Chemung County, New York Genealogy

Guide to Chemung 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 a Delaware Indian village whose name meant "big horn". The County is located in the south central area of the state.

Parent County
29 March 1836: Set off from Tioga County.

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.

17 April 1854: Part taken to create Schuyler County.

Record Loss
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

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.

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


 * 1800-1965 - at FamilySearch — index

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

Federal

 * The 1890 Census is lost. For a substitute, see directories.

Church Records
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places

Methodist

 * 1869-1896 - Methodist Church Records for Jackson &amp; Wells &amp; Rutland &amp; Southport Churches, Tioga, Bradford PA; Chemung County NY, courtesy: NYGenWeb.

Emigration and Immigration

 * 1906-1942 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Maps and Gazetteers

 * FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns- 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.

History
County Historian J. Arthur Kieffer 415 E. Water Street Elmira, NY 14901 E-mail: akieffer@stny.rr.com Elmira City Historian Diane Janowski Website Email: elmiracityhistorian@gmail.com

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

Online



Microforms


 * 1791-1942 Deed Records 1791-1903 - Index included: 1791-1942. Records include Tiaoga County.
 * 1791-1888 Mortgage Records 1791-1852 - Index included: 1791 - 1888. Includes Tioga County.

Books




 * 1788-1792 - Chemung Land Papers 1788-1792

Maps



 * Maps of New York (1683-1915)

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


 * Catskill Turnpike, trail 1760s; turnpike 1804, from Catskill to Bath, New York with extensions to Buffalo, New York, or Erie, Pennsylvania
 * Forbidden Path, 1767 from Athens, Pennsylvania to Salamanca, New York

Civil War

 * 1861-1865 - at FamilySearch — index

Available Towns. Registers are available for:

Baldwin· Big Flats· Catlin· Chemung· Elmira· Erin· Horseheads.

Regiments. Service men in Chemung County served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. The following have many men from Chemung County:


 * - 1st Battalion, New York Light Artillery, Batteries B, F, I, K and L.
 * - 1st Regiment, New York Light Artillery, Batteries B, C, D, E, F, G, H and K.
 * - 7th Regiment, New York Cavalry, Company G.
 * - 8th Regiment, New York Cavalry, 2nd Company L and Company M.
 * - 10th Regiment, New York Cavalry, Companies B, C, D, E, F, G and H.
 * - 15th Regiment, New York Cavalry, Companies L and M.
 * - 21st Regiment, New York Cavalry, Company B.
 * - 23rd Regiment, New York Infantry, Companies F and K.
 * - 24th Regiment, New York Cavalry, Company D.
 * - 35th Regiment, New York Infantry, Company D.
 * - 38th Regiment, New York Infantry, Company I.
 * - 86th Regiment, New York Infantry, Company E.
 * - 103rd Regiment, New York Infantry, Companies G, H, I, and K.
 * - 107th Regiment, New York Infantry, Companies A, B, C, D, E, G, H, and K.
 * - 137th Regiment, New York Infantry, Company L.
 * - 141st Regiment, New York Infantry, Companies C, G, I and K.
 * - 161st Regiment, New York Infantry, Companies B and C.
 * - 179th Regiment, New York Infantry, Company A, B, G and H.
 * - 194th Regiment, New York Infantry, Companies A, B, C, E and I.

Naturalization and Citizenship

 * SAMPUBCO Index of naturalization records
 * 1791-1980 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1907-1966 at FamilySearch Historical Records – free; Index.

Newspapers

 * Elmira NY Morning Telegram 1888-1921
 * Elmira NY Star Gazette 1891-1907

Obituaries
Obitury Index by the Chemung County Library District

Periodicals
Poorhouses, Poor Law, etc. Ancestry.com New York, Census of Inmates in Almshouses and Poorhouses, 1830-1920

Probate Records
The petitions for are also available on microfilm at the Family History Library and its centers:


 * 1799–1905 Listed as "Estate Papers" . How to use FamilySearch Catalog

Online Probate 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 $
 * 1795-1838 - Wills filed in Tioga County, New York by persons who resided in that portion of Tioga County that became present Chemung County, New York. Courtesy: Tri-Counties Genealogy History by Joyce M. Tice.
 * 1836-1850 - Barber, Gertrude A. Abstracts of Wills of Chemung County, N.Y.: From 1836 to 1850. Typescript. 1941. Digital versions at Ancestry ($); World Vital Records ($).
 * 1836-1910 - SAMPUBCO -Browsable index of testators of wills.
 * 1866 - 1923 at FamilySearch.org — index and images


 * - Chemung County: Decrees, Minutes, Orders, 1836-1903; Estate papers index, 1933-1970; Final settlements, 1858-1927; General index, 1836-1932; Guardianship appointments, 1876-1905; Guardianship records, 1836-1905; Wills, 1836-1910

Probate Records on Microfilm

The probate records described above may also be on microfilms like these:


 * 1836-1932 Probate records, 1836-1927; probate index, 1836-1932.
 * 1836-1923 Wills.
 * 1836-1970 Estate papers, 1836-1900; estate index, 1933-1970.

