The 1860 federal census, like the 1850, continued to list every inhabitant's name, rather than simply that of the head of the household. Besides this information, also listed is the gender, race, age, state or country of birth, value of real estate, value of personal estate, occupation, and information about literacy and citizenship.
The census, like all others taken in New York, is organized by town, and because of its huge size (the county's population peaked at a few more than 20,000 persons in the 1860s, and did not reach that level again for more than a century, in the 1970s) it was thought best to divide this index, which lists every name, by town as well. The chart below indicates which towns are on line at this point; click on the name and it will link you to the index for that town. Town boundaries in 1860 were the same as they are now, and a map is available on line.
Each index is set up exactly alike; the name of each individual named is
followed by the dwelling number where that person may be found. This is the
number in the far left-hand column of the enumeration itself. If several persons
are listed with the same dwelling number, it means they live in the same house.
The county has a copy of this census, from which this index was made. The
National Archives microfilm was made from the federal copy, but the dwelling
numbers should be the same.
As with other censuses whose indexes are on line, the County Historian will photocopy pages from the original upon request. The request must contain your name and postal address, and the citation exactly as it appears in the index. Make sure you include the census year and town. Please put the phrase "County Historian census request" in the subject line. You will be billed $1 for each page copied.
Submit copy request