Bradford County PA
Chemung County NY
Tioga County PA
Tri-Counties Genealogy & History
by Joyce M. Tice
1855 New York State Census Records for

Town of Horseheads, Chemung County NY
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Joyce's Search Tip - January 2008 -
Do You Know that you can search just the Census Records on the site by using the three county level Census  buttons in the Partitioned search engine at the bottom of the Current What's New Page

You can further limit your search by choosing the find all words option and entering a year or township name along with your surname. Remember that alternate spellings of surnames WILL affect your search results.

Census records are very often difficult to read because of handwriting, microfilm quality, and spelling issues. Our early census takers were not as well educated as we'd like them to have been, and even the people bearing the names often could not spell them with the same consistency we are accustomed to in our own time. The census taker wrote what he believed he heard as well as he could. Our volunteers have transcribed them for you to the very best or our abilities given the difficulties mentioned. Please be tolerant of what you would consider "mistakes." If you can recognize the names you are looking for, then it is a success. If not, then you may want to find a place where you can view the originals so that you can judge for yourselves. Excessive attention to outmoded spelling issues is the sign of a beginner in family research and will limit your research effectiveness.

Transcribed 2008 by Sherry LAMPMAN Nichols
Published October 2008 by Joyce M. Tice

Note from Sherry - The 1855 census for Horseheads was collected by DeWitt Curtis from June 1 thru June 19, 1855.  A group of people years ago looked at the original records and copied them to paper form for the library and indexed them.  I first typed the records from these paper records. Just like the original records some of the handwriting was hard to read or the person copying them had trouble reading the census. I then ordered the microfilm of the 1855 census for Chemung Co from the LDS church. This film is now on permanent loan at the LDS Church on Broad St in Horseheads. I spent many hours looking at the film and trying to be as correct as possible with the names.  I spent hours looking at the 1850 and 1860 census records trying to figure out names that were in question. I had other genealogists look at the records to help me figure out names. If you don’t agree with what I have typed I suggest you look at the film at the LDS church. There is a copy of the records at the clerk’s office in Elmira but the records in the census books there are copies that are faded and hard to read. For any names that I wasn’t sure of I put question marks after them. In a few cases I added names from other sources and put parenthesis around them. The census taker stopped putting visitation numbers in the columns after # 378 and either left it blank or put a 1 in the space. There was a page and half of records missing from the library’s records that I found and added from the microfilm. This took me about 1 ½ yrs to type up, much longer then I thought it would. I hope it will help everyone that looks at it. I did my best with what I had.

Page 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40
41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50
Inmates of County Poor House are on page 37
Be sure to scroll to the right to see the entire page.
Dwelling # in order of visitation of what material built value family # in order of visitation Name of every person who lived in this abode 1st day of June age sex color relationship to head of family county born or what state married widowed years in residence profession voter native born voter naturalized alien persons of color not taxed persons over 21 who can't read or write owners of land
215 plank 100 230 Oliver Henry 50 M     Vermont     30 farmer 1         1
        Oliver Lydia 40 F   wife Canada                    
        Oliver Giles 20 M   son Chemung     20              
        Oliver John 15 M   son Chemung     15              
        Oliver Henry 12 M   son Chemung     12              
        Oliver Thomas 10 M   son Chemung     10              
        Oliver Isaac 5 M   son Chemung     5              
        Oliver Susan 2 F   daughter New Jersey 1   2 shoemaker 1          
216 plank 42 231 Vanuken John 46 M     Tioga 1   5              
        Vanuken Emma 48 F   wife Chemung     5              
        Vanuken Elizabeth 15 F   daughter Chemung     5              
        Vanuken William 12 M   son Chemung     5              
        Vanuken James 6 M   son Otsego 1   5              
217 plank 25 232 Clearwater Garry 27 M     Chemung 1   3 laborer 1          
        Clearwater Sally 39 F   wife Chemung     3              
        Clearwater Guy 4 M   son Chemung     3              
        Clearwater Julia A. 3 F   daughter Chemung     3              
        Clearwater Emogene 1 F   daughter Chemung     1              
218 frame 50 233 Berry Abner 22 M     Steuben 1   7 laborer 1          
        Berry Betsey 20 F   wife Chemung 1   7              
        Berry Louisa 3 F   daughter Chemung     3              
219 frame 150 234 Lovel David 24 M     Chemung     8 farmer 1          
        Lovel Olive 56 F   mother Conn   W 8              
        Lovel Myron 18 M   brother Chemung     8              
        Lovel Charlotte 15 F   sister Chemung     8              
        Lovel Elijah 12 M   brother Chemung     8              
220 frame 500 235 Alts James 20 M     Tompkins     2m mason 1          
        Ames Margaret 44 F   mother Tompkins   W 2m             1
        Alts Solomon 15 M   brother Tompkins     2m              
        Alts Fanny 13 F   sister Tompkins     2m              
        Alts Emma 11 F   sister Tompkins     2m              
        Alts Hannah 6 F   sister Tompkins     2m              
      235 Cranmer I.J. 41 M   Tompkins 1   5 farmer 1          
        Cranmer Elizabeth 41 F   wife Canada 1   5              
        Durland Catherine 18 F   adopt daughter Orange     5              
221 frame 800 236 Newkirk John 58 M   Ulster 1   9 farmer 1         1
        Newkirk Amy 49 F   wife Dutchess 1   9              
        Newkirk Milton 31 M   son Ulster     9   1         1
        Newkirk Isaac 25 M   son Ulster     9   1         1
        Newkirk Ann 18 F   daughter Penn     9              
        Newkirk Rachel 14 F   daughter Tompkins     9              
        Green Mary 7 F   granddaughter Chemung     7              
222 log 25 237 Swayzee Joseph 45 M   Tompkins 1   3 farmer 1         1
        Swayzee Harriet 40 F   wife Tompkins 1   3              
        Swayzee Byron 15 M   son Tompkins     3              
        Swayzee Alvin 13 M   son Tompkins     3              
        Swayzee Eliza A. 9 F   daughter Tompkins     3              
        French Rachel 80 F   mother New Jersey   W 3              

Last Updated on 10/6/2008
By Joyce M. Tice