Rockland County, New York Genealogy

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Rockland County

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

This page describes sources of genealogical data about Rockland County, New York Genealogy families, including links to smaller localities at the bottom of this page. New York-related pages show useful statewide sources. United States pages explain the terminology and contents of genealogical records.


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Rockland County, New York
Map
Map of New York highlighting Rockland County
Location in the state of New York
Map of the U.S. highlighting New York
Location of New York in the U.S.
Facts
Founded February 23, 1798
County Seat New City
Courthouse
Rockland County Courthouse.jpg
Address 1 South Main Street
New City, New York
Rockland County Website


Rockland County New York Historical Facts

Rockland County, New York Record Dates

Beginning Dates for Major County Records
Birth Marriage Death Census Land Probate
1800 1798


Parent County

  • Created 23 February 1798 from Orange County.[1]

Neighboring Counties

Nyrockland.jpg

New York counties

New Jersey counties

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.

Rockland 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.

Biography

Business Records and Commerce

Cemeteries

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

Online Grave Transcripts Published Grave Transcripts County Cemetery Directories
Findagrave.com* Family History Library* Findagrave.com*
Interment.net* WorldCat* Tombstone Transcription Project*
Cemetery Site*   NYGenWeb Cemeteries*
New York Gravestones*   epodunk*
NYGenWeb Cemeteries*   Billion Graves*
Billion Graves*   Names in Stone*
Names in Stone*    
Linkpendium*    
Ancestry*    
   *See the New York Cemeteries page for details about each site.

The best starting point for cemetery records in Rockland County is the list of cemeteries, many of which are indexed and searchable by name, at the Genealogical Society of Rockland County.

  • Voorhees, Lesley E. "Inscriptions from the Cato-Meridian Cemetery in Cayuga County, N.Y.," The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, Vol. 80, No. 1 (Jan. 1949):10-14; Vol. 80, No. 2 (Apr. 1949):75-82. Digital version at New York Family History ($); FHL Book 974.7 B2n v. 80.

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.
State
Source 1825 1835 1845 1855 1865 1875 1892 1905 1915 1925
Ancestry.com - - - Yes - Yes Yes & Yes - Yes Yes
Family History Library Films - - - Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
FamilySearch Images - - - Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
New York State Library Films - - - Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

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.

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.

Directory of churches at the Genealogical Society of Rockland County.

Dutch Reformed Church records of Tappan begin in the late 1600s.

New Hope Christian Church (the Monsey Church) was established in 1824 and continues today. The church was originally a member of Classis Hackensack of the True Reformed Dutch Church, then affiliated with the Christian Reformed Church, and is now a member of the Presbyterian Church in America. A history of the church can be found on Wikipedia that includes names of pastors; charter members; burials in the church's cemetery (the Historic Monsey Cemetery on Maple Avenue at Saddle River Road); and more. For more recent information, including members, baptisms, weddings, and so on from the 1920 to the present, contact New Hope Christian Church directly through the website or by calling (845) 356-2031.

Records of the Irregular Dutch Reformed Churches of Tappan and Kakiat are described in:

  • 1760s-1770s - Durie, Howard I. and George Olin Zabriskie. "The Irregular Dutch Reformed Churches of Tappan and Kakiat, Rockland County, New York," The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, Vol. 101, No. 1 (Jan. 1970):65-73; Vol. 101, No. 3 (Jul. 1970):164-173; Marriages 1760s-1770s: Vol. 101, No. 4 (Oct. 1970):235-244; Baptisms 1767-1778: Vol. 102, No. 1 (Jan. 1971):15-22. Digital version at New York Family History ($); FHL Book 974.7 B2n v. 101.

Additional Church Records

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

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

Emigration and Immigration

Ethnic, Political, or Religious Groups

Gazetteers

Genealogy

  • Rootsweb message board for Rockland County, New York Genealogy 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

A long Wikipedia article summarizes the settlement and industrial development of Rockland County.

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 Rockland County, New York Genealogy 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:

Additional resources

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

Maps

Migration

Military

Revolutionary War

Transcribed militia rolls can be found at AmericanWars.org in the Orange County section (since Rockland Co. had not yet split off from Orange Co. at the time of the American Revolution).

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). They are also indexed and available at Ancestry.com ($).

Available towns. Registers are available for: Clarkstown · Haverstraw · Ramapo · Stony Point.

