Putnam County, New York Genealogy

United States New York  Putnam County

Parent County
12 June 1812: Set off from Dutchess County

Neighboring Counties
Dutchess· Orange· Rockland· Westchester· Connecticut county: Fairfield

Boundary Changes
No subsequent set offs or border changes since 12 June 1812.

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.

Migration
Early migration routes to and from Putnam County for European settlers included:


 * Albany Post Road (or Queen's Road, or King's Road) 1669

Military
Civil War

Available towns. Registers are available for: Carmel· Kent· Patterson· Philipstown· Putnam Valley· Southeast.

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


 * - 135th Regiment, New York Infantry

Naturalization and Citizenship

 * 1824–1941 at FamilySearch Historical Records – free; Index.


 * 1917-1950 at FamilySearch Historical Records – free; Index.

Indexes

 * 1792-1989 Index to Petitions for Naturalization filed in New York City, 1792-1989 at Ancestry ($). This database is based on NARA's Soundex Index to Petitions for Naturalization filed in Federal, State, and Local Courts located in New York City, 1792-1989. All 5 boroughs are included.

The Family History Library has also acquired this comprehensive index for the years 1792 through 1906 on microfilm:. 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

Newspapers

 * Putnam Courier Newspaper 1849-1939 www.localarchives.org/mahopac/Courier_Years_1840s.aspx


 * A listing of Putnam County Newspapers with publication history www.nysl.nysed.gov/nysnp/all/440.htm


 * A web with with hundreds of searchable digital images of newspapers. Enter the name of the newspaper you are searching as the first part of your search criteria. The site is www.fultonhistory.com/Fulton_New_form.html

Probate Records
Online Abstracts and Indexes


 * 1787-1835 Abstracts of Wills, Administrations and Guardianships in NY State, 1787 - 1835 at New York Ancestors ($); includes.
 * 1812-1865 - SAMPUBCO Browsable index of testators of wills.

Probate Records on Microfilm


 * 1812–1936 Probate Records: Index, 1812–1970; Wills, 1812–1901; Letters Testamentary 1830–1904; Letters of administration, 1812–1905; Guardianship 1812–1936.

Repositories
Cornell University, Guide to Historical Resources in Putnam County, New York Repositories. ([Ithaca, New York]: New York Historical Resources Center, Olin Library, Cornell University, 1987). ; . Includes index. Includes sources for family history and genealogy.

Archives, Libraries and Museums
COUNTY ARCHIVES

Putnam County Office 40 Gleneida Avenue, 3rd Floor Carmel, New York 10512 PHONE: (845) 808-1001 FAX: (845) 808 -1901

Records in the county archives incude:


 * Tax records (including bonds and surities)
 * Census records
 * Coroners records
 * Land records
 * Criminal records
 * Civil cases
 * Marriage records 1908-1935
 * Military records
 * Naturalizations
 * Some town records
 * Records of the poor

COUNTY CLERK

Putnam County Clerk's Office 40 Gleneida Avenue, Room 100 Carmel, NY 10512

COUNTY HISTORIAN

County Historian's Office 68 Marvin Ave Brewster NY 10509-1515 Telephone: 845-808-1420 FAX: 845-278-4865 E-mail: [mailto:historian@putnamcountyny.gov historian@putnamcountyny.gov]

The Office of the Putnam County Historian! seeks to preserve, interpret, and promote the history of the county and the region. Since 1953, the County Historian has been collecting historical records, maps, books, photographs, and periodicals. They have compiled (and update annually) a Handbook for Putnam County History and Genealogy, which is available for purchase. It contains a bibliography of resources that are available here in Putnam County, including other libraries and repositories, local government historians, and historical societies and museums.

PUBLIC LIBRARIES

There are some eight public libraries in Putnam County New York. They belong to the Mid-Hudson Library System that serves the communities of Columbia, Duchess, Greene, Putnam, and Ulster Counties. They share a catalog that includes a sizeable collection of genealogical materials. The shared catalog is found on the library systems main page. For information on the individual libraries in Putnam County, click here.

Courthouses
The Putnam County Clerk's office has divorce, probate, court and land records. For further information about where the records for Putnam County are held, see the Putnam County Courthouse page.

Societies
Putnam County Historical Society &amp; Foundry Museum 63 Chestnut Street Cold Spring, NY 10516-2613 Phone: 845-265-4010

Has information on local citizans.

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.


 * 1777–1834  Fred Q. Bowman,10,000 Vital Records of Eastern New York, 1777-1834 (Baltimore,MD: Genealogical Pub. Co., 1987). Ancestry($); World Vital Records($); ; . 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."


 * 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.

Death
Death Substitutes


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


 * 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.

Additional Resources

Websites

 * The Putnam County NYGenWeb Project, an member of The NYGenWeb Project, an affiliate of The USGenWeb Project.