About the 1850 Census

The main table has been transcribed from the 1850 Federal Census Population Schedule, for the Town of Brookhaven, Suffolk County, New York.  The other tables are various "views" of the main table.

The 1850 Federal Census is the first census that listed by name all members of a household.  Prior to 1850, the censuses listed the "head" of the household, and a summary enumeration of its members.

The handwriting of the census enumerator sometimes makes it difficult to determine the entries -- I'm not always very good at interpreting the flourishes of the mid-19th century hand.  Therefore, doubtful entries are identified with "?'s." -- most now have been resolved, however, in consultation with others.

These pages are not fixed -- they reference a database, which from time to time I updated as I get corrections or discover additional information.  Please -- don't be afraid to correct me!

Only those pages which may contain residents in Brookhaven Hamlet (in 1850 called Fire Place) have been transcribed.  In this locale, the census enumerator apparently traveled east to west. The first page of this transcription (page 116) starts at the Carman's River in what we now call "South Haven," and moves generally westerly along South Country Rd. and the side roads to what is now the Village of Bellport -- the last entries (p. 121, lines 39-42 & p. 122, lines 1-5) being the Jehiel Woodruff farm.  The next entry (p. 122, line 6) is for Henry F. Osborne, who resided at what is now the Gateway Theatre, within the present Bellport Village limits.

Since the boundaries of the hamlet are ill-defined, it is not certain that the list is all inclusive, or that all the residents listed resided in what is now loosely defined as Brookhaven Hamlet.  I have checked the names against the 1858 Map of the Hamlet, but of course, residency no doubt changed in the eight intervening years.  However, having issued this disclaimer, I'm reasonably comfortable that this is a good snapshot of the residents of Brookhaven Hamlet (including South Haven) in 1850.

The enumeration date for these pages was August, 1850.  The Census Date was June 1, 1850 -- the enumeration was to reflect the place of residence on June 1st.

Most of the names in this transcription were compared to a 1990 transcription of the 1850 census for the Town of Brookhaven by David A. Kerkhof.  In only a very few cases do we disagree, and I have noted his interpretation in the comment column.