Unfortunately, some state census records have been periodically lost or destroyed, but most have been preserved and are available to search online. Government every ten years beginning in 1790) and state censuses (administered by the State of New York every ten years beginning in 1825), one could theoretically locate a family every five years, creating a fantastic framework for further research and uncovering a lot of useful information in the process. Though the information contained in them varies throughout history, census records are incredibly useful because they were designed to capture key details about all households in a given geographic area, including very relevant and useful information for family history researchers.īy using both federal censuses (administered by the U.S. Why should all researchers be using both federal censuses and New York state censuses? These records often form the backbone of family history research. This guide provides an overview of every New York state census, what kind of information can be found within each one, and where researchers can search New York state censuses online.