Rensselaer County, New York Genealogy

Guide to Rensselaer County, New York ancestry, family history, and genealogy birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, and military records.

New York Online Genealogy Records

Description
The County was named for Kiliaen van Rensselaer, a Dutch jeweler and merchant. The County is located in the east area of the state.

Parent County
Rensselaer County was organized from Albany County in 1791.

Boundary Changes
For animated maps illustrating New York County boundary changes, "Rotating Formation New York County Boundary Maps" (1683-1915) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.

Record Loss
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Populated Places
For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit HomeTown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:

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

 * Hudson-Mohawk Genealogical and Family Memoirs. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Ancestry ($). Includes people from Rensselaer County.

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


 * 1800-1965 at FamilySearch — index

The Rensselaer County Cemetery Name Extraction Project directed by Don and Clare Radz started in 1991. Data from headstones throughout the county was collected by volunteers. More than 600 cemeteries in 14 towns of rural Rensselaer County were surveyed, resulting in 93,274 names being recorded. Data was entered into a computer then compiled into books for each town. The records are online at Rensselaer County Cemetery Database. The city of Troy is not included in this database.

The Albany New York Family History Center has copies of the Rensselaer County rural cemetery records on microfilm.

Microfilms of rural cemetery records include the name (in alphabetical order by cemetery), location of grave, date of birth, date of death, and age at death.

Individual cemeteries in Rensselaer County:

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

Church Records
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places

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

A large number of local church records have been transcribed as part of the NYGenWeb Project. Faiths represented include: Baptist, Catholic, Dutch Reformed, Episcopal, Lutheran, Methodist, Presbyterian, Reformed Protestant, and Society of Friends.


 * Addresses for Rensselaer County Places of Worship - Rensselaer County, NY GenWeb
 * 1814-1926 Records of the Reformed Dutch Church at Blooming Grove,

Emigration and Immigration

 * 1906-1942 at FamilySearch — index and images

Maps and Gazetteers

 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Genealogy

 * Hudson-Mohawk Genealogical and Family Memoirs. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Ancestry ($). Includes people from Rensselaer County.


 * Rootsweb message board for 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
The county had partial settlements at a very early period of [early American] history, and has long sustained a very considerable population. The whole of the county, except the towns of Schaghticoke, Pittstown, Hoosick, and north part of Lansingburg and part of Troy, is comprised within the Rensselaerwyck patent, leased under the ordinary rent, in farms, at ten bushels of wheat the hundred acres. The county contains 13 towns and the city of Troy.


 * Excerpts from A Driving Tour of Rensselaer County New York by Craig Stromme

Land and Property
Original land records in began in [?dateyear?]. These records are housed at the [?repository?] in [?town?].

Online



Microforms



Books




 * 1630-1899 Rensselaerwyck Manor Records, 1630-1899 - New York State Library

Maps

 * Maps of New York (1683-1915)
 * Rensselaer County Map - Rensselaer County Online
 * Rensselaer County Tax Maps - Rensselaer County Bureau of Research and Information Services Internet Mapping Gateway

Migration
Migration routes for early European settlers to and from included:


 * Hudson River a navigable river stretching from north of Albany then flowing south to empty into the Atlantic Ocean at New York City
 * Albany Post Road from New York City to Albany, New York 1669
 * Alford and Egremont (MA) Turnpike 1812
 * Ancram (NY) Turnpike 1805, also sometimes called the Catskill Road, from Salisbury, Connecticut to Catskill, New York
 * Catskill Road 1750s from Springfield, Massachusetts to Catskill, New York
 * Catskill Turnpike  (aka Susquehannah Turnpike ) from Catskill, NY to Unadilla, NY; route travelled by Europeans by 1792; toll booths opened by 1804.
 * Columbia (NY) Turnpike 1799
 * Great Barrington and Aford (MA) Turnpike 1812
 * Greenwood Road 1799 from Hartford, Connecticut to Albany, New York
 * Hampden and Berkshire (MA) Turnpike 1826
 * Hillsdale and Chatham Turnpike 1805 from Alford, Massachusetts to Albany, New York
 * Housatonic River (MA) Turnpike 1809
 * Massachusetts 10th Turnpike 1800
 * Massachusetts 12th Turnpike 1812
 * Mohawk or Iroquois Trail  1722 from Boston, Massachusetts to Fort Oswego, New York
 * Rensselaer and Columbia (NY) Turnpike 1799


 * pre-historic
 * pre-historic
 * Champlain Canal 1823
 * Erie Canal 1825
 * Chambly Canal 1843
 * pre-historic
 * prehistoric
 * Lake Champlain Trail pre-historic

Civil War

 * 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — index

Available towns. Registers are available for: Berlin· Brunswick· East Greenbush· Grafton· Greenbush· Hempstead· Nassau· North Greenbush· Petersburg· Pittstown· Sand Lake· Schodack.

