Difference between revisions of "Livingston County, New York Genealogy"

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Livingston 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.

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.^[2]
• 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.

• 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.

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.

• 1854-1855 - New York Baptist Union for Ministerial Education 1854-1855, courtesy: USGenWeb Archives.
  

• 1909 - Church Records -- St. Columba, Our Parish Register, December 1909, courtesy: NYGenWeb.
  

• 1910-1911 - Livingston County Presbyterian Church Officers 1910 - 1911, courtesy: NYGenWeb.
  

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

Additional Church Records

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

• WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
• FamilySearch Catalog (For instructions see FamilySearch 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

1868 - Stetson, G. Emmet, comp., New Gazetteer and Business Directory for Livingston County, N. Y., for 1868, (Geneva, NY: R.L. Adams and son, 1868)

1880-1881 - Western New York Gazetteer Business Directory, Nineteen Counties, 1880-81, (A. N. Marquis and Co., 1880). The nineteen counties included are Allegany, Cattaraugus, Cayuga, Chautauqua, Chemung, Erie, Genesse,  Livingston, Monroe, Niagara, Onondaga, Ontario, Orleans, Schuyler, Seneca, Steuben, Wayne, Wyoming, and Yates.

1917 - American Agriculturist Farm Directory and Reference Book, Monroe and Livingston Counties New York 1917, (New York: Orange Judd Co., 1917)

Ethnic, Political, or Religious Groups

Gazetteers

Genealogy

• Rootsweb message board for Livingston 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

• Was the early home of Millard Fillmore and Chester A. Arthur
• First chapter of American Red Cross was organized by Clara Barton in 1881.
• Home of Francis Bellamy, author of Pledge of Allegiance (written 1892.)
• Smith, James H., History of Livingston County, New York, (D. Mason and Co.: Syracuse, N.Y., 1881)

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 Livingston 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:

• WorldCat using the search phase: Livingston County, New York Genealogy deeds. (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog.)
• FamilySearch Catalog using the search phrase: 1, New York - Land and Property. (For instructions see FamilySearch Catalog Place-name Search.)

Additional resources

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

Early migration routes for European settlers to and from Livingston County, New York Genealogy included:^[3]

• Catskill Turnpike, trail 1760s; turnpike 1804, from Catskill, New York to Bath, New York with extensions to Buffalo, New York, or Erie, Pennsylvania
• Great Genesee Road, 1794^[4] from Utica, New York to Buffalo, New York
• Erie Canal, 1825 from Albany, New York 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). They are also indexed and available at Ancestry.com ($).

Available towns. Registers are available for: Caledonia · Conesus · Leicester · Lima · Livonia · North Dansville · Nunda · Ossian · Portage · Sparta · Springwater · West Sparta · York.

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

- 1st Battalion, New York Light Artillery, Battery E.

- 6th Independent Battery, New York Light Artillery, Company C.

- 6th Independent Battery, New York Light Artillery, Company K.

- 8th Regiment, New York Cavalry, Company B.

- 10th Regiment, New York Cavalry, Company M.

- 13th Regiment, New York Infantry, Company B.

- 22nd Regiment, New York Cavalry, Company G.

- 24th Regiment, New York Cavalry, Companies H and L.

- 27th Regiment, New York Infantry, Companies G and H.

- 33rd Regiment, New York Infantry, Companies E and F.

- 56th Regiment, New York Infantry National Guard (100 days, 1864)

- 89th Regiment, New York Infantry, Company C.

- 100th Regiment, New York Infantry, Company B.

- 102nd Regiment, New York Infantry, Company D.

- 104th Regiment, New York Infantry, Companies A, B, D, E and G

- 129th Regiment, New York Infantry, Company M.

- 130th Regiment, New York Infantry, Companies B, G, I and K.

- 136th Regiment, New York Infantry, Companies B, C, E, F, G and I.

- 141st Regiment, New York Infantry, Companies F and G.

- 179th Regiment, New York Infantry, Company H.

- 189th Regiment, New York Infantry, 2nd Company K.

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 Livingston County, New York Genealogy newspaper images:

• Avon NY Herald News 1939-1987
• Avon NY News 1907-1921
• Caledonia NY Advertiser 1878-1988
• Dansville NY Breeze 1924-1971
• Dansville NY Genesee County Express 1932-1982
• Geneseo NY Democrat 1835-1857
• Geneseo NY Livingston County Leader 1934-1988
• Geneseo NY Livingston Journal 1823-1833
• Geneseo NY Livingston Progress 1888
• Geneseo NY Livingston Register 1824-1840
• Geneseo NY Livingston Republican 1837-1979
• Geneseo NY Union Citizen 1879-1882
• Lima NY Recorder 1855-1989
• Livonia NY Gazette 1916-1987
• Mt. Morris Spectator 1834-1837
• Mt. Morris NY Picket Line Post 1903-1959
• Mt. Morris NY Enterprise 1875-1982
• Nunda NY News 1859-1982
• Springwater NY Enterprise 1879-1922
• Springwater NY Valley News 1951-1971

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.

