Erie County, New York

Created 2 April 1821 from Niagara County.^[1]

Neighboring Counties

Cattaraugus · Chautauqua · Genesee · Niagara · Wyoming · Ontario Canada counties: Welland · Lake Erie^[2]

Boundary Changes

Record Loss

Resources

Bible Records

• 1581–1917 New York, Family Bible Records at Ancestry– ($); Index. Database is a collection of genealogically important records taken from the Bibles of colony and state residents. Reveals the Bible's original owner, brief record of descendants,and a particular event such as birth or marriage as recorded in Bible.
  

Biography

Business Records and Commerce

Cemeteries

Cemetery records often reveal birth, death, relationship, military, and religious information.

• Map of Cemeteries in Erie County - Findagrave
• Erie County, New York Online Cemetery Listings

Individual cemeteries:

• White Chapel Memorial Cemetery, Amherst BillionGraves
• Williamsville Cemetery, Amherst BillionGraves

Census

For information and tips on using and accessing online census records, see New York Census.

Federal

U.S. Census Mortality Schedules for New York, 1850-1880:

• Available online at Ancestry ($).
• Deaths are included for the 12 months prior to the census, 1849-50, 1859-60, 1869-70, and 1879-80 beginning 1 June and ending 31 May of the census year.^[3]
• Basic contents of the records include: Name, sex, age, color, marital status, place of birth, month of death, occupation, and cause of death. 1870 also has parents' birthplace. 1880 lists how long a resident of the county.
• Also on FHL Films 1415128–42 which can be ordered through any Family History Center.

• The 1890 Census is lost. For a substitute, see directories.
  

State

New York State 1865 and 1875 Census Marriage, Mortality; and 1865 Soldier Mortality records:

• Images available online at New York State Census, 1865 and New York State Census, 1875. Click on the link to go to the page, then click on the ‘Browse through images’ link and select your county, then select an ancestor's town and browse to the end of the population schedule until you find the Marriage, Mortality, and 1865 soldier mortality schedules.
• Includes marriages and deaths for the 12 months prior to the census, ending 1 June of the census year.
• Marriage entry content: Husband's name, wife's name, ages and previous marital status, month and day and place of marriage, and church or civil ceremony.
• Death entry content: Name, age, sex, color, marital status, month and day of death, native state or country, occupation and cause of death.
• 1865 deaths of officers and enlisted men entry content: Name, age, marital status, citizenship status, enlistment date, original regiment, original rank, regiment at death, rank at death, promotions, death date and place, manner of death, surviving associates, and burial place.
• Also on microfilm. See the Family History Library line in the above State Census Chart. These can be ordered through any Family History Center.

 Church Records

Church records are good substitutes for birth, marriage, and death information and are most often found on a local city/town or county level.  Published and manuscript church records can be found at public, university, and private libraries.

For a brief general history of denominations and a guide to finding various New York denomination's records, see New York Church Records Wiki page.

Catholic

• Ann Mensch's Local Catholic Church and Family History & Genealogical Research Guide is a free online resource that identifies the parishes of Erie County, years parishes were created, contact information, as well as links to online records and research tips. Erie County parishes fall under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Buffalo.
• Brief histories of local Catholic churches are available at Buffalo Roman Catholic Parishes, courtesy: NYGenWeb.

Lutheran

• 1829-1933 St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Eggertsville FHL film 1411839 Records include list of pastors; births and baptisms 1844-1880, 1829-1865, 1880-1932; confirmations; communicants; marriages 1843-1932; deaths 1844-1933.

Methodist Episcopal

• 1867-1948 Methodist Episcopal Church. Williamsville and Bowmansville Charge FHL film 1378858 Contains history of the church 1844-1946; record of probationers including a few deaths 1869-1925, 1930-1936; class record including deaths 1869-1909; alphabetical record of members in full connection including deaths 1873-1948; record of official members 1867-1889; baptisms 1869-1941; marriages 1869-1946; appendix with a few deaths 1881-1883, 1902-1904.

General

"Many Buffalo church records have been microfilmed and are available in the Special Collections Room at the main branch of the Buffalo and Erie County Public Library, the Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society research library and from any local LDS Family History Center."^[4]

Cornell University's Study Center for Early Religious Life in Western New York has an online guide to Erie County church records housed in their collection.

