in the Single column (which probably meant divorced). In a few cases, the enumerator listed a place of D. The occupation was recorded as close as possible to the original. The column headed cit/izenship (actually, voter status) is a representation of three boxes: native (nv) naturalized (nt) alien (a); /ownership of land is indicated by the lowercase (o). The column headed information is a catch-all for anything else within the census about the individual. Included in this column is any statement of disability .There was a column in the original headed, \” over 21 and cannot read or write.\” This was difficult to interpret as some enumerators tried to distinguish those who could read, but not write, or those who read and wrote in their native language. Where the distinction was clear, we used x in the information area for those of age who could neither read nor write. If the census taker indicated the individual could read and write, but only in their native language, this was indicated in the information column.
One column on the original schedule, seldom used, was intended to record the place of employment if not at the location where the family was enumerated. These were included on the line following other information about the individual.
This census also included a column to record whether the individual was White (w) Black (b ) Mulatto (m) or Ind\’n. For the few individuals designated (b) or (m) this was spelled out in the information column. We found no mark (i) here but in very few cases, Indian was spelled out in another area and is included under \”info.\”
For any question of interpretation the researcher should use the town and family number as an index to look up the questioned entry in the original books are at the Chautauqua County Court House in Mayville, NY. Microfilm of this census can be accessed in several genealogy libraries here in the county and in major collections around the country .
Special Thanks
This project was possible through the cooperation of Chautauqua County Clerk, Sandra Sopak, and the County Records Management Coordinator, Michelle Henry .We were allowed to use microfilm produced by the Genealogical Society of Utah from the original copies of the census in the County Court House.
Lois and Norwood Barris
2000
