Westchester County, New York Genealogy

United States New York  Westchester

Parent County
Westchester County was created 1 November 1683 as an original New York county.

Neighboring Counties
Bronx|Orange| Putnam| Rockland| New Jersey Counties: Bergen

Record Loss

 * Lost census: 1890

Biography

 * Reynolds, Cuyler. Genealogical and Family History of Southern New York and the Hudson River Valley: A Record of the Achievements of Her People in the Making of a Commonwealth and the Building of a Nation, Volume 3 (New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company, 1914) Download a copy in PDF format from Google Books.

Cemeteries
New York Family History research - contains lists of cemeteries in the New York City and surrounding areas (and lots of other research info and links). http://www.nyfamilyhistory.com/cemetery.htm

Westchester NYGenWeb: Cemeteries The Political Graveyard: Westchester Find A Grave: Westchester Interment.net: Westchester

Census
For information and tips on using and accessing online census records, see New York Census.

State

 * Westchester County NYGenWeb's Census Page

History

 * Baird, Charles W. Chronicle of a border town: history of Rye, Westchester county, New York, 1660-1870, including Harrison and the White Plains till 1788. (Anson D.F. Randolph and Company, 1871) Download a copy in PDF format from Google Books.
 * Bolton, Robert. A guide to New Rochelle and its vicinity: Pelham, West Chester, West Farms, Morrissania, Fordham, Yonkers, East Chester, White Plains, Mamaroneck, and Rye (Reprinted Harbor Hill Books, 1976)
 * Bolton, Robert. A History of the County of Westchester, from Its First Settlement to the Present Time. 2 vols. (Alexander S. Gould, 1848) Volume 1 Volume 2 Download a copy in PDF format from Google Books.
 * Bolton, Robert. History of the Protestant Episcopal Church, in the county of Westchester, from its foundation, 1693, to 1853. (Stanford &amp; Swords, 1855) Download a copy in PDF format from Google Books.
 * Dawson, Henry Barton. Westchester County, New York, during the American Revolution (s.n., 1886) Download a copy in PDF format from Google Books.
 * De Lancey, Edward Floyd Origin and history of manors in the province of New York and in the county of Westchester (s.n., 1886) Download a copy in PDF format from Google Books.
 * French, Alvah P. History of Westchester county, New York 5 volumes. (Lewis historical publishing company, inc., 1927)
 * Hall, Edward Hagaman. Philipse Manor Hall at Yonkers, NY: The Site, the Building and Its Occupants. (c. 1925) Download a copy in PDF format from Google Books.
 * Jones, Thomas. Editor: Edward F. De Lancey. History of New York During the Revolutionary War and of the Leading Events in the Other Colonies. Volume 1 (New York: The New York Historical Society, 1879). Download a copy in PDF format from Google Books.
 * Judd, Jacob and Philip Van Cortlandt. The Revolutionary War memoir and selected correspondence of Philip Van Cortlandt. (Tarrytown, NY: Sleepy Hollow Restoration) Download a copy in PDF format from Google Books.
 * Morris, Fordham. The borough town of Westchester: An address delivered By Fordham Morris on the 28th day of October, 1896, before the Westchester County Historical Society in the Court House at White Plains, N. Y. (White Plains: The Eastern State Journal, printer; 1895) Download a copy in PDF format from Google Books.
 * Scharf, J. Thomas History of Westchester county: New York, including Morrisania, Kings Bridge, and West Farms, which have been annexed to New York city, 2 vols. (L. E. Preston &amp; co., 1886) Volume 1, Volume 2 Download a copy in PDF format from Google Books.
 * Shonnard, Frederic History of Westchester County, New York: from its earliest settlement to the year 1900, Part 1 (New York History Co., 1900) Download a copy in PDF format from Google Books.

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


 * the Atlantic Ocean
 * Long Island Sound
 * Hudson River with connections to:
 * Mohawk River
 * Lake Champlain with connections to Richelieu River, Chambly Canal &amp; St. Lawrence River
 * Lake Champlain Trail pre-historic
 * Champlain Canal 1823
 * Erie Canal 1825
 * King's Highway (or Boston Post Road, or New York-Philadelphia Post Road) 1664
 * Albany Post Road (or Queen's Road, or King's Road) 1669
 * Hudson River Path

Military Records

 * Civil War

Civil War service men in Westchester County served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are companies that were specifically formed in Westchester County:

- 5th Regiment, New York Infantry

- 7th Veteran Regiment, New York Infantry

- 9th Regiment, New York Infantry

- 17th Regiment, New York Infantry

- 27th Regiment, New York Infantry

- 32nd Regiment, New York Infantry

- 38th Regiment, New York Infantry

- 48th Regiment, New York Infantry

- 49th Regiment, New York Infantry

- 59th Regiment, New York Infantry

- 65th Regiment, New York Infantry

- 95th Regiment, New York Infantry

- 135th Regiment, New York Infantry 

- 146th Regiment, New York Infantry

- 164th Regiment, New York Infantry

- 168th Regiment, New York Infantry

- 176th Regiment, New York Infantry

- 186th Regiment, New York Infantry

- 191st Regiment, New York Infantry

- 192nd Regiment, New York Infantry

Probate Records

 * Early wills of Westchester County, New York, from 1664 to 1784 : a careful abstract of all wills (nearly 800) recorded in New York surrogate's office and at White plains, N.Y., from 1664-1784 - full-text freely available via Brigham Young University

Libraries, Archives, and Museums
Westchester Library System Westchester County Archives, including their Virtual Archives Westchester County Historical Society Westchester County Genealogical Society

Somers Historical Society

Courthouse
The Westchester County Clerk's office has probate, divorce and court records. The County Archives has probate, land and naturalization records as well as military discharge records and maps. For further information about where the records for Westchester County are held, see the Westchester County Courthouse page.

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers
 * Westchester New York Family History Center (Scarsdale)
 * Yorktown New York Family History Center (Ossining)

Cities
Mount Vernon New Rochelle Peekskill

Rye


 * Rye City Government
 * Rye Historical Society


 * White Plains
 * Yonkers

Towns
Bedford Cortlandt Eastchester Greenburgh Harrison Kings' Bridge – See Bronx County Lewisboro Morrisania – See Bronx County Mount Kisco Mount Pleasant New Castle North Castle Somers South Salem — See Lewisboro above Westchester (Town)– See Bronx County West Farms – See Bronx County Yorktown

For those Westchester towns which later became part of the Bronx County, be sure to read the article: Before the Five-Borough City: The Old Cities, Towns and Villages That Came Together to Form "Greater New York"

Villages
Ardsley Briarcliff Manor Bronxville Buchanan Croton-On-Hudson Dobbs Ferry Elmsford Hastings-On-Hudson Irvington Larchmont Mamaroneck North Tarrytown — See Sleepy Hollow Ossining Pelham Pleasantville Port Chester Scarsdale Sleepy Hollow Tarrytown Tuckahoe

Hamlets
Armonk, Chappaqua, Hartsdale, Katonah – See Bedford, Montrose, Purchase, Valhalla — See Mount Pleasant

Websites

 * Westchester's NYGenWeb site
 * Westchester County Resources in The NYG&amp;B Record
 * Mackenzie's Families of Philipsburgh