Additional Church Records

Additional church records can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Erie County, New York Church Records  in online catalogs like:

• WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
• Family History Library Catalog (For instructions see FHL Catalog Place-name Search).

Court Records

Ancestors may have also been involved in municipal, state, or federal court cases. See also New York Court Records and United States Court Records.

Directories

• BuffaloResearch.com provides links to all known online directories for Buffalo, 1828-1923, plus a few for Erie County and other western New York locales.
  

Ethnic, Political, or Religious Groups

Gazetteers

Genealogy

• Rootsweb message board for Erie County, New York has many information threads about families that resided in that county. There is a search engine that allows you to search by surname and topic.

History

• BuffaloResearch.com - How to Research Buffalo, New York, Ancestors, Buildings, Companies, and more.

Immigration

• Barnette, Mic. "Southerners in Erie County in 1850," The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, Vol. 141, No. 4 (Oct. 2010):274-291. Digital version at New York Family History ($); FHL Book 974.7 B2n v. 141.

Land and Property

Land and property records can place an ancestor in a particular location, provide economic information, and reveal family relationships. Land records include: deeds, abstracts and indexes, mortgages, leases, grants and land patents.

See New York Land and Property for more details, especially about the papers generated in New York State by large speculative land companies.

Original land records in Erie County, New York began in [?dateyear?]. These records are housed at the [?repository?] in [?town?].

Online

Microforms

• 1808-1964 Deed Records 1808-1927 FHL film 812644 (first of 807 films) - Index included: 1808-1964
  
• 1808-1856 Mortgage Records 1808-1856 FHL film 825615 (first of 57 films - Index included: years undetermined.
  

Books

Additional land records can sometimes be found using these catalogs:

• WorldCat using the search phase: Erie County, New York deeds. (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog.)
• Family History Library Catalog using the search phrase: 1, New York - Land and Property. (For instructions see FHL Catalog Place-name Search.)

• 1804-1824 - Livsey, Karen E. Western New York Land Transactions, 1804-1824. Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1991. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
• 1825-1835 - Livsey, Karen E. Western New York Land Transactions, 1825-1835. Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1996. Digital version at Ancestry ($).

Additional resources

Additional resources for Erie County, New York land records may be found in the Erie County, New York – Land Records topic page of the Family History Library Catalog (FHLC). Copies of records on FHL microfilm and microfiche can be ordered for viewing at Family History Centers. Copies of books found in the FHLC may be found in WorldCat catalog and ordered from your local library through interlibrary loan. Explore how to search the Family History Library Catalog and the Worldcat Online Catalog.

Maps

• Map of Erie County Towns - Regional Knowledge Network
• Outline of Erie County Over Google Map - NY Home Town Locator
• Map of Towns of 7 Western New York Counties apx 1825 - Downloadable JPEG - Stoneybrook University

Migration

Early migration routes for European settlers to and from Erie County, New York included:^[5]

• Lake Erie
• Catskill Turnpike, trail 1760s; turnpike 1804, from Catskill to Bath, New York with extensions to Buffalo, New York, or Erie, Pennsylvania
• Lake Shore Path, 1792 from Buffalo, New York to Cleveland, Ohio
• Great Genesee Road, 1794^[6] from Utica to Buffalo, New York
• Erie Canal, 1825 from Albany to Buffalo, New York

Military

Civil War

Town registers. The New York town clerks kept a bound register of all soldiers from their town serving in the Civil War 1861-1865. Registers are arranged by county, and town. Some town registers are missing. The registers include an index at the start of each town.

Content. Many register entries include full name, residence, date and place of birth, parents names, marital status, date of enlistment and muster and rank, discharges, death, or promotion.

Access. The original registers are at the New York State Archives in Albany, New York. Microfilm copies are found at the Family History Library (FHL Film 1993401-37) and can be ordered for viewing at your local Family History Center. They are also indexed and available at Ancestry.com ($).

