Schoharie County, New YorkEdit This Page

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Schoharie County New York Genealogy 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.
  

Biographies

• The Blue-Eyed Indians: The Story of Adam Crysler and His Brothers in the Revolutionary War by Don Chrysler - 1999
• Life and Dying Confession of John Van Alstine - 1819

Business Records and Commerce

Cemeteries

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

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.

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.

Ann Mensch's Local Catholic Church and Family History & Genealogical Research Guide is a free online resource that identifies the parishes of Schoharie County, years parishes were created, contact information, as well as links to online records and research tips. Schoharie County parishes fall under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Albany.

A variety of local church records and histories from the Baptist, Lutheran, Methodist, and Reformed faiths are available online at NYGenWeb.

Additional Church Records

Additional church records can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Schoharie 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.

Crime and Criminals

Directories

Ethnic, Political, or Religious Groups

Gacetteers

Genealogy

• Rootsweb message board for Schoharie 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

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

Online

Microforms

Books

Additional land records can sometimes be found using these catalogs:

• WorldCat using the search phase: Schoharie 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.)

Additional resources

Additional resources for Schoharie County, New York land records may be found in the Schoharie 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

Migration

Early migration routes for European settlers to and from Schoharie County, New York included:^[4]

• Catskill Turnpike, trail 1760s; turnpike 1804, from Catskill, New York to Bath, New York with extensions to Buffalo, New York, or Erie, Pennsylvania

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: Blenheim · Broome · Carlisle · Conesville · Esperance · Fulton · Gilboa · Middleburgh · Richmondville · Schoharie · Seward · Sharon · Summit · Wright.

Regiments. Service men in Schoharie County served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county.^[5]

- 102nd Regiment, New York Infantry

- 129th Regiment, New York Infantry

- 134th Regiment, New York Infantry

Naturalization and Citizenship

Newspapers

Obituaries

• Obituaries - from Selected issues of the Gilboa Monitor (1878-1880)]
• Obituaries and Death Notices Nov 4
• ObitCentral

Periodicals

Poorhouses, Poor Law, etc.

Probate Records

Probate records including original estates and wills for New York are held in the office of the Schoharie 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. ^{[6] [7]}

These petitions are often found in the estate files and can be obtained from the Schoharie County Surrogate Court.

Online Abstracts and Indexes

• 1787-1835 Abstracts of Wills, Administrations and Guardianships in NY State, 1787 - 1835 at New York Ancestors ($); includes Schoharie County, New York.^[8]
  
• 1795-1903 - SAMPUBCO Browsable index of testators of wills (1795-1903).
  
• Wills. Individually submitted copies of wills, miscellaneous years.
  

Probate Records on Microfilm

• 1795–1933 Probate Records: Index, 1795–1902, Wills, 1895–1903; Letters, testamentary, administration 1812–1875, 1897–1911; Guardianship, 1830–1933; Minutes and orders, 1830–1891. FHL Film 857179 (46 films)
• 1851–1901 Miscellaneous Records. FHL Film 868876

Additional Probate Indexes and Abstracts

Additional probate indexes or abstracts can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Schoharie 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

Cornell University, Guide to Historical Resources in Schoharie County, New York Repositories. ([Ithaca, New York]: New York Historical Resources Center, Olin Library, Cornell University, 1983). At various libraries; FHL Book 974.745 A3g. Includes index. Includes references to some family histories and genealogies.

Archives, Libraries and Museums

County Historian's Office

Courthouses

The Schoharie County Clerk's office has divorce, court and land records. The Surrogate Court has probate records. For further information about where the records for Schoharie County are held, see the Schoharie County Courthouses 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 Schoharie County, New York is the Schoharie Valley New York Family History Center. For additional nearby Family History Centers, search online in the FHC directory.

Societies

Social Groups Online

• Old Stone Fort Museum & Schoharie County Historical Society - Facebook.
  

• New York Genealogy Research Community (FamilySearch on Facebook)
  

Taxation

• 1780 - Scott, Kenneth. "Schoharie District, New York, 1780 Tax List," National Genealogical Society Quarterly, Vol. 74 (1986):295-298. Digital version at National Genealogical Society website ($); FHL Book 973 B2ng v. 74 (1986).

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 Certificates
  

Birth Substitutes

• 1640–1962 New York Births and Christenings, 1640-1962 at FamilySearch Historical Records – free; Index.
  

• 1808–1850 Fred Q.Bowman, 7000 Hudson-Mohawk Valley, (NY), Vital Records, 1808-1850 (Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Pub. Co., 1997). At various libraries(WorldCat); FHL Book 974.7 V2bo. Abstracts from newspapers filed at the New York State Library in Albany.
  

