Orange County, New York Genealogy

Guide to Orange 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 the Prince of Orange, who subsequently became King William III of England. The County is located in the southeast area of the state.

Parent County
Orange was one of the original New York counties formed in 1683.

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
1774  Courthouse was destroyed by fire.

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
History of Orange County, New York : with illustrations and biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men V.1

History of Orange County, New York : with illustrations and biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men V.2

Portrait and Biographical Record of Orange County, New York (pages 1-1534) 1895

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

Some cemetery records are also available at Heritage Quest (LAR).


 * 1800-1965 - at FamilySearch — index

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

A few church records have been transcribed and posted at the Orange County NY GenWeb site. Heritage Quest (LAR) has a good collection of digitized transcribed church records from Orange County. Linkpendium identifies several church record collections available online.

Registers of the Reformed Church at Deerpark begin in 1716.

Evangelical Lutheran (Harrison Meeting) Church Records (1750-1798): Among the first settlers in the Towns of Montgomery and Crawford, then in Ulster County, but now in Orange County, New York were a group of German settlers. They organized a Lutheran church and built a log building in which this congregation met. The building burned down in the late 1700’s and the members of the congregation migrated to other nearby churches. However, a historical marker has been placed at the site of the old church and a few headstones, mostly unmarked, can still be found at the site located south of the Village of Montgomery near the junction of New York Highway 211 and Orange County Road 416. Images of the records of this church can be found on microfilm in the Family History Library, and are also available online at Urthman's Genealogy Blog.


 * 1800s-1820s - Early Marriages Bethlehem Church, courtesy: NYGenWeb - free.


 * 1829-1858 - Early Records of Marriages Dutch Reformed Church, Montgomery, NY 1829-1858, courtesy: NYGenWeb - free.
 * 1730-1880 Reformed Dutch Church records in Ulster and Orange County Includes baptisms and marriages in Kingston 1766-1776, Catsbaan 1730-1760, Esopus 1790-1850, Clove, High Falls 1808-1850, Woodstock 1805-1880, Shokan 1799-1850, Walden 1793-1853, and Highland 1810-1860.

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

 * 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.

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

Online



Microforms



Books



The USGenWeb Archives includes abstracts of the following:


 * 1695-1802 - Deed Books A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H.
 * 1765-1785 - Mortgage Books A, B, C.

Maps

 * Maps of New York (1683-1915)

Migration
Early migration routes to Orange County for European settlers included:


 * Minsi Path from Kingston, New York to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; from the Ulster and Delaware Turnpike  to the Great Valley Road.

Revolutionary War
Orange County men served in the 4th New York Regiment.

Civil War

 * 1861-1865 - at FamilySearch — index

Available towns. Registers are available for: Blooming Grove· Chester· Crawford· Deerpark· Goshen· Greenville· Hamptonburgh· Minisink· Monroe· Montgomery· Mount Hope· Newburgh· Wallkill· Warwick· Wawayanda.

Regiments. Service men from Orange 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 Orange County:


 * - 3rd Regiment, New York Infantry
 * - 5th Regiment, New York Infantry
 * - 5th Regiment, New York Infantry (Duryee Zouaves), Company H.
 * - 7th Regiment, New York Cavalry, Company D.
 * - 7th Veteran Regiment, New York Infantry
 * - 9th Regiment, New York Infantry
 * - 9th Regiment, New York Infantry (New)
 * - 15th Regiment, New York Cavalry, Companies L and M.
 * - 18th Regiment, New York Infantry, Company D.
 * - 24th Regiment, New York Cavalry, Company D.
 * - 25th Regiment, New York Cavalry, Companies C, D, E, H, I, L and M.
 * - 36th Regiment, New York Infantry, Company B.
 * - 56th Regiment, New York Infantry, Companies A, B, C, D and E.
 * - 65th Regiment, New York Infantry, Company B.
 * - 70th Regiment, New York Infantry, Company F.
 * - 93rd Regiment, New York Infantry
 * - 98th Regiment, New York Infantry
 * - 100th Regiment, New York Infantry, Company B.
 * - 115th Regiment, New York Infantry
 * - 124th Regiment, New York Infantry, Companies A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I and K.
 * - 153rd Regiment, New York Infantry
 * - 156th Regiment, New York Infantry, Companies H, I and K.
 * - 164th Regiment, New York Infantry, Company H.
 * - 168th Regiment, New York Infantry, Companies A, B, E, F, G, H, I and K.
 * - 176th Regiment, New York Infantry, Companies C and D.
 * - 179th Regiment, New York Infantry, Company H.
 * - 192nd Regiment, New York Infantry, Company G.
 * - 194th Regiment, New York Infantry, Company A.

Source Informaiton:

See "The Ruttenber collection"with Manuscripts of Civil War materials on Orange County collected by E.M. Ruttenber.

Indexes

 * 1791-1980 - at FamilySearch — index and images


 * 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.