Available towns. Registers are available for: Amherst · Aurora · Boston · Brant · Buffalo · Clarence · Colden · Eden · Elma · Evans · Grand Island · Hamburg · Holland · Lancaster · Marilla · Newstead · North Collins · Sardinia · Tonawanda · Wales.

Regiments. Service men served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are companies that were specifically formed in Erie County:^[7]

- 116th Regiment, New York Infantry

- 132nd Regiment, New York Infantry

- 151st Regiment, New York Infantry

- 155th Regiment, New York Infantry

- 160th Regiment, New York Infantry

- 164th Regiment, New York Infantry

- 176th Regiment, New York Infantry

Naturalization and Citizenship

• 1907-1966 New York, Western District Naturalization Index, 1907-1966 at FamilySearch Historical Records – free; Index.
  

Newspapers

Old Fulton NY Post Cards has the largest online collection of 400 New York 1795-2007 newspapers. The instructions for this quirky site are needed to get the most out of it.

• Search engine for all 400 newspapers.
• List of 400 newspapers 1795-2007 at this site.

• Wiki instructions for finding ancestors in Old Fulton NY Post Cards newspapers.
• Site's FAQ instructions about how to do searches.

Old Fulton NY Post Cards has the following Erie County, New York newspaper images:

• Blasdell NY Frontier Herald 1956-1966
• Buffalo NY Daily Courier 1847-1888
• Buffalo NY Evening Courier and Republic 1862-1884
• Buffalo NY Polish Weekly Review 1929-1930
• Buffalo NY Morning Express 1880-1924
• Hamburg NY Front Page 1964-1979
• Hamburg NY Photo News 1970-1976
• Hamburg NY Erie County Independent 1875-1944
• Hamburg NY Sun 1945-1988
  

Other resources

• The Griffin 1933-1948 Canisius College, Buffalo, NY at Canisius College 
• The Spectrum 1950-1957 at University at Buffalo

Obituaries

Periodicals

Poorhouses, Poor Law, etc.

Probate Records

Probate records including original estates and wills for New York are held in the office of the Erie County, New York County Surrogate Court beginning in 1787, or when the county was formed. Prior to 1787, most are housed at the New York State Archives. See New York Probate Records for more information about using probate records.
Content:  Probate Records may give the decedent's date of death, names of his or her spouse, children, parents, siblings, in-laws, neighbors, associates, relatives, and their place of residence.
Record types:  Wills, bonds, petitions, accounts, inventories, administrations, orders, decrees, and distribution.

Probate Petitions

In 1830, state law required the Surrogate Court clerk to issue a probate petition for a deceased individual with property. This petition, unique to New York, usually lists the deceased's death date. It also lists the heirs, their relationship to the deceased, and their residence. ^{[8] [9]}

References

1. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), 489. At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
2. ↑ Handybook, 478.
3. ↑ Arlene Eakle, and Johni Cerni, The Source: A Guidebook of American Genealogy (Salt Lake City: Ancestry, 1984), 103. At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27ts.
4. ↑ Buffalo, Erie County, New York Genealogy at http://www.usgennet.org/usa/ny/county/erie1/buffalo/buffalo.htm (accessed 17 November 2011).
5. ↑ Handybook, 847-61.
6. ↑ Compare the more northerly route in Handybook, 849, with the more southerly route described in Wikipedia contributors, "New York State Route 5" in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_State_Route_5 (accessed 28 June 2011).
7. ↑ Frederick Phisterer, New York in the War of the Rebellion, 3rd ed. (Albany, N.Y.: J. B. Lyon Company, 1912). Internet Archive digital copy; At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Film 1486494-96; Fiche 6083559-64; Book 974.7 M2p.
8. ↑ Alice Eichholz, Red Book: American State, County and Town Sources, 3rd ed. (Salt Lake City: Ancestry Pub., 2004), 479. At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27rb 2004.
9. ↑ Henry B. Hoff, "Navigating New York Probate," American Ancestors 12 (Fall 2011): 57.

These petitions are often found in the estate files and can be obtained from the Erie County Surrogate Court.
The petitions for Erie County, New York are also available on microfilm at the Family History Library and its centers:

• 1799–1905 Listed as "Surrogates Records" FHL Film 925084(first of 891 films) Includes film index FHL Film 925093(first of 10 films).
  

