Tompkins County, New York Genealogy

United States New York  Tompkins County

Parent Counties
7 April 1817: Created from parts of Cayuga and Seneca counties.

Neighboring Counties
Cayuga· Chemung· Cortland· Schuyler· Seneca· Tioga

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.

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.

Church

 * 1800-1840s - Lansing Church Records (Baptisms) Evangelical United Congregations of Milton and Scipio Lansing Township, Tompkins Co. New York (Surnames A-H), courtesy: NYGenWeb.
 * 1800-1840s - Lansing Church Records (Baptisms) Evangelical United Congregations of Milton and Scipio Lansing Township, Tompkins Co. New York (Surnames J-W), courtesy: NYGenWeb.
 * 1804-1813 - Lansing Church Records (Baptisms) Evangelical United Congregations of Milton and Scipio Lansing Township, Tompkins Co., New York 1804-1813, courtesy: NYGenWeb.
 * 1814-1846 - Lansing Church Records (Baptisms) Evangelical United Congregations of Milton and Scipio Lansing Township, Tompkins Co., New York 1814-1846, courtesy: NYGenWeb.
 * 1840s-1850s - Pastor's Hand Book, Book A, courtesy: NYGenWeb - free. Marriages.
 * 1840s-1860s - Original Marriage Records of Rev Levi Pitts, courtesy: NYGenWeb - free.
 * 1850s-1880s - Pastor's Hand Book, Book B, courtesy: NYGenWeb - free. Marriages.
 * 1854-1855 - Tompkins County Members of the New York Baptist Union for Ministerial Education 1854-1855, courtesy: NYGenWeb.
 * 1870 - The Tabernacle Baptist Church, courtesy: NYGenWeb. Includes membership list.
 * 1880s-1940s - The Snyder Hill Free Will Baptist Church, courtesy: NYGenWeb. Includes membership list.
 * Gross, Edna May. Unpublished Records of Births, Baptisms, Confirmations, Marriages, Deaths. Ithaca, N.Y.: unknown, 1986. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * Lansing Church Records (Marriages) Evangelical United Congregations of Milton and Scipio Lansing Township, Tompkins Co., New York], courtesy: NYGenWeb.

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

Land and Property

 * 1817-1860 - Index to Deeds Tompkins County, NY 1817-1860 Inclusive, courtesy: NYGenWeb.

Military
Civil War

Available towns. Registers are available for: Caroline· Danby· Dryden· Enfield· Groton· Ithaca· Newfield· Ulysses.

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


 * - 109th Regiment, New York Infantry
 * - 137th Regiment, New York Infantry
 * - 138th Regiment, New York Infantry
 * - 143rd Regiment, New York Infantry

Probate Records

 * 1817-1903 - SAMPUBCO Browsable index of testators of wills.

Repositories
Cornell University, Guide to Historical Resources in Tompkins 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.

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

Societies
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

 * New York Genealogy Research Community (FamilySearch on Facebook)

Birth
Birth Substitutes


 * 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

 * 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.


 * 1908–1935 at FamilySearch Historical Records – free; ;.

Marriage Substitutes


 * 1686-1980 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 groon, 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."


 * 1820s-1900s Miscellaneous Marriages of Tompkins County 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.

Death
Death Substitutes


 * 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.

Additional Resources