Repositories
Cornell University, Guide to Historical Resources in Chemung County, New York Repositories. ([Ithaca, New York]: New York Historical Resources Center, Olin Library, Cornell University, 1984). ; . Includes index. Includes references to some family histories and genealogies.

County Historian's Office
J. Arthur Keiffer 1011 Lincoln Street Elmira, NY 14901

The County Historian may provide access to obituaries, vital records, church records, maps, and family files or journals. Some historians provide search services for their office records and others may refer you to local genealogists who research in the area.

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

Family History Centers

 * Elmira New York Family History Center

Societies
Chemung County Historical Society 415 East Water Street Elmira, NY 14901-3410 Phone: 607-734-4167


 * The society is housed in the Chemung Canal Bank Building. The building also contains the Chemung Valley History Museum. The society publishes a quarterly, The Chemung Historical Journal. The Booth Library contains approximately 3,000 books, 30,000 manuscripts, 16,000 photographs, and 11,000 maps and architectural records.

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; publication: 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.

Tri-Counties Genealogy and History

This is an online website developed and owned by Joyce M. Tice. This is a regional site focusing on Chemung County, NY and Bradford and Tioga counties in Pennsylvania. It has over 17,000 web pages containing resource materials and tools for this region.

Social Groups Online

 * Chemung County Historical Society - Facebook.
 * New York Genealogy Research Community (FamilySearch on Facebook)

Vital Records
Chemung County is considered a consolidated county because birth and death records were collected from the towns, cities and villages and are on file with the Office of Vital Records in Elmira. However, extensive flooding has damaged many of these records. Copies are available at the New York State Department of Health in Albany. See New York Vital Records Wiki page for more information about ordering records from Albany. Surviving records may be ordered from the Chemung County Office of Vital Records and must be requested by mail. Fees apply for both a record search and for a document copy. There is a 50-year restriction for deaths and a 75-year restriction for births.

Marriage records are usually found at the office of the town, city, or village clerk where the marriage license was issued. See the heading Places on this wiki page for links to local community wiki pages and their available records. Limited consolidated Chemung County marriage records 1908-1935 are available at the Family History Library. 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
However, birth records from the towns and cities were consolidated by Chemung County. Surviving records are held at the state and county Office of Vital Statistics. See the introduction to vital records for more information.

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

 * 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


 * 1908–1935 at FamilySearch Historical Records – free; Marriage indexes, records, and licenses  One index on film goes to 1936.

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."


 * 1809-1850 10,000 Vital Records of Western New York at World Vital Records ($).


 * 1813-1850 10,000 Vital Records of Central New York at World Vital Records ($).


 * 1830-1868 Marriages and Deaths from Newspapers at NYGenWeb - free. Includes abstracts from Elmira Gazette, Elmira Republican, The Elmira Daily Advertiser, Chemung County Republican newspapers.


 * 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.


 * 1860-2 Index of Marriages in Elmira NY Newspapers 1860-1862 at NYGenWeb - free.


 * 1864-5 See Marriage Schedule information in the State Census section of Census for marriage information for 1864-5.

Death
Because Chemung County consolidated the town death records, surviving records are held at the state and county Office of Vital Statistics. See the introduction to vital records for more information. 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
 * 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."


 * 1830-1868 Marriages and Deaths from Newspapers at NYGenWeb - free. Includes abstracts from Elmira Gazette, Elmira Republican, The Elmira Daily Advertiser, Chemung County Republican newspapers.


 * 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.


 * 1860-2 Index of Deaths in Elmira NY Newspapers 1860-1862 at NYGenWeb - free.


 * See Town Clerks' Registers of Men Who Served in the Civil War in the Civil War section of Military for death information.


 * 1864-5 See Mortality Schedule information in the State Census section of Census for death information for 1864-5.


 * 1867-1881 Deaths Recorded 1867-1881 Elmira, Chemung County NY at NYGenWeb - free.


 * 1870 Index of Deaths in Elmira NY Newspapers 1870 at NYGenWeb - free.


 * 1889 Deaths in Elmira for the Year 1889 as Listed in the Elmira Telegram Dec. 29, 1889 at NYGenWeb - free.

Additional Resources

Chemung County New York Genealogy Websites

 * Chemung County, NY History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
 * New York Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
 * The Chemung County NYGenWeb Project, a member of The NYGenWeb Project, an affiliate of The USGenWeb Project.
 * The USGenWeb Archives Project for Chemung County.
 * The USGenWeb Archives Project for Chemung County. (Mirror site)
 * Chemung County Genealogy