Regiments. Service men in Rockland County served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county.[4]

- 6th Regiment, New York Heavy Artillery, Companies K and M.
- 17th Regiment, New York Infantry, Company G.
- 65th Regiment, New York Infantry, Company B.
- 95th Regiment, New York Infantry, Company F.
- 135th Regiment, New York Infantry, Companies K and M.
- 141st Regiment, New York Infantry, Company A.

Naturalization and Citizenship

Indexes

The Family History Library has also acquired this comprehensive index for the years 1792 through 1906 on microfilm: FHL Film 1419807 (1st of 294 films). The courts this index covers are:

  • City Court of Brooklyn, 1836-1894
  • Kings County Court, 1806-1906
  • New York City Marine Court, 1806-1849
  • New York County Common Pleas Court, 1792-1895
  • New York County Superior Court, 1828-1895
  • New York City and County Supreme Court, 1868-1906
  • Queens County Court, 1799-1906
  • Queens County Surrogate Court, 1888-1898
  • Richmond County Court, 1869-1906
  • U.S. Circuit Court Southern District, 1846-1876
  • U.S. District Court Eastern District, (Kings, Queens, Nassau and Suffolk counties), 1865-1906
  • U.S. District Court Southern Court Southern District, (New York, Bronx and also Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Richmond, Rockland, Sullivan and Westchester counties), 1824-1906[5]

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.

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

  • Pearl River NY Orangetown Telegram 1940-1963

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 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. 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. 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 county Surrogate Court.



The petitions for Rockland County, New York Genealogy are also available on microfilm at the Family History Library and its centers:

Online Probate Indexes and Abstracts

Probate Records on Microfilm


Additional Probate Indexes and Abstracts

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

Repositories

Cornell University, Guide to Historical Resources in Rockland County, New York Repositories. ([Ithaca, New York]: New York Historical Resources Center, Olin Library, Cornell University, 1990). At various libraries; FHL Book 974.728 A3g. Includes index. Includes references to some family histories and genealogies.

Archives, Libraries and Museums

Rockland Room
New City Library
220 North Main Street
New City, NY 10956
845-634-4997 ext. 139
spellegr@rcls.org

Blauvelt House
Historical Society of Rockland County
20 Zukor Road
New City, NY 10956
Phone:845-634-9629

Genealogical resources: Large book collection, family files, subscription genealogy sites.

County Archivist

Rockland County Archivist
Peter J. Scheibner
Building S, Sanatorium Rd.
Pomona, NY 10970
Office Hours: 9:00 am — 5:00 pm
Phone: 845–364-3670
Email: scheibnp@co.rockland.ny.us
Collection: The archivist has the Rockland County Archives collection. Among the Archive collection are the following:

  • Census Records (1855-1925)
  • Naturalization Papers (1812-1991)
  • Marriage Records (1908-1935)
  • Orange County Deeds and Mortgages (1703-1800)
  • Rockland County Deeds (Microfilm) (1798-1921) Original books are located at the County Clerk’s Office in New City
  • Rockland County Mortgages 1798 - 1931
  • Tax and Assessment Rolls (Clarkstown 1857-1964,Ramapo 1855-1964,Haverstraw 1857-1964,Orangetown 1855-1964,Stony Point 1865-1964)
  • Atlas of Hudson Valley (1891)
  • Atlas of Rockland County 1876
  • Index to Maps (1798-1940)
  • Subdivision Maps
  • Right-of-Way Maps
  • Court Records (1798-2001)
  • Court of Common Pleas
  • General Sessions
  • Oyer and Terminer
  • Wills (1798-1965) (Genealogical purposes only)
  • Judgments (1847-1913)
  • Index to Court Papers (1847-1982)
County Historian

Craig H. Long, Historian
120 Wayne Ave
Suffern, NY 10901
Phone: 845–357–6383
Email: History.detective@verizon.net
Town and Village Historians with notes and contact information

Genealogical Resources: The County Historian may provide access to obituaries, vital records, church records, maps, and family files or journals. Some historians provide search services for their office records and others may refer you to local genealogists who research in the area.

Courthouses

The Rockland 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 Rockland County are held, see the Rockland County Courthouses page.

Family History Centers

Family history centers provide one-on-one assistance and free access to premium genealogical websites. In addition, many centers have free how-to genealogy classes. See family history center for more information. Search the online FHC directory for a nearby family history center.