Online Indexes

• 1787-1835 Abstracts of Wills, Administrations and Guardianships in NY State, 1787 - 1835 at New York Ancestors ($); includes Livingston County, New York Genealogy.^[6]
  
• 1821-1905 - SAMPUBCO - Browsable index of testators of wills.
  

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 - Livingston County: Decrees, Orders, 1824-1959; Estate records, 1822-1905; Letters of administration, 1857-1904; Letters of administration, Letters of testamentary, 1830-1857; Letters of guardianship, 1876-1915; Letters of testamentary, 1861-1904; Surrogate record index, 1821-1931; Wills, 1821-1905

Probate Records on Microfilm

Probate records found at Historical Records and described in Online Probate Records above are also found on microfilm as follows:

• 1821–1931Surrogate Index A–Z FHL Film 811209 (15 films)
• 1821–1905 Records of Wills FHL Film 811209 (15 films)
• 1822–1915 Probate Records FHL Film 810723 (3 films) Includes guardianship 1876–1915
• 1823–1870's Guardianship Records FHL Film 989260 (3 films)
• 1824–1969 Orders, Decrees FHL Film 810727 (23 Films)

Additional Probate Indexes and Abstracts

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

• WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
• FamilySearch Catalog (For instructions see FamilySearch Catalog Place-name Search).

Repositories

Cornell University, Guide to Historical Resources in Livingston County, New York Repositories. ([Ithaca, New York]: New York Historical Resources Center, Olin Library, Cornell University, 1983). At various libraries; FHL Book 974.785 A3g. Includes index. Includes references to some family histories and genealogies.

Archives, Libraries and Museums

Pioneer Library System for Livingston, Ontario, Wayne, and Wyoming counties.
:Lists the communities in each county in the Pioneer Library System with links to each library.

Livingston County Public Libraries gives many of the names and addresses of the public libraries in Livingston County by town.

Livingston County Historical Society and Museum
30 Center Street
Geneseo, NY 14454
Phone: 585-243-9147
Contact Society online form

County Clerk

Livingston County Clerk
6 Court St - Room 201
Geneseo NY 14454
Phone: (585) 243-7010
Phone: (585) 335-1712

County Historian's Office

Courthouse

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

Societies

Central New York Genealogical Society^[7]
Box 104, Calvin Station
Syracuse, New York 13205
E-mail: CNYSG@yahoo.com

Member queries; surname research list; online resources; six meetings/year; publishes Tree Talks (At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 974.7 B2t) 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.

Livingston County Historical Society
30 Center Street
Geneseo, NY 14454
Phone: 585-243-9147
Contact Society online form

The society has a museum. On its site are links to the historical societies in each town in the county.

Social Groups Online

• 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. 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:

• 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.
• Journal of the Proceedings of the Board of Supervisors of Putnam County for the Year 1904 (New York: Martin B. Brown, 1905)
  
• Journal of the Proceedings of the Board of Supervisors of Putnam County for the Year 1922 (Poughkeepsie: Lansing Broas, 1923)
• List of Town Clerks, Record Managers and Historical Societies
  

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

• 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 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 Livingston County clerk starting in 1908 and go until 1935.

• 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.
  

• 1848–1880 Miscellaneous marriage records from County Courthouse FHL film 989259 Item 2. Dates are mixed. Contains loose documents
  

• 1908–1935 New York, County Marriages 1908–1935 at FamilySearch Historical Records – free; Index; FHL film 989262 Items 2-3
  

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."
  

• 1800s Livingston County NY GenWeb Early Marriages at NYGenWeb - 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.
  

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 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.
  

• 1864-5 1865 Deaths from the Livingston County New York State Census at New Horizons Genealogical Services - free.

Additional Resources

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

Voting Registers

Livingston County New York Places

Livingston County New York Genealogy Websites

• The Livingston County NYGenWeb Project, an member of The NYGenWeb Project, an affiliate of The USGenWeb Project.
• The USGenWeb Archives Project for Livingston County.
• The USGenWeb Archives Project for Livingston County. (Backup site)
• Linkpendium.com for Livingston County
• KindredTrails.com for Livingston County Genealogy and Family History Resources

Livingston County New York Genealogy References