Schenectady County, New York Genealogy

United States New York  Schenectady County

Parent County
Schenectady County was created 7 March 1809 from Albany County.

Neighboring Counties
Albany· Montgomery· Saratoga· Schoharie

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

Church
A variety of local church records and histories from the Baptist, Christian, Dutch, Episcopal, Greek Orthodox, Lutheran, Methodist, Presbyterian, Reformed, and Roman Catholic faiths are available online at NYGenWeb.


 * 1600s-1872 - Schenectady Baptisms from Pearson's Genealogies, courtesy: Ancestral Things.
 * 1694-1723 - Baptisms, Dutch Reformed Church, Schenectady 1694-1723, courtesy: Betty Fink.
 * 1694-1756 - Marriages, Dutch Reformed Church, Schenectady 1694-1756, courtesy: Betty Fink.
 * 1794-1829 - Marriages of the Dutch Churches of Helderburgh, Jerusalem, New Salem and Princetown, NY, courtesy: Betty Fink.
 * 1800s - "Christ's Episcopal Church, Duanesburgh, Schenectady Co., New York," Early Settlers of New York State, Vol. I (begins on page 555), courtesy: Ancestry ($).
 * 1841-1845 - Marriages by Robert J. Blair, Pastor of Helderbergh and Princetown Reformed Churches, courtesy: Betty Fink.
 * Cormack, Marie Noll. Index of Mothers Mentioned in Baptisms of First Protestant Dutch Reformed Church of Schenectady, N.Y. 1989. Digital version at Ancestry ($).

Gazetteers

 * 1870-71 Child, Hamilton. Gazetteer and business directory of Albany and Schenectady Co., N. Y. for 1870-71. Ann Arbor, Michigan: University Microfilms International - Books on Demand, 1989. ;

Land and Property
The Schenectady County Clerk has put a deed index online.

A guide at NYGenWeb explains how to use this database:


 * Schenectady County, New York Property Assessments and Land Records

For more recent sales, a subscription site can help: NYDeeds.com ($).

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


 * pre-historic
 * pre-historic
 * pre-historic
 * pre-historic
 * prehistoric
 * Lake Champlain Trail pre-historic
 * Mohawk or Iroquois Trail 1722
 * Forbidden Path or Catskill Turnpike
 * Greenwood Road
 * Old Connecticut Path
 * Champlain Canal 1823
 * Erie Canal 1825
 * Chambly Canal 1843

Military
Civil War

Available towns. Registers are available for: Duanesburg· Glenville· Niskayuna· Rotterdam.

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


 * - 134th Regiment, New York Infantry
 * - 175th Regiment, New York Infantry
 * - 177th Regiment, New York Infantry

Probate Records

 * 1809-1917 - SAMPUBCO Browsable index of testators of wills.
 * 1809-1845 - Barber, Gertrude A. Abstracts of Wills of Schenectady County, N.Y.: Copied from the Original Records at the Surrogate's Office, Schenectady, N.Y. unknown, 1989. Digital version at Ancestry ($).

Courthouses
The Schenectady County Clerk's office has marriage, divorce, court and land records as well as maps and city directories. The Surrogate Court has probate records. For further information about where the records for Schenectady County are held, see the Schenectady County Courthouses page.

Societies
Capital District Genealogical Society Empire State Plaza Station PO Box 2175 Albany, NY 12220-0175


 * Counties served: Albany, Columbia, Fulton, Greene, Montgomery, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, and Washington.


 * $3 for non-member queries in their newsletter. Monthly meetings. They staff a genealogy support desk at the Town of Colonie Library.

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.

Birth
Birth Substitutes


 * 1640–1962 at FamilySearch Historical Records – free; Index.
 * See Town Clerks' Registers of Men who Served in the Civil War in Schenectady County in the Civil War section of Military for birth information.

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.

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.


 * 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."
 * 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."


 * 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  in the Civil War section of Military for death information.


 * 1849-50, 1859-60, 1869-70, 1879-80 See Mortality Schedule information in the Federal Census section of Census 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.

Divorce
Additional Resources