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 Rockland County, New York Genealogy is the Yorktown New York Family History Center. For additional nearby Family History Centers, search online in the FHC directory.

Societies

Genealogical Society of Rockland County
P. O. Box 444
New City, New York 10956

Historical Society of Rockland County
20 Zukor Road
New City, NY 10956
Phone:845-634-9629

Social Groups Online

Taxation

Town Records

Town records in New York may include early births, marriages, deaths, divorces, local histories, selected military records, and town meeting minutes. Vital records from 1880/1882 are kept by town and village clerks, although some (Kent’s and Putnam Valley’s) are available in the County Historian’s Office. For further details, try the links to individual town Wiki pages found in Places. See also:

The County Archives has the following records:

  • 031 Petitions, Licenses, and recognizance to sell liquor (Tavern licenses) 1813-1878
  • 139 Monthly Reports of Hunting and fishing licenses, 1908-1938
  • 165 Certificates of Qualifications as Examiner in Lunacy, 1883-1947

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 also How to order New York Vital Records or order electronically online.

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

  • 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. 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. The marriages in this county were recorded by the county clerk from 1908 until 1935.[6]

Marriage Substitutes

  • 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.
  • 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

Pre–1787

All divorces were granted by the governor or legislature and were very rare.

1787–1847

All divorces were granted by the court of chancery. These records are found in the New York State Archives or for the New York City area at the New York County Clerk's office.These divorces were granted only on the grounds of adultery.

1847–present

All divorces are handled by the county Supreme Court where the divorce was granted. Divorce files in New York are sealed for 100 years. Contact the County Clerk for information about divorce records.

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 Indexes

Death Substitutes

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

Additional resources for Rockland County births, marriages and deaths may be found in the New York, Rockland– Vital Records topic page of the FamilySearch Catalog . Copies of books found in the FamilySearch Catalog may be found in WorldCat catalog and ordered from your local library through interlibrary loan. Explore how to search the FamilySearch Catalog and the Worldcat Online Catalog.

Rockland County New York Genealogy Websites

Rockland County New York Places

v • d • e
Municipalities and communities of
Rockland County, New York
County seat: New City
Towns
Villages
Communities

Airmont · Antrim · Bardonia · Blauvelt · Brownsell Corner · Buckberg · Bulsontown · Camp Hill · Cedar Flats · Centenary · Central Nyack · Chestnut Ridge · Congers · Felters Corners · Fort Clinton · Garnerville · Germonds · Happy Valley · Hillcrest · Jones Point · Ladentown · Lake Lucille Monsey · Mount Ivy · Nanuet · Nauraushaun · New City · New City Park · Oakbrook · Orangeburg · Palisades · Pearl River · Pomona Heights · Ramapo · Rockland Lake · Samsondale · Sparkill · Sterlington · Stony Point · Suffern Park · Summit Park · Tallman · Tappan · Thiells · Tomkins Cove · Valley Cottage · Viola · West Nyack · Willow GRove ·

Historical
Communities

Doodletown

Rockland County New York Genealogy References

  1. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), 491. 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. ↑ 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.
  5. ↑ FamilySearch Catalog
  6. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), 488-493. At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
v • d • e
Links to New York-related articles
Topics
Counties
and City
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Extinct Co.
Major
Repositories
Ackman & Ziff Family Genealogy Institute · Albany Institute of History and Art · Bronx County Historical Society · Brooklyn Historical Society · Buffalo and Erie County Public Library · Children's Aid Society · Cornell University Library · Historic Hudson Valley Library · Holland Society of New York · Huguenot Society of America · Leo Baeck Institute · Montgomery County Department of History and Archives · National Archives at New York City · New England Historic Genealogical Society (Boston MA) · New York City Department of Records · New York City Municipal Reference and Research Center · New York Foundling Hospital · New York Genealogical and Biographical Society · New-York Historical Society · New York Public Library · New York State Archives · New York State Council of Genealogical Organizations · New York State Department of Health · New York State Historical Association · New York State Library · Onondaga Historical Association · Queens Historical Society · Stadsarchief Amsterdam (Netherlands) · SUNY Fredonia Reed Library · Staten Island Historical Society · Steele Memorial Library · Western Reserve Historical Society (Cleveland, OH)
Migration
Routes

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