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Residents of the Herkimer County Poor House in 1850
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The census of the residents of the Herkimer County Poor House in Herkimer, New York, was filed September 10, 1850. Residents included the aged, the disabled, widows and orphans, recent immigrants, mothers with dependent children, the mentally ill, ne'er-do-wells, and people just down on their luck. The majority of the 1850 residents were born in New York State, many of them having surnames dating to the earliest days of county settlement. Poor house records are an often underutilized or unknown resource when looking for aged parents or children who are missing from a family group, or siblings who have "disappeared."
Census taker Michael Edick's handwriting and spelling were difficult to work with. I've made a literal transcription, letter for letter. Where I'm fairly sure he spelled a name incorrectly I've put "sp". Where I'm totally in the dark I've noted so with a "?". Like his 1850 Montgomery County counterpart, Mr. Edick had difficulty attempting a spelling for the foreign born, probably due to their accents, and could not ask the native-born illiterate to assist him. I would welcome anyone reading the original census rolls to send in corrections or new interpretations.
RESIDENTS OF THE HERKIMER COUNTY POOR HOUSE - 1850
Name Age Occupation Place of Birth Status
CUSTER, Paul
54
Keeper of Poor House
New York
CUSTER, Sophia
50
New York
Post, Miss
65
New York
pauper; cannot read or write
WIYET (sp), Jane
25
New York
pauper; cannot read or write
GUYLIT, Holly (male)
50
none
New York
insane
NEAST, Browning
70
New York
pauper; cannot read or write
LAWTON, Harriet
27
New York
pauper; cannot read or write
EVENS (sp), William
63
blacksmith
New York
pauper
ALEXANDER, Thomas
35
laborer
New York
pauper
BARD, Isaac
73
laborer
Scotland
pauper
CONGDEN, James
8
New York
pauper; attended school
SMITH, James
56
laborer
Ireland
pauper; cannot read or write
O'LEARY, Daniel
42
laborer
Ireland
pauper; cannot read or write
SCANNON, Philip
42
laborer
Ireland
pauper
KING, Joseph
32
laborer
Germany
pauper
POWELL, Richard
66
laborer
Ireland
pauper; cannot read or write
GORY, Miss
48
Ireland
pauper; cannot read or write
FINGOUT, Abram
40
New York
pauper; cannot read or write
HAN DER HAN (sp), James
62
Ireland
pauper; cannot read or write
DAVIS, Lucy
36
New York
pauper
CALHOUN, Hulda
30
New York
deaf and ?
CALHOUN, John
2
New Yorkk
pauper
MAUL, John
65
laborer
Germany
pauper
CORIGAN, ?
40
laborer
Ireland
pauper; cannot read or write
ATKEN, Patrick
32
laborer
Ireland
pauper
ALPIN (sp), Frances (female)
22
Ireland
pauper
ALPIN (sp), Catharine
3
Ireland
pauper; attended school
LOOMISE (sp), Timothy
75
blacksmith
New York
pauper
NEBB (Webb?), James
48
laborer
Ireland
pauper; cannot read or write
HICKS, ? (male)
3
New York
pauper; attended school
HOOVER, John
30
none
New York
pauper; cannot read or write
HALL, Polly
40
New York
pauper
BISKER (sp), ? (female)
35
New York
insane; cannot read or write
GUYLET, Appollo (sp)
39
none
New York
pauper
HARTER, Eva
30
New York
insane
MAKOY (sp), Michael
65
laborer
Ireland
pauper
LEWIS (?), Samuel
50
shoemaker
New York
insane
SHAN--EY (?), John
49
laborer
New York
pauper; cannot read or write
MONTGOMERY, John
65
laborer
Ireland
pauper; cannot read or write
NEAL, Robert
44
farmer
Ireland
pauper
STANTON, ? (male)
27
laborer
New York
pauper; cannot read or write
STANTON, Rebecca
27
New York
pauper
STANTON, Henryetta (sp)
6
New York
pauper; attended school
STANTON, Samuel
4
New York
pauper; attended school
STANTON, Lydia
2
New York
pauper
STANTON, Sarah
1
New York
pauper
STANTON, Simon
7
New York
pauper; attended school
GAMBOLL, ? (female)
29
New York
pauper
GAMBOLL, Benjamin F.