• 1847–1850 Vital Records - Summit (1847-1850)
  

• 1848 Vital Records - Middleburgh (1848)
  

• See Town Clerks' Registers of Men who Served in the Civil War 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 Schoharie County clerk starting in 1908 and go until 1926.

• 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.
  

• 1847–1850, 1852 Marriage Records FHL Film 1032567 Items 1–2. Records of County Clerk.

• 1851–1921 Marriage certificates FHL Film 1032568 Items 3-4 (first of 2 films). Miscellaneous records of County Clerk including marriage certificates.

Marriage Substitutes

• 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."
  

• 1808–1850 Fred Q.Bowman, 7000 Hudson-Mohawk Valley, (NY), Vital Records, 1808-1850 (Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Pub. Co., 1997). At various libraries; FHL Book 974.7 V2bo. Abstracts from newspapers filed at the New York State Library in Albany.
  

• 1819–1836 1819-1836
  Deaths and Marriages in the Delaware Gazette
  

• 1837–1849 1837-1849
  Deaths and Marriages in the Delaware Gazette
  

• 1847–1850 Vital Records - Summit (1847-1850)
  

• 1848 Vital Records - Middleburgh (1848)
  
• Mid 1800s Marriage Records from Havana Newspapers (Havana Republican and Havana Journal) at RootsWeb - free.

• 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.
  

• 1865 1865 Marriage Records from the Schoharie County State Census
  

• 1878–1880 Marriages from selected issues of the Gilboa Monitor (1878-1880)
  

• 1879-1908 Marriages Beard's Hollow Residents
  

• Marriages from selected issues of the Cobleskill Index
  

• Marriages from Lutheran newspapers: The Lutheran Observer and The Southern Lutheran
  

• Marriages from various sources
  

• Marriage Certificates
  

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.

• 1918–1953 Deaths, 1918–1953, Schoharie and Otsego counties FHL film 1298603 Item 5.
  

• Death Certificates
  

• Sharon Register of Deaths (partial list)
  

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."
  

• 1808–1850 Fred Q.Bowman, 7000 Hudson-Mohawk Valley, (NY), Vital Records, 1808-1850 (Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Pub. Co., 1997). At various libraries; FHL Book 974.7 V2bo. Abstracts from newspapers filed at the New York State Library in Albany.
  

• 1819–1836 1819-1836
  Deaths and Marriages in the Delaware Gazette
  

• 1837–1849 1837-1849
  Deaths and Marriages in the Delaware Gazette
  

• 1847–1850 Vital Records - Summit (1847-1850)
  

• 1848 Vital Records - Middleburgh (1848)
  

• 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.
  

• 1861-1865 Military Service Deaths - 1865 State Census, Schoharie County, New York at Mortality-Schedules.com - free.
  

• 1864-5, 1874-5 See Mortality Schedule information in the State Census section of Census for death information for 1864-5, and 1874-5.
  
• 1864-5 Deaths - 1865 State Census, Mortality Schedule, Schoharie County, New York at Mortality-Schedules.com - free.
  

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

• 1865 1865 Deaths from the Schoharie County Census Mortality Schedules
  
• 1874-5 Deaths - 1875 State Census, Mortality Schedule, Schoharie County, New York at Mortality-Schedules.com - free.
  

• Deaths - from Lutheran newspapers: The Lutheran Observer and The Southern Lutheran
  

• Deaths and Burials in Schoharie County from the records of Henry Cady
  

• 1926-1928 Funerals conducted by Alva J Stewart, 1926-1928 undertaker in Charlotteville
  

Additional Resources

Additional resources for Schoharie County births, marriages and deaths may be found in the New York, Schoharie– 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

Schoharie County New York Genealogy Websites

• Schoharie County New York Genealogy
• Shoharie County before 1860 from French's Gazetteer State of NY - includes early settlers' names
• Towns of Schoharie County from French's Gazetteer State of NY - also includes early settlers' names
• History of Schoharie County by Jeptha R. Simms Complete text and graphics
• History of Schoharie County by William E. Roscoe Complete text and graphics
• Brief Sketch of the First Settlement of the County of Schoharie by the Germans by John M. Brown 1823
• Genealogical Notes (Young Family) by J. A. Young 1886
• Index to "A History of the Town of Jefferson" by Mildred L. Bailey 1771 - 1976
• History of Blenheim Hill by Albert C. Mayham 1905-1907
• Schoharie and Mohawk Valley Raids 1780
• Historical Markers - Information about historical markers in Schoharie County

Schoharie County New York Places

Schoharie County New York Genealogy References

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