Chemung County NY

1855 New York State Census Records for
Town of Horseheads, Chemung County NY
Home Page More Local Census Horseheads
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
31 wood frame 200 35 Shults Christopher 45 M

New Jersey 1
3 laborer 1








Shults Sarah 45 F
wife New Jersey

3










Shults Deborah 17 F
daughter New Jersey

3










Shults S. 14 F
daughter New Jersey

3










Shults Julia 6 F
daughter Orange

3










Shults Festus 2 M
son Chemung

2






32 wood frame 1600 36 Schofield Elisabeth G. 50 F

Chemung













Hastings Helen A. 75 F
mother blank













Schofield William 22 M
son Chemung

22 none 1








Schofield Sally 20 F
daughter Chemung

20










Schofield Rebecca 18 F
daughter Chemung

18










Schofield Elisabeth 16 F
daughter Chemung

16










Schofield Nelson 15 M
son Chemung

15










Schofield Frances 13 F
daughter Chemung

13







McCann James 30 M
boarder blank

3 carpenter 1








Parmer Luther
M
boarder blank

1 carpenter 1








Strock? Jesse K. 28 M
boarder Penn

6 merchant 1








Henderson James 21 M
boarder blank

5 jour printer 1








Shuart/Shiet? no name 50 M
boarder blank

1 carpenter





33 wood frame 1200 37 Lewis Theodore 27 M

Oneida 1
7 merchant 1



1




Lewis Henrietta 24 F
wife Chemung 1
24










Lewis Grace G. 1 F
daughter Chemung

1










Bundy Oscar 18 M
boarder Chemung

18 clerk









Austin Polly 40 F
boarder Seneca
W 16 tailoress





34 frame 900 38 Parker Rowland 57 M

Conn 1
6 clerk 1








Parker Harriet 45 F
wife Conn 1
6










Parker Edwin A. 25 M
son Rensalaer

2 farmer 1








Parker Charles W. 21 M
son Rensalaer

6 farmer 1



1




Wilder Cordelia 23 F
boarder blank

4










Wilder Jane 17 F
servant Orange

1






35 frame 700 39 Wightman Alanson M. 31 M

Seneca 1
22 clerk 1



1




Wightman Sarah C. 32 F
wife Chemung 1
5










Wightman Sarah E. 7 F
daughter Tompkins

5










Wightman George A. 4 M
son Chemung

4










Wightman Hannah J. 1 F
daughter Chemung

1






36 frame 700 40 Garst Samuel 54 M

Penn

20 cooper 1



1




Garst Catherine 44 F
wife Orange

6m










Fowler Nancy 22 F
boarder Orange

6m tailoress









Fowler William 21 M
boarder Orange

6m






37 frame 1000 41 Bennitt I.G. 31 M

Albany

1m grain cradle maker 1



1




Bennitt Margaret 28 F
wife New Jersey

1m










Bennitt Mary G. 8 F
daughter Chemung

1m










Bennitt Leroy 1 M
son Chemung

1m










Strade Alford 20 M
boarder Tompkins

2m clerk 1




38 frame 2000 42 Ryant Homer 48 M

Conn 1
10 dra-- grocerman? 1



1




Ryant Eliza A. 44 F
wife Conn 1
10










Ryant Chester W. 21 M
son Tompkins

10 clerk 1








Ryant Seth D. 14 M
son Cayuga

10










Ryant John R. 9 M
son Chemung

9










Ryant G. Judson 10 F
servant Chemung

18










Jones James 20 M
servant Penn

10 clerk






Last Updated on 11/10/2021