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


 * 1824-1946 - at FamilySearch — index and images


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

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

 * Warwick NY Dispatch 1885-1907

Poorhouses, Poor Law, etc.

 * Joslyn, Roger D. "Indentures of the Poor Children of Orange County, 1829-1847, 1871, 1884, 1885," The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, Vol. 137, No. 4 (Oct. 2006):294-303; Vol. 138, No. 2 (Apr. 2007):138-143; Vol. 138, No. 3 (Jul. 2007):227-231. Digital version at New York Family History ($);.

Probate Records
Online Abstracts and Indexes


 * 1629 - 1971 at FamilySearch.org — index and images
 * 1659 - 1999 New York Wills and Probate Records 1659-1999 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
 * 1787-1846 - SAMPUBCO Browsable index of testators of wills.
 * 1787-1835 Abstracts of Wills, Administrations and Guardianships in NY State, 1787 - 1835 at American Ancestors by NEHGS ($)
 * 1866 - 1923 at FamilySearch.org — index and images

Online Probate Indexes and Records

Original New York, Orange County Probate Records, 1787-1938 (actually 1830-1931) are available free online at FamilySearch. To browse these records, click Historical Records below, then click "Browse through 359,950 images". Then select the time period and volume of interest.


 * - Orange County: Probate of wills, 1830-1931

A wiki article describing an online collection is found at:

New York, Orange County Probate Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Probate Records on Microfilm


 * 1787–1941 Index to Surrogate's Records
 * 1785–1797 Orange County Wills, Transcribed
 * 1787–1916 Probate Records

Repositories
Cornell University, Guide to Historical Resources in Orange County, New York Repositories. ([Ithaca, New York]: New York Historical Resources Center, Olin Library, Cornell University, 1989). ; . Includes index. Includes references to some family histories and genealogies.

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

Family History Centers

 * Middletown New York Family History Center
 * New City New York Family History Center
 * Newburgh New York Family History Center
 * Poughkeepsie New York Family History Center
 * Yorktown New York Family History Center


 * Elting Memorial Library/Haviland-Heidgerd Historial Collection - an affiliate library

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.


 * Orange County Genealogical Society 101 Main Street Goshen, New York 10924 Email:nhsip@frontiernet.net Publishes The Orange County Genealogy Society Quarterly


 * The Society has a very large collection including:
 * County Histories
 * Biographical information on local residents and published genealogies
 * Orange County church records and cemetery listings
 * City directories for Middletown and Newburgh 1899 - 1950's
 * Whig Press deaths and marriages 1851-1865
 * Vertical files of family folders - over 3,000
 * Well known quarterlies
 * Military records
 * Maps
 * Microfilm of various Orange County records including marriages, naturalization, deeds, newspapers and more.


 * The Hudson Valley Institute 3399 North Road Poughkeepsie, New York 12601-1387 Phone: 845-575-3052 Email: hrvi@marist.edu

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


 * 1640–1962 at FamilySearch Historical Records – free; Index.


 * 1847–1849 Jeanne and Less Krish, Official Vital Records from the Various Towns of Orange County, New York, Births, Deaths, and Marriages 1847-1849: with a Supplement of Additional Marriage and Death Returns (Goshen, New York: Orange County Genealogical Society (New York), 2003). ; . Includes indexes.


 * 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


 * 1908–1933 at FamilySearch Historical Records – free; . Index is through 1933, but licenses are to 1932

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 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."


 * 1828-1831 Barber, Gertrude A. Orange County Patriot: A Newspaper Published at Goshen, N.Y.: Marriages and Deaths from May 1828 to Dec. 1831. 1990. Digital version at Ancestry ($).


 * 1847–1849 Jeanne and Less Krish, Official Vital Records from the Various Towns of Orange County, New York, Births, Deaths, and Marriages 1847-1849: with a Supplement of Additional Marriage and Death Returns (Goshen, New York: Orange County Genealogical Society (New York), 2003). ; . Includes indexes.


 * 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
 * 1880-1956 - Reclaim the Records: New York State Death Index at Archive.org - images of index
 * 1957-1963 - at FamilySearch — Index only

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."


 * 1820-1857 Weller, Caroline Still. Orange County, New York Deaths: From the Independent Republican, Goshen, New York. 1967. Digital version at Ancestry ($).


 * 1828-1831 Barber, Gertrude A. Orange County Patriot: A Newspaper Published at Goshen, N.Y.: Marriages and Deaths from May 1828 to Dec. 1831. 1990. Digital version at Ancestry ($).


 * 1847–1849 Jeanne and Less Krish, Official Vital Records from the Various Towns of Orange County, New York, Births, Deaths, and Marriages 1847-1849: with a Supplement of Additional Marriage and Death Returns (Goshen, New York: Orange County Genealogical Society (New York), 2003). ; . Includes indexes.


 * 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

Orange County New York Genealogy Websites

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