Niagara County, New York Genealogy

United States New York  Niagara County

Parent County
11 March 1808: Created from Genesee County.

Neighboring Counties
Erie | Genesee | Lake Ontario | Orleans | Ontario counties: Lincoln | Welland· Lake Ontario

Boundary Changes
2 April 1821: Erie County was created from southern part.

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.

Individual cemeteries in this county:


 * St. Matthews Cemetery, North Tonawanda BillionGraves
 * Glenwood Cemetery, Lockport BillionGraves

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

Land and Property

 * The Holland Purchase of Western New York, courtesy: USGenWeb Archives.

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


 * Mohawk or Iroquois Trail (west fork) about 1722
 * Great Genesee Road 1794
 * Erie Canal 1825
 * Erie Canal 1825

Military
Civil War

Available towns. Registers are available for: Hartland· Newfane· Pendleton· Somerset.

Regiments. Service men in Niagara 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 Niagara County:


 * - 105th Regiment, New York Infantry
 * - 129th Regiment, New York Infantry
 * - 132nd Regiment, New York Infantry
 * - 151st Regiment, New York Infantry
 * - 153rd Regiment, New York Infantry
 * - 164th Regiment, New York Infantry

Naturalization and Citizenship

 * 1907-1966 at FamilySearch Historical Records – free; Index.

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


 * 1822–1932 Listed as "Probate Records" First film is an index.

Online Probate Indexes and Abstracts


 * 1787-1835 Abstracts of Wills, Administrations and Guardianships in NY State, 1787 - 1835 at New York Ancestors ($); includes.
 * 1820-1901 - SAMPUBCO Browsable index of testators of wills.
 * Arthur Caswell Parker, Seneca Myths and Folk Tales 1978. Digital version at World Vital Records ($). Includes Niagara County probate records.


 * - Niagara County: Administrations, 1823-1902; Decrees, Minutes, Orders, 1849-1902; Final settlements, 1873-1899, 1919-1935; General index, 1822-1928; Guardianship appointments, 1853-1965; Letters of testamentary, 1831-1901; Probate records, 1930-1971; Real estate records, 1881-1906; Wills, 1840-1971

Probate Records on Microfilm

Probate records found at Historical Records and described in Online Probate Records above are also found on microfilm as follows:


 * 1822–1928 General Index to Petitions
 * 1830–1972 Index to Guardianship Records
 * 1835–1970 Probate Records: Petitions
 * 1820–1906 Probate Records (General Index, Wills, Administrations, Minutes, Final Settlements
 * 1831–1904 Guardianship Records
 * 1930–1971 Probate Records

Repositories
Cornell University, Guide to Historical Resources in Niagara 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.

Archives, Libraries and Museums
Niagara County Community College Library Special Collections Henrietta G. Lewis Library, Fourth Floor 3111 Saunders Settlement Rd Sanborn NY 14132 716-731-3271 ext. 401 Native America Collection includes reference books, biography, history, and tribes. Periodicals: Native Peoples, Journal of Cherokee Studies, Northeast Indian Quarterly, Akwekon Journal, Turtle Quarterly, Southern Indian Studies  Nioga Library System 6575 Wheeler Rd Lockport NY 14094 716-434-6167


 * Barker Free Library
 * Lewiston Public Library
 * Lockport Public Library
 * Middleport Free Library
 * Newfane Free Library
 * Niagara Falls Public Library (Central Library)
 * LaSalle Branch
 * North Tonawanda Public Library
 * Ransomville Free Library
 * Sanborn-Pekin Free Library
 * Wilson Free Library
 * Youngstown Free Library

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

Family History Centers
The following centers are accessible to residents of Niagra County, New York:

Niagara County (Lockport)

St Catharines Ontario Canada Family History Center 351 Glenridge Avenue St Catharines, Ontario L2T 3K6, Canada 1-905-685-5795 Hours: T 6:30pm-9:30pm; Th 10am-4pm Closures: Closed for Christmas and New Years Call to verify hours Buffalo New York Family History Center 1424 Maple Rd Williamsville, New York 14221 1-716-688-2439 M, W 10am-2pm; T, Th 10am-9pm; Sat 10am-2pm Closed Holidays Call to verify hours

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.

Niagara County Genealogical Society 215 Lockport Street Lockport NY 14094-2605 716-433-1033 Hours: Thursday - Saturday 1:00 - 4:45 pm Closed holidays The Niagara County Genealogical Library is located on the second floor of the Niagara County Historical Society Museum. Access to the collection is free to both members and non-members of the society. It includes many unpublished genealogies and manuscripts, 2000 books, cemetery records, census records, city directories, DAR books, maps, atlases and a vertical file. Record holdings relate to Niagara County, other New York Counties, New England, Pennsylvania, and Ontario, Canada. Those who can not personally travel to the research library are invited to join the society and use the look-up service. "We love visitors..." Send general questions or comments to [mailto:comments@niagaragenealogy.org comments@niagaragenealogy.org] Join us on Facebook - Niagara County Genealogical Society

Niagara County Historical Society, History Center and Musuem The Outwater Memorial Building 215 Niagara Street Lockport NY 716-434-7433 Museum open Monday - Saturday 9 am - 5 pm The Niagara County Historical Society complex presents a glimpse of life in Niagara County over the past 175 years. Find us on Facebook -The History Center of Niagra

Western New York Genealogical Society P.O. Box 338 Hamburg, New York 14075-0338 Email: info@wnygs.org Directory


 * Focus is on eight Western New York counties - Erie, Niagara, Genesee, Wyoming, Orleans, Chautauqua, Cattaraugus and Allegany - which comprise the area of the original Holland Land Company purchase.

Social Groups Online

 * Facebook - Niagara County Historian
 * Join us on Facebook - Niagara County Genealogical Society
 * Find us on Facebook - The History Center of Niagra, Niagara County Historical Society
 * Facebook - Town of Newfane
 * Join the conversation on Twitter - Town of Pendleton
 * Facebook - New York Genealogy Research Community, FamilySearch Research Group
 * Facebook - The Niagara Falls Historian, City of Niagara Falls Historian
 * Facebook - Niagara Falls Public Library
 * Facebook - North Tonawanda Public Library

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.


 * 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.


 * 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."


 * 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.


 * 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

Websites

 * The Niagara County NYGenWeb Project, an member of The NYGenWeb Project, an affiliate of The USGenWeb Project.
 * The USGenWeb Archives Project for Niagara County.
 * The USGenWeb Archives Project for Niagara County. (Backup site)