Regiments. Service men from Rensselaer County served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are companies that were formed in Rensselaer County:


 * - 1st Battalion, New York Light Artillery, Battery E.
 * - 2nd Regiment, New York Infantry
 * - 3rd Regiment, New York Infantry
 * - 6th Independent Battery, New York Light Artillery, Company D.
 * - 6th Regiment, New York Cavalry, Company D.
 * - 7th Regiment, New York Cavalry, Companies C, D, E, F, G and H.
 * - 7th Regiment, New York Veteran Infantry
 * - 9th Regiment, New York Cavalry, Company M.
 * - 10th Regiment, New York Infantry
 * - 11th Regiment, New York Cavalry, Company G.
 * - 12th Regiment, New York Cavalry, Companies B, G and M.
 * - 16th Regiment, New York Cavalry, Companies F and K.
 * - 18th Regiment, New York Cavalry, Company G.
 * - 21st Regiment, New York Cavalry, Companies A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I and K.
 * - 22nd Regiment, New York Infantry
 * - 25th Regiment, New York Cavalry, Companies I, L and M.
 * - 30th Regiment, New York Infantry, Companies B, H and I.
 * - 34th Regiment, New York Infantry, Company A.
 * - 62nd Regiment, New York Infantry
 * - 65th Regiment, New York Infantry, Companies B and D.
 * - 91st Regiment, New York Infantry, Company I.
 * - 93rd Regiment, New York Infantry, Company K.
 * - 104th Regiment, New York Infantry, Companies H, I and K.
 * - 125th Regiment, New York Infantry, Companies A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I and K.
 * - 156th Regiment, New York Infantry, Companies H, I and K.
 * - 169th Regiment, New York Infantry, Companies A, B, C, G, H, I and K.
 * - 175th Regiment, New York Infantry, Companies A, B and C.
 * - 177th Regiment, New York Infantry
 * - 192nd Regiment, New York Infantry

Naturalization and Citizenship

 * 1791-1980 at FamilySearch — index and images
 * Rensselaer County Naturalization Records (partial index) at NYGenWeb - free.

Newspapers

 * Newspaperarchive.com ($) has historical newspapers available on-line. Their database has Pittsfield, MA newspapers (1858-1977) and North Adams, MA newspapers (1895-1977) covering local news that included Rensselaer County residents.

Probate Records
The petitions for are also available on microfilm at the Family History Library and its centers:


 * 1793–1906 Listed as "Probate Records" Indexes to these records are found on:.

Online Probate Indexes and Abstracts


 * 1629-1971 at FamilySearch.org — index and images
 * 1659-1999 New York Wills and Probate Records 1659-1999 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
 * 1787-1835 Abstracts of Wills, Administrations and Guardianships in NY State, 1787-1835 at American Ancestors ($)
 * 1790-1850 Abstracts Of Wills, Rensselaer County, New York (1790-1850).
 * 1791-1905 SAMPUBCO Browsable index of testators of wills (1791-1905).
 * 1791-1850 Phillips, Ralph David. Abstracts of Wills of Rensselaer County, New York: In the Office of the Surrogate at Troy, New York, 1791-1850. Nassau, N.Y.: unknown, 1938. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * Stephentown Genealogy has indexes to wills of residents of Stephentown. Miscellaneous years.
 * Rensselaer County Wills and Probate Records, courtesy: NYGenWeb. Miscellaneous years.
 * 1866-1923 at FamilySearch.org — index and images


 * - Rensselaer County: Accounts 1837-1867; Administration accounts, Executor accounts 1830-1837; Administration bonds 1899-1902; Administration bonds, Guardianship bonds 1890-1902; Bonds 1896-1898; Decrees 1898-1901; Decrees, Judicial settlements 1898-1901; Decrees, Orders 1880-1901; Dower records 1830-1858; Guardianship records 1823-1827; Index 1794-1916; Letters of administration 1897-1902; Letters of administration, Letters of testamentary 1790-1897; Letters of guardianship 1830-1906; Letters of testamentary 1897-1903; Minutes 1815-1903; Orders 1856-1901; Real estate records 1835-1904; Tax records 1887-1902; Will index 1802-1815; Wills 1791-1901; Wills and administrations 1802-1921; Wills and orders 1895-1896

Probate Records on Microfilm Probate Petitions described above are found on microfilm at the Family History Library as follows:


 * 1791–1921 Probate Records: Index 1794-1916, Surrogate Court Petitions.

Repositories
Cornell University, Guide to Historical Resources in Rensselaer County, New York Repositories. ([Ithaca, New York]: New York Historical Resources Center, Olin Library, Cornell University, 1983). ; . Includes index. Includes references to some family histories and genealogies.

Archives, Libraries and Museums
Upper Hudson Library System consists of 29 public libraries in the counties of Albany and Rensselaer counties. Each library has access to genealogical databases - especially newspaper sites. Many databases are accessible with your library card from home. A list of the libraries in this system and their website and contact information is found here.