Online Probate Abstracts and Indexes

• 1800-1929 Abstracts of Wills, Administrations and Guardianships in NY State, 1787 - 1835 at New York Ancestors ($); includes Erie County, New York.^[1]
  
• 1819-1865 - SAMPUBCO Browsable index of letters testamentary.
  

Online Probate Records

Original county-by-county New York, Probate Records, 1629-1971 are available free online at FamilySearch. To access these records, click Historical Records below, then click "Browse through 1,630,900 images". Then select the county name, and then the probate records and time of interest.

• Historical Records - Erie County: Estate Index, 1800-1929; Letters of administration, 1826-1901; Letters of testamentary, 1832-1900; Wills and Administrations, 1819-1832

Probate Records on Microfilm

The probate records described above may also be on microfilms like these: 

• 1800-1929 Surrogate's records FHL Film 915752 (914 films).

Additional Probate Indexes and Abstracts

Additional probate indexes or abstracts can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Erie County, New York probate wills in online catalogs like:

• WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
• Family History Library Catalog (For instructions see FHL Catalog Place-name Search).

Repositories

Erie County has more than 25 intriguing historical societies, museums, and town historians. For a list, visit Erie County, New York Town Historians, Historical Societies and Historical Museums.

Cornell University, Guide to Historical Resources in Erie County, New York Repositories. ([Ithaca, New York]: New York Historical Resources Center, Olin Library, Cornell University, 1983). At various libraries; FHL Book 974.796 A3g. Includes index. Includes references to some family histories and genealogies.

Archives, Libraries and Museums

County Historian's Office

Erie County Historian
Doug Kohler
95 Franklin Street, 16th Floor
Buffalo, NY 14202
716–858–8500
Email: doug.kohler@erie.gov.

Courthouses

The Erie County Clerk's office has marriage, divorce, court and land records. The Surrogate Court has probate records. For further information about where the records for Erie County are held, see the Erie County Courthouse page.

Family History Centers

Family History Centers (FHCs) are branches of the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah, and are located all over the world. Their goal is to provide resources for family history research.

The main FHC for Erie County, New York is the Buffalo New York Family History Center. For additional nearby Family History Centers, search online in the FHC directory.

Societies

A list of local libraries and archives with Polish resources is available online at the Polish-American Heritage in Buffalo and Erie County, New York website.

Social Groups Online

• Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society - Facebook.
  

• Erie County Historical Federation (ECHF) - Facebook.
  

• New York Genealogy Research Community (FamilySearch on Facebook)
  

Taxation

Town Records

Town records in New York may include early births, marriages, deaths, divorces, local histories, selected military records, and town meeting minutes. For further details, try the links to individual town Wiki pages found in Places. See also:

• Gordon L. Remington, New York Towns, Villages, and Cities: A Guide to Genealogical Sources (Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2002). NEHGS online edition; At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 974.7 D27r. Alphabetical list including date founded, if a town history exists, church and cemetery sources, and if a Civil War register (TCR) exists.

Vital Records

Vital records of birth, marriage or death were first recorded at the local level in the village clerk, town clerk, or city clerk’s ledger book. If you know where a birth, marriage or death took place, a copy of the certificate or record may be obtained by writing to the town, village or city clerk.

See the heading Places on this wiki page for links to local community wiki pages and their available records. See New York Vital Records for a discussion about beginning dates and availability of vital records in New York.

Use substitute records for birth, marriage, and death information. These substitute records include Bible Records, Cemeteries, Church Records, Newspapers, and Probate Records.

Birth

Early births were recorded on the town level and the years vary by town. (List of towns) The New York State Department of Health (state level) began recording births in 1881. Births were not recorded on the county level.

Birth Substitutes

• 1640–1962 New York Births and Christenings, 1640-1962 at FamilySearch Historical Records – free; Index.
  
• See Town Clerks' Registers of Men who Served in the Civil War in Erie County, New York in the Civil War section of Military for birth information.
  