4
New York
pauper; attended school
GAMBOLL, Robert
55
laborer
Scotland
pauper; cannot read or write
McKENNON, Catharin
45
Ireland
pauper
MATISON, Sally
32
New York
pauper; cannot read or write
WILLIAMS, Robert
35
laborer
New York
pauper; black
WILLIAMS, Elizabeth
41
New York
pauper; cannot read or write; black
WILLIAMS, Levi
5
New York
pauper; attended school; black
MATISON, John
55
farmer
Rhode Island
pauper
BURNS, William
21
laborer
Ireland
pauper; cannot read or write
O'BRYON (sp), James
25
laborer
Ireland
pauper
QUINN or DURN, Miss
40
Ireland
pauper; cannot read or write
QUINN or DURN, Catharin
7
Ireland
pauper; attended school
QUINN or DURN, John
5
New York
pauper
QUINN or DURN, Michael
4
New York
pauper; attended school
BORDEN, Humphrey
25
laborer
Ireland
pauper
HINASY (sp), William
32
laborer
Ireland
pauper; cannot read or write
DARCY (?), Michael
60
laborer
Ireland
pauper
YOUNG, Benjamin
36
artist
New York
insane
STERNBURG, David
50
laborer
New York
pauper; cannot read or write
PATTERSON, James
32
tailor
Ireland
pauper; cannot read or write
McHOLLAND, Archibald
53
Butcher
Ireland
pauper
YAGAR (sp), Anna
27
Germany
pauper
KEEFER (?), Patrick
19
laborer
Ireland
pauper
NUSBOME (sp), Anthony
28
labober
Germany
pauper
SQUIRE, William
50
laborer
Mass.
pauper; black
DUBLUN, Samuel
45
laborer
New York
pauper; cannot read or write; black
BRADLEY, William
73
laborer
Scotland
pauper
LYLE, Mary
38
Germany
pauper; cannot read or write
MALONE, Thomas
30
Ireland
pauper; cannot read or write
BROWN, Mathias
20
New York
pauper
BROWN, Jane
24
New York
pauper
BROWN, Mary
8
New York
pauper; attended school
BROWN, Richard
6
New York
pauper; attended school
SHIBLY or KIBLY (?), Thomas
55
laborer
Ireland
pauper; cannot read or write
LOGAN, Stephen
28
tailor
New York
pauper; cannot read or write
FITZ GROLD (sp), Ellen
26
Ireland
pauper
CONWAY, Edward
40
laborer
Ireland
pauper
STANTON, Richard
60
laborer
New York
pauper; cannot read or write
HICHCOCK, David
66
laborer
New York
pauper
LARCIN (sp), Michael
55
laborer
Ireland
pauper; cannot read or write
LANCAK(sp), Joseph
55
laborer
England
pauper
SANFORD, Daniel
60
laborer
New York
idiotic; cannot read or write
BASSET, John
56
cooper
Germany
pauper
WILLIAMS, William
63
tailor
England
pauper
INGHAM, James
60
manufactor England
pauper
KELLOGG, ? (male)
58
laborer
New York
pauper
COOK, Moses
68
mason
New York
pauper
EDGERTON, Ebanezer
28
laborer
New York
pauper; cannot read or write
?, Andrew
46
none
New York
pauper; cannot read or write
?, Peggy
45
New York
pauper; cannot read or write
HESS, Eva
36
Germany
pauper
HESS, Laurence
38
Mason
Germany
pauper
INHUFF (?), Thomas
5
Germany
pauper; attended school
TAYLOR, Phebe or Philes (sp)
93
New York
pauper
DAVIS, Sally
55
New York
insane
?, Mary
8
New York
blind
LAWTON (?), Sally
30
New York
pauper; cannot read or write
GETMAN, Sally
36
New York
insane
MONKS, Catharin
48
New York
pauper; cannot read or write
HARKINS, Lucinda
82
New York
pauper
COOPER, David
7
New York
pauper; attended school
KIRKWOOD, John
4
New York
idiot; pauper; attended school
HALE, Susan
46
New York
deaf and dumb
HASKELL, ? (female)
55
New York
deaf and dumb
PIPER, Elizabeth
60
New York
pauper; cannot read or write
?, Mariah
40
Germany
insane; cannot read or write
VOSBURG, Mariah
40
New YOrk
idiotic; cannot read or write
?, Anders
59
shoemaker
Demark (sp)
pauper; cannot read or write
MONK, Hesekiah
14
New York
pauper; attended school
PRINCE, Richard
100
New York
pauper; cannot read or write; black
FURGASON, William
13
Ireland
pauper; attended school
COOPER, Eliza
30
New York
pauper; attended school
?, Thomas
40
laborer
Ireland
pauper
SCUYLER (sp), Betsey (sp)
60
New York
idiot; pauper
LAUCKS, Nicholas
57
laborer
New York
pauper; cannot read or write
COLLEN (?), Ann
65
Ireland
pauper; cannot read or write
GARNES (?), Thomas
56
Ireland
pauper
LAUTER, Judith
55
New York
pauper; cannot read or write
Living next door to the poor house was Alonzo B. Custer, a 25-year-old farmer and probable son of Paul Custer, keeper of the poor house. Alonzo had been married in the last year to Margaret, age 20. The value of Alonzo's real estate is noted as $6,300.
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Source: This electronic text was transcribed from original microfilm of the 1850 US census by Martha S. Magill. Due to the difficulties in transcribing old and stylized handwriting, the original census should be referred to.
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