 * Rensselaer County, New York Free Public Records Directory - public record sources in Rensselaer County, New York

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

County Clerk
County Clerk 105 Third Street, Troy, NY 12180 Phone: (518) 270-4080 Fax: (518) 271-7998

Family History Centers

 * Albany New York Family History Center
 * Bennington Vermont Family History Center


 * Berkshire Athenaeum - an affiliate library
 * Guilderland Public Library - an affiliate library
 * New York State Library and New York State Archives - an affiliate library

Societies
Rensselaer County Historical Society 57 Second Street Troy, NY 12180 Phone: 518-244-6846 Research Library Collection

This society has the original probate records for the county. Their index is online under Projects - Rensselaer County Surrogate Records at the Troy Irish Genealogical Society's website. For a fee, they will copy the entire file. ($30US in 2013)

Capital District Genealogical Society Empire State Plaza Station PO Box 2175 Albany, NY 12220-0175


 * Counties served: Albany, Columbia, Fulton, Greene, Montgomery, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, and Washington.


 * $3 for non-member queries in their newsletter. Monthly meetings. They staff a genealogy support desk at the Town of Colonie Library.

Central New York Genealogical Society Box 104, Calvin Station Syracuse, New York 13205 E-mail: [mailto:CNYGS@yahoo.com CNYSG@yahoo.com]


 * Member queries; surname research list; online resources; six meetings/year; publishes Tree Talks  quarterly with annual index.


 * Counties served: Albany, Allegany, Broome, Cattaraugus, Cayuga, Chautauqua, Chemung, Chenango, Clinton, Columbia, Cortland, Delaware, Erie, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Genesee, Greene, Hamilton, Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Livingston, Madison, Monroe, Montgomery, Niagara, Oneida, Onondaga, Ontario, Orange, Oreleans, Oswego, Otsego, Rensselaer, St. Lawrence, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, Schuyler, Seneca, Steuben, Tioga, Tompkins, Washington, Wayne, Warren, Wyoming, and Yates.

Social Groups Online

 * Rensselaer County Historical Society - Facebook.


 * New York Genealogy Research Community (FamilySearch on Facebook)

Birth

 * 1881-1942 New York, Birth Index, 1881-1942 at Ancestry — index, ($)


 * 1881-1942 Reclaim the Records: New York State Birth Index at Archive.org - images of index

Birth Substitutes


 * 1846–1850 Frank Warner Thomas, Vital Records of Rennselaer County, New York–Births, 1846-1850 (Salt Lake City, Utah: Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1968). - free;.


 * 1640–1962 at FamilySearch – free; Index.


 * See Town Clerks' Registers of Men who Served in the Civil War in the Civil War section of Military for birth information.

Marriage

 * 1639-1962 New York, United States Marriages at Findmypast — index $


 * 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($); ; . Marriage bonds issued in the State of New York prior to 1784, and the earliest record dating 1664.


 * 1847–1848 and 1908–1936 at FamilySearch — index and images


 * 1881-1964 Reclaim the Records: New York State Marriage Index at Archive.org - images of index


 * 1908-1935 Marriage index; vol.1–10 . This index is from the Registrar's Office in Rensselaer County. It is a microreproduction of the manuscript in the County Courthouse.


 * 1908-1935 Index to Marriage Records, Rensselaer County, NY 1908-1935, provided by the Troy Irish Genealogy Society.

Marriage Substitutes


 * 1686-1980 at FamilySearch – free; Index. Index entries derived from digital copies of original and compiled records.


 * 1777–1834  Fred Q. Bowman,10,000 Vital Records of Eastern New York, 1777-1834 (Baltimore,MD: Genealogical Pub. Co., 1987). Ancestry($); MyHeritage ($); ; . Abstracted from newspaper marriage and death columns.


 * 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."


 * 1809-1828 Some Rensselaer Co. Residents Married in Bennington, VT, 1809-1828 at NYGenWeb - free.


 * 1846–1850, 1874–1881 Frank Warner Thomas, Vital Records of Rennselaer County, New York–Marriages, 1846-1850, 1874–1881 (Salt Lake City, Utah: Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1968)..


 * 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 browsable.


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

Death
Death Indexes
 * 1824-1962 at FamilySearch — index
 * 1880-1956 at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1880-1956 New York, Death Index, 1880-1956 at Ancestry — ($), index only
 * 1957-1963 at FamilySearch — Index only

Death Substitutes


 * 1777–1834  Fred Q. Bowman,10,000 Vital Records of Eastern New York, 1777-1834 (Baltimore,MD: Genealogical Pub. Co., 1987). Ancestry($); MyHeritage ($); ; . Abstracted from newspaper marriage and death columns.


 * 1787-1850 Index to Some Deaths Appearing in Lansingburgh Newspapers, 1787-1850 at NYGenWeb - free; missing deaths for surnames beginning with letters A-K.


 * 1795–1952 at FamilySearch – 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."


 * 1847–1851 Milton Halsey Thomas and Frank Warner Thomas, Vital Records of Rennselaer County, New York–Deaths, 1847-1851 (Salt Lake City, Utah: Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1941). - free; ;.


 * 1847-1851 Rensselaer County, NY: Death Records, 1847-1851 at American Ancestors ($).


 * 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 browsable.


 * See Town Clerks' Registers of Men Who Served in the Civil War 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

Rensselaer County New York Genealogy Websites

 * Rensselaer County, NY History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
 * New York Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
 * The Rensselaer County NYGenWeb Project, an member of The NYGenWeb Project, an affiliate of The USGenWeb Project.
 * Rensselaer County Genealogy