County Poorhouse Inmates - 1860 Census
Dewittville, Chautauqua County, NY

Return to Chautauqua County Gen-Web page.

INCLUDES BIRTH DATES AND EMIGRATION YEAR

CENSUS OF STAFF AND INMATES
Enumerated June 8, 1860 by John PHELPS

John G. PALMETER 50 b NY Poorhouse Keeper
Wife Mary Palmeter, 45 b NY
Frank W. Son b NY 9
Franklin B. TYLER 35 b NY farm Laborer (Staff)
Mary J. BELKNAP, 38 Assist. Matron, b NY
Elizabeth BELKNAP, daughter age 12 b PA

INMATES;
Francis HOWE, 69 b VT Male Cripple
Alvin PIERCE, clothier, 76 b NY Lunatic
Timothy WINSLOW, 62 b NY Idiot
Orlando RAY 88 b NY Idiot
Tytus HURLBUT, 80 b CT Lunatic
Charles DOWNING, 55 b NY Idiot
Stephen CHAFLIN, 30 b NY Idiot
Hiram STONE, 40 b NY Idiot
Gardiner BROWN, 39 b NY Lunatic
Michael CALL or CASS, 62 b Ireland, Blindness
Lewis THOMAS 40 b Virginia, Idiotic
John SAMPSON, 14 b NY Palsy
Seth HAIGHT, 80 b VT Palsy
George McGEE, 8 b NY Infancy
Winslow WALKER, 18 b NY Idiot
Bradford TAYL:OR 8 b NY Infancy
Amasa SLAYTON 21 b NY idiotic (See his story at the end of this census )
James BOND, b NY age 3 infancy
William RILEY 65 b Ireland, Intoxication
Dennis RILEY 9 b NY Internment of Father
William RILEY 8 b NY "" "" ""
James LEWIS, 40 b Canada, Paralysis
Richard SWENGEY ? Or SWEZEY b Virginia Laborer 90 old age
Ansel WILLIAMS 60 b NY Idiotic
James KENNEDY 75 b Ireland, Blindness by ??
Henry WILCOX, 70 b NY Idiotic
Israle ? SLAYTON, 8 b NY infancy
Chanucy MILLER, 9 b NY Infancy
Isaiah RICHARDSON 80 b CT Old Age
Andrew JOHNSON 12 b Sweden, Vagrant
Andrew READ, 35 Shoemaker, b NY Sickness
John MILLER, 65 b Germany Idiotic
Luther PERKINS, 30 b NY Idiotic
Daniel BALL, 65 b MASS Debauchery
Andrew WELCH 65 B Ireland Tinker, Interference
Patrick HARVY 73
Perry McKNIGHT 28 b NY Idiotic
Israel PUTNAM 82 b NY Idiotic
Benjamin CHURCH, 44 b NH Fits
Delos BOROMAN 3 b NY Infancy
James BOYD or BYRD 68 b PA Interference or Finance hard to read
John HENACY or HENDRY b Ireland 62 Intemperance
Abial CHAFEY 56 b NY Idiotic
Andrew HEARICK 28 b Sweden Lunatic
Leonard SMITH 26 b NY Lunatic
Frank PETERS, 42 b Germany Cripple
Frank Junior 6 B NY Infancy
Infant male PETERS Son 2 b NY Infancy
George M BURDICK 5 b NY infancy
Nathaniel CUMMINGS 63, b VT Lunatic
Alexander HO ?T 78 Scotland Glass Blower, Intemperance
James COTEEL? 35 b England Intemperance
Horace REED 12 b NY Vagrant
Nicholas PITT 78 b CT Lunatic
Eben PIERCE 4 b NY infancy
Hugh MENON 68 b Ireland Intemperance
Ephraim SLAYTON 60 b Vermont, Sickness
Adelia READ, female 40 b NY Idiotic
Polly WILSON, female 70 b NY Lunatic
Orissa PALMER 40 b NY Idiotic
Mary CONNORS 30 b Ireland, Idiotic
Nancy LEWIS 73 b NY Insane
Mabel HAIGHT 78 b Vermont Old age
Fanny BOND 40 b NY Insane
Eliza TURNER 26 b England Fits
Bridget RILEY 32 b Ireland Idiotic
Clarissa CALHOUN 65 b CT Lunatic
Adelia BEEBE 40 b NY Lunatic
Josephine WEBB 3 b NY Infancy
Hannah CASE 54 b Ireland Intemperance
Sarah WILLS? 32 b NY Idiotic
Anna THAYER 65 b CT Idiotic
Rhoda McKNIGHT 84 b MA, Old Age
Alice HOUSEN or HOUSER, 45 b England Insane
Melissa her dau, 3 b NY Infancy
Polly J PIERCE 45 b NY Crippled
Rhoda ROBBINS 50 b NY
Celestia PIERCE 9 b NY Infancy
Polly PIERCE 10 /12 b NY Infancy
Frederica PETERS, 42 b Germany Crippled
Caroline PETERS 5 b NY Infancy
Rebecca SHERWIN 16 b PA Idiotic
Mary ELDERKIN 35 b NY Cripple
Lea?? KINNEY 30 B NY Insane
Betsey CILLEY 60 b NY Cripple
Clarisa daughter 10 b NY Infancy
Dorcas PRENTICE 52 b NY Insane
Catherine GIBBS b NY 44 Prostitute
Lucy (May be Eggleston) cannot read 89 b NY old age
Hannah Mc PECK or M. PECK 47 b NY Insane
Lucy HART 50 b NY Idiotic
Thomas RIDER 40 b Ireland Intemperance
David ALLEN 78 b PA Old Age
John BLACKMER 50 b NY Carpenter Intemperance
Patrick NAGLE 50 b Ireland Intemperate
Bridget his Wife, b Ireland 33 Sick
Dau Anna 7, Margaret 4, both b NY as infants
Thomas SANDERSON 48 b NY Insane
John COE 30 Insane
Michael CROW? B Ireland 40 Intemperance
Phebe CARPENTER 35 femal b NY Idiotic
Dennis RILEY 42 b Ireland Intemperate
Hiram HAYNES 12 b NY vagrant
Richard BUSH 19 b Ireland Intemperance
David HALL 78 b Rhode Island, Old Age
Sarah J INGSTROM, b England 19 Idiotic
Beulah BLAKESLEY 72 b NY old age
? POOL male 27 b NY Insane
Martha HOLDRIDGE 81 b NY Old age
Esther BEEBE 70 b NY Old age
Abram MURPHY 90 b Maryland Old age
Leana ? HAYNES ae 1 b NY Infancy female
Male Haynes age 6
Elizabeth Haynes 4 all since infancy
Patrick CUNNIGAN 30 Ireland, Intemperance
Samuel BOYD 62 b Ireland Intemperance
John FINNEGAN 12 b Ireland Infancy
Michael FINNEGAN, 8 b NY Infancy
Nora FINNEGAN, 2 female b NY Infancy
Felix HOLDRIDGE 85 b Rhode Island Old Age
Charles LEEHAY? 54 Ireland Idiotic
Amelia HODGE 21 b NY Idiot
John JOSEPH 65 b Scotland Intemperance
Harriet BLACK 40 b England
Thomas CLARK 5/12 b NY Infant
Daniel WALLACE 87 b Ireland Old Age
Rhodes HANNIGAN b Ireland 71 Old Age
William RILEY 75 b NY Intemperance
Nicholas DAY 66 b NY Intemperance
David LION? 10 Vermont, infancy
Catherine sister 7
Elizabeth Sister 4
Isaac KELLEY 67 b Vermont Intemperance
Emily KELLEY 90 b VT
Augusta KELLEY 9 b NY infancy
George ANDREWS cannot figure age b NY fits
Stillwell BUCK 50 b NY Intemperance

Several names are unreadable because the handwriting in this census is
atrocious, I had to omit a few names I could not figure out

Born in the Poorhouse;
Amasa Slayton (Jamestown Journal, Friday, May 16, 1902)
Dewittville, May 15, 1902: This morning at 8:30 Amasa Slayton, an inmate
of the County Home, dropped dead. Up to the moment of his death he was
apparently as well as usual and had been around the building and grounds
as usual in the morning.
He was one of the best known characters in the County. For many years he
has been an inmate of the County House a portion of the time, although
during summers he was accustomed to working on the steamboats and taking
long tramps, and this spring was away from the institution for three weeks
on one of his pedestrian tours. Many stories are told of his capabilities
as a walker, one, that on a certain occasion he was left by a former
stern-wheel steamer "Jamestown" at Mayville and walked to Jamestown, arriving ahead
of the steamboat. His trips took him to all parts of this region and he
was a familiar figure in every town in Chautauqua County. He was strong
physically but his mental furnishing was incomplete; still he had a certain
amount of wit and not a few original and bright remarks are credited to
him. He was probably about 65 years of age, although the County Authorities
have never been able to determine exactly how old he was. A half-brother
lives at Stow and another at Ripley.
Relatives have been notified of his death and the body awaits their action.

And;
J. J. Fri. May 23, 1902: Amasa Slayton's birthplace. To the Editor J. J.:
I notice in the Journal that Amasa Slayton is dead, and the statement that
he was born in Jamestown. Amasa was a distinguished character and it is
important that his birthplace should be correctly stated. There is a record
in the old County House Record Book, of Slayton having been born in that
institution, with the date of his birth, Dr. Steadman, then living at
Mayville, assured me many years ago that he was present on the occasion.
H. C. Taylor, Brocton, NY
NOTE: Nearly a whole page story appears in the Journal of May 20, 1902,
with a picture of Amasa Slayton, from a crayon portrait made by Emmet F.
Flagg - some years ago...
Amasa had been kicked in his head by a horse as a child

Provided by Dolores Davidson, 2001.