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A deeper dive into Tompkins County
Dive Deeper into Tompkins County Census
Who lives in Tompkins County?
By the late 1800s, there were generations of residents who were born in the United States, including those who were African American and those who were white.
By 1900, the residents of Tompkins County were predominantly white, born in the United States, and had ancestors from England, Ireland, and Scotland.
Many people also immigrated here in the late 1800s. They came from across the globe to find work or pursue education. Their home countries included:
Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Prussia, Puerto Rico, Romania, Russia, Scotland, Siam, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Turkey, Wales, and the West Indies
Haudenosaunee people (Cayuga, specifically), lived on (and still live) and had ties to this land throughout this time.
Year | Number of African Americans | Notes |
1820 | 9 | Four of these people were enslaved |
1830 | 112 | All of these people were free (Slavery was abolished in New York State in 1827) |
1840 | 136 | |
1860 | 218 | |
1880 | 340 | |
1900 | 479 | |
African Americans also lived in rural communities throughout the county during this time, including Caroline, Danby, and Dryden, and would not have been counted as part of this City of Ithaca census.
Early African American population figures in the City of Ithaca, from census records:
Where African American families lived in Ithaca in 1900, from census records:
Where people who were born in other countries lived in Ithaca in 1900, from census records:�
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