Dear Readers: To help you understand the Wyoming County Home. The Wyoming County Home was located in the Town of Orangeville, Wyoming County, NY just east of the village of Varysburg on what is today Rt. 20A. When Wyoming County was established on May 19, 1841 it was necessary that the new county make provisions for the care of paupers and the insane apart from the old facilities of the old Genesee County Home. Each town contributed tax monies to care for people who were placed in the Home from their towns. At first a farm was rented at Hall's Corners but in the summer of 1843 the Wyoming County Board of Supervisors purchased forty acres in the Town of Orangeville east of Varysburg. Down through the years buildings were built and more land was acquired. In 1864 a separate two-story building was erected for the confinement of the insane and Wyoming County patients were transferred from the old Genesee County Home.This addition to the Wyoming County Home and Farm became known as the "Wyoming County Lunatic Asylum" In 1891 all the insane, both public and private admissions were discharged to hospitals in Buffalo, Willard and Utica. The Home and Farm was eventually closed when the Wyoming County Board of Supervisors and the State of New York judged the wooden structures to be unsafe. All Admissions and Discharges to the "Wyoming County Home and Asylum" can be found in the Proceedings of the Board of Supervisors starting in the early 1880's. These same reports includes the names, causes, ages, town of residency upon admission of all who died while a resident of the home. This practice was not found necessary before this time. But Federal Census records do list persons who were residents at the time of the census was recorded. Some residents who had no families were buried upon the property while a majority of them were buried in hometown cemeteries. The home housed infants to the elderly, sane to the insane. Those who were able worked on the farm or within the home doing various chores as milking to helping with washing the dishes. The home was supervised by the Wyoming County Home Keeper and his staff usually was his own immediate family. A herdsman also was employed to oversee the dairy operations. The farm raised all of its own produce to be used in the home. As to death certificates for the time frame of the Wyoming County Home. NYS did not require death certificate until the early 1880's and seeing the home was located in the Town of Orangeville - this was where the death were recorded. Anything earlier no death certificate existed. Some records of the Keeper have been found and are being transcribed. Any further questions please feel free to ask. Anita Ripstein Hayes

Thank you Anita and all others, I now understand about the Wyoming Co. Home and I appreciate all the help by the good people of this list Marsha Redden ----- Original Message ----- From: Anita Hayes <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Friday, October 18, 2002 9:06 PM Subject: [NYWYOMIN] Wyoming County Home > Dear Readers: > > To help you understand the Wyoming County Home. > > The Wyoming County Home was located in the Town of Orangeville, Wyoming County, NY just east of the village of Varysburg on what is today Rt. 20A. When Wyoming County was established on May 19, 1841 it was necessary that the new county make provisions for the care of paupers and the insane apart from the old facilities of the old Genesee County Home. Each town contributed tax monies to care for people who were placed in the Home from their towns. At first a farm was rented at Hall's Corners but in the summer of 1843 the Wyoming County Board of Supervisors purchased forty acres in the Town of Orangeville east of Varysburg. Down through the years buildings were built and more land was acquired. > > In 1864 a separate two-story building was erected for the confinement of the insane and Wyoming County patients were transferred from the old Genesee County Home.This addition to the Wyoming County Home and Farm became known as the "Wyoming County Lunatic Asylum" In 1891 all the insane, both public and private admissions were discharged to hospitals in Buffalo, Willard and Utica. > > The Home and Farm was eventually closed when the Wyoming County Board of Supervisors and the State of New York judged the wooden structures to be unsafe. > > All Admissions and Discharges to the "Wyoming County Home and Asylum" can be found in the Proceedings of the Board of Supervisors starting in the early 1880's. These same reports includes the names, causes, ages, town of residency upon admission of all who died while a resident of the home. This practice was not found necessary before this time. But Federal Census records do list persons who were residents at the time of the census was recorded. > > Some residents who had no families were buried upon the property while a majority of them were buried in hometown cemeteries. > > The home housed infants to the elderly, sane to the insane. Those who were able worked on the farm or within the home doing various chores as milking to helping with washing the dishes. The home was supervised by the Wyoming County Home Keeper and his staff usually was his own immediate family. A herdsman also was employed to oversee the dairy operations. The farm raised all of its own produce to be used in the home. > > As to death certificates for the time frame of the Wyoming County Home. NYS did not require death certificate until the early 1880's and seeing the home was located in the Town of Orangeville - this was where the death were recorded. Anything earlier no death certificate existed. > > Some records of the Keeper have been found and are being transcribed. > > Any further questions please feel free to ask. > > Anita Ripstein Hayes > > > ==== NYWYOMIN Mailing List ==== > Visit the Wyoming Co. GenWEb > http://www.rootsweb.com/~nywyomin > >