Montgomery County, New York Genealogy

United States New York  Montgomery County

Parent County
12 March 1772: Created from Albany County.

Neighboring Counties
Fulton | Herkimer | Otsego | Saratoga | Schenectady | Schoharie

Boundary Changes
Five counties set off over the years.


 * 27 January 1789: Ontario
 * 16 February 1791: Herkimer, Otsego, Tioga
 * 21 February 1816: Hamilton

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

Church Records

 * 1734-1735 - Register of Baptisms, Marriages, Communicants, &amp; Funerals Begun by Henry Barclay at Fort Hunter, January 26th, 1734/5: Register Book, Fort Hunter 1734. Albany, N.Y.: New York State Library, 1919. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * 1739-1866 - Records of the Lutheran Trinity Church of Stone Arabia: In the Town of Palatine, Montgomery County, N.Y. 3 vols. New York, 1914. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * 1739-1911 - Records of the Reformed Dutch Church of Stone Arabia: In the Town of Palatine, Montgomery County, N.Y. New York, 1916. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * 1758-1779 - Vrooman, Barent. Fonda Church Records: From 1758 to Jan. 1779. Vrooman and Allied Families Found in Fonda Church Records from 1758 to Jan. 1779 Barent Vrooman Wrote Down Data. 1900. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * 1758-1858 - Records of the Reformed Protestant Dutch Church of Caughnawaga: Now the Reformed Church of Fonda, in the village of Fonda, Montgomery County, N.Y. New York, 1917. Digital version at Ancestry ($). Baptisms, marriages, deaths, officials, minutes, gravestone inscriptions.
 * 1760-1776 - Caughnawaga Dutch Reform Church, Fonda, NY Baptisms 1760-1776, courtesy: NYGenWeb.
 * 1788-1851 - Fort Plain Reformed Church Records: 2 v. in 1: Births and Baptisms, v.1, 1809-1814, v.2, 1815-1851: Marriages, v.1, 1788-1820 with a Fragment of 1821, v.2, 1822-1849, Jan. 1, 1829-July 24, 1833 Missing (Original Leaf Gone): Deaths, v.1, 1814-1819, v.2, 1821-1832. 1989. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * 1825-1833 - Marriages at the Old Presbyterian Church, Bowman's Corners, Town of Canajoharie 1825-1833, courtesy: NYGenWeb.
 * 1833 - Members of the 1st Presbyterian Church, Amsterdam, NY, 1833, courtesy: NYGenWeb.
 * 1834-1837 - Baptisms of Rev. Charles Jukes, 1837-1837, The 1st Presbyterian Church, Amsterdam, NY, courtesy: NYGenWeb.
 * 1839 - Baptisms of Rev. D. Stewart, 1839, The 1st Presbyterian Church, Amsterdam, NY, courtesy: NYGenWeb.
 * 1840-1852 - Marriages of Rev. W.N. Scholl, 1840-1850 and Rev. F.W. Brauns 1852-1852, The English Evangelical Lutheran Church, Canajoharie, NY, courtesy: NYGenWeb.
 * 1841-1847 - Baptisms of Rev. Mr. Donalds, 1840; Baptisms of Rev. Alex. Prondfit, 1841-1847, The 1st Presbyterian Church, Amsterdam, NY, courtesy: NYGenWeb.
 * 1842-1844 - Baptisms, Marriages and Funerals 1842-1844 by the Rev. Samuel Van Vechten, Ft. Plain, N.Y., courtesy: NYGenWeb.
 * 1852, 1857 - Marriages of Rev. J.M. Van Buren and Rev. Ransford Wells, courtesy: NYGenWeb.
 * 1865-1928 - Church Record of the Christian Church of Root (Now Rural Grove NY), courtesy: NYGenWeb.
 * 1869-1883 - Pastoral Register of the Rev. Francis M. Kip, Jr. Funerals 1869-1883, courtesy: NYGenWeb.
 * 1869-1898 -Freysbush Methodist Church Baptisms 1869-1898, Town of Minden, Montgomery County, NY, courtesy: NYGenWeb.
 * 1870-1883 - Pastoral Register of the Rev. Francis M. Kip, Jr. Marriages, courtesy: NYGenWeb.
 * 1871-1883 - Pastoral Register of the Rev. Francis M. Kip, Jr. Baptisms, courtesy: NYGenWeb.
 * 1888-1923 - A Few Marriage and Death Records, Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church of Amsterdam, courtesy: NYGenWeb.
 * 1915-1916 - Report of the Treasurer of the Reformed Church Fonda, N.Y. Nov. 1, 1915 - Nov. 1, 1916, courtesy: NYGenWeb.
 * 1918 - Directory, First Ave. Methodist Episcopal Church: Amsterdam, N.Y. Amsterdam, N.Y.?: The Church?, 1989. Digital versions at Ancestry ($) and NYGenWeb.
 * Hasbrouck, Kenneth Edward. German Reformed Church of Montgomery, Orange County, New York. 4 vols. New Paltz, N.Y.: unknown, 1958-1959. Digital version at Ancestry ($). Baptisms, marriages, burials, membership lists.
 * Records of the Dutch Reformed Saint John's Church: In the Town of St. Johnsville, Montgomery County, N.Y. 2 vols. New York, 1914. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * Dempster, James. Records of marriages and baptisms of the Rev. James Dempster. 1934. Digital version at Ancestry ($).

Maps
Atlas of Montgomