Tri-Counties Genealogy & History
by Joyce M. Tice
1855 New York State Census Records for

Town of Erin, Chemung County NY
Bradford County PA
Chemung County NY
Tioga County PA
Home Page
Disclaimer
Guide 
Copyright
More Local Census
Town of Erin
Joyce
New & Search
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 2009 by Sherry LAMPMAN Nichols
Published April 2009 by Joyce M. Tice

The 1855 census for Erin was collected by James Hollenbeck from June 4 thru June 29, 1855.  I was able to copy the original records from microfilm to transcribe from. I looked in the 1850 & 1860 census for every family to compare to the 1855 census because of the bad handwriting. James Hollenbeck spelled the names just the way they sounded. For instance he spelled Hiram-Hyrum, Elizabeth-Elithabeth. His 4 & 7’s looked a lot alike. He spelled Orange Co as Oren throughout the census. I didn’t copy the names as he spelled them. He didn’t fill in a lot of the blanks. He only put down how many years the head of the household was in the county not the rest of the family. He only filled in child for the first child in column 9 for relationship. He left column 4 empty for households 83-87 & 90-96.
If I found names in the other census records that matched up to the 1855, I put parenthesis around them. If I couldn’t find the family and had to guess at a name, I put a question mark after them.
You can find the copies from the microfilm in the back of the notebook that I used. The notebook is located at the Steele Memorial Library in Elmira, NY. If you can correct any names feel free to correct them. The microfilm can be found at the LDS church in Horseheads or soon at the Steele Memorial Library.
        Sherry Nichols
           Mar 2009

( ) = name found in alternate census record
?  = name was a guess from the census
 

Page  01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 13 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
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 deaf, dumb, blind or idiot
184 frame 400 184 Turk? ? 25 M     Chenango 1   1 farmer 1         1  
        Turk? Caroline 22 F   wife Chemung                      
        Turk? Elihue? 6m M   child Chemung                      
185 frame 600 185 McDowell Varnum 59 M     Massachusetts 1   32 farmer 1         1  
        McDowell Elizabeth 56 F   wife Tompkins                      
        McDowell Cynes 26 F   child Chemung         1         1  
        McDowell Elizabeth 12 F     Chemung                      
        Everett Dorcus 19 F   niece Chemung                      
186 frame 100 186 Searle William 38 M     Orange 1   11 farmer 1         1  
        Searle Clarrissa 27 F   wife Tompkins                      
        Searle Emma Ann 8 F   child Pennsylvania                      
        Searle Abigail 2 F     Chemung                      
        Searle Mary 2m F     Chemung                      
187 plank 50 187 Smith Oliver 23 M     Orange 1   5 farmer 1         1  
        Smith Carolina 27 F   wife Orange                      
        Smith Elsie 4 F   child Chemung                      
        Smith George 1m M     Chemung                      
188 log 20 188 Dota Nathaniel 42 M     Tompkins 1   14 farmer 1         1  
        Dota Margaret 41 F   wife Pennsylvania                      
        Dota Edward 11 M   child Chemung                      
        Dota L.R. 1 M     Chemung                      
189 frame 300 189 (Jayne)(Janes) Timothy 38 M     Tompkins 1   14 farmer 1         1  
        (Jayne)(Janes) Delilah 38 F   wife Schoharie                      
        (Jayne)(Janes) Eliza D. 12 F   child Chemung                      
        (Jayne)(Janes) Sylvester A. 11 M     Chemung                      
        (Jayne)(Janes) David 9 M     Chemung                      
        Henry Amos 5 M     Chemung                      
190 plank 400 190 Benjamin Nathan 55 M     New Jersey 1   32 farmer 1         1  
        Benjamin Ann 57 F   wife Pennsylvania                      
        Benjamin (Lina) 19 F   child Chemung                      
        Benjamin Mary 80 F   mother Pennsylvania                      
191 frame 100 191 Hollenbeck Anthony 30 M     Tioga 1   26 farmer 1         1  
        Hollenbeck Malinda 28 F   wife Tompkins                      
        Hollenbeck James (Erwin) 8 M   child Chemung                      
        Hollenbeck Myron 6 M   child Chemung                      
        Hollenbeck Laura Ann 3 F   child Chemung                      
        Hollenbeck (Albert) 1 M     Chemung                      
192 log 20 192 Beckwith George 55 M     Connecticut 1   20 farmer 1         1  
        Beckwith Mary Ann 52 F   wife Connecticut                      
        Beckwith Mary Ann 14 F   child Chemung                      
193 plank 50 193 Thomas Philip 60 M     Tioga 1   37 farmer 1         1  
        Thomas Rachel 55 F     Pennsylvania                      
        Thomas Eliza 32 F     Chemung                      
        Thomas Charles 19 M     Chemung                      
        Thomas William 17 M     Chemung                      
        Thomas Miles 15 M     Chemung                      
        Thomas George W. 12 M     Chemung                      
        Thomas Lynsey? 3 F   grandchild Chemung                      
        Thomas Lewis? 5 M   grandchild Chemung                      
        Hunt? Martin 17 M   labor Tompkins                      

Last Updated on 4/6/2009
By Joyce M. Tice