Marriage

Early marriages were sometimes recorded on the town level and the years vary by town. (List of towns) In 1880, town clerks were to record the marriage and a copy was sent to the New York State Department of Health (state level). Town clerks continue to record marriages. Marriages were recorded by the Erie County clerk starting in 1878 and go until April_1935.^[4]

• 1664–1784 New York. Secretary of State, Names of Persons for Whom Marriage Licenses Were Issued By the Secretary of the Province of New York, Previous to 1784 (Albany, New York: Weed, Parsons and Co., 1860). At Cornell University digital library-free; Internet Archive - free; Ancestry edition($); At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Film 514675 Item 1 or 930131 Item 2. Marriage bonds issued in the State of New York prior to 1784, and the earliest record dating 1664.
  

Marriage Substitutes

• 1620–1901 Names of Persons and dates of marriages from Elma, Erie County, New York website. Extracted marriages from the book “History of the Town of Elma, Erie County, NY, 1620-1901, Chapter XVII, Page 157.”
  Index gives:
  • Groom Name
  • Bride Name
  • Date
  

• 1686-1980 New York Marriages, 1686–1890 at FamilySearch Historical Records – free; Index. Index entries derived from digital copies of original and compiled records.
  

• 1800–1855 New York Marriage Notices at Ancestry– ($); Index. This database is a collection of marriage notices published in newspapers around the state. Contains name of bride and groom, marriage date, marriage location, residence, and newspaper found in.
  

• 1801–1880 Barber Collection- Newspaper Marriages at Ancestry– ($); Index. Information extracted from the "Brooklyn Eagle" and the "New York Evening Post."
  

• 1809-1850 10,000 Vital Records of Western New York at World Vital Records ($).
  

• 1856–1863 Index to Marriages and Deaths in the New York Herald at Ancestry– ($); Index. These newspaper notices refer to people up and down the East Coast as well as midwesterners and persons from as far west as the State of California. Also browseable.
  

• 1864-5, 1874-5 See Marriage Schedule information in the State Census section of Census for marriage information for 1864-5, and 1874-5.
  

Divorce

Divorce judgment papers often include date and place of the marriage and the names and birthdates of any children. Local newspapers may publish notices of divorce actions.

Death

Early deaths were recorded on the town level and the years vary by town. (List of towns) The New York State Department of Health (state level) began recording deaths in 1881. Deaths were not recorded on the county level.

Death Substitutes

• 1795–1952 New York Deaths and Burials, 1795-1952 at FamilySearch Historical Records – free; Index. The entries are primarily from the IGI along with some entries derived from compiled and original records such as Family Records, Church Records, and Civil Registration. There may be entries that cite a specific source.
  

• 1801–1890 Barber Collection- Newspaper Deaths at Ancestry– ($); Index. Information extracted from the "Brooklyn Eagle" and the "New York Evening Post."
  

• 1849-50, 1859-60, 1869-70, 1879-80 See Mortality Schedule information in the Federal Census section of Census for death information.
  

• 1856–1863 Index to Marriages and Deaths in the New York Herald at Ancestry– ($); Index. These newspaper notices refer to people up and down the East Coast as well as midwesterners and persons from as far west as the State of California. Also browseable.
  

• See Town Clerks' Registers of Men Who Served in the Civil War in Erie County, New York in the Civil War section of Military for death information.
  

• 1864-5, 1874-5 See Mortality Schedule information in the State Census section of Census for death information for 1864-5, and 1874-5.
  

Additional Resources

Additional resources for Erie County births, marriages and deaths may be found in the New York, Erie– Vital Records topic page of the Family History Library Catalog (FHLC). Copies of records on FHL microfilm and microfiche can be ordered for viewing at Family History Centers. Copies of books found in the FHLC may be found in WorldCat catalog and ordered from your local library through interlibrary loan. Explore how to search the Family History Library Catalog and the Worldcat Online Catalog.

Voting Registers

Places

Websites

• The Erie County NYGenWeb Project, an member of The NYGenWeb Project, an affiliate of The USGenWeb Project.
• The USGenWeb Archives Project for Erie County.
• The USGenWeb Archives Project for Erie County. (Backup site)
• BuffaloResearch.com - Buffalo Genealogical Data
• Erie County Links - Erie County, New York Cemeteries Past and Present - More links than just cemeteries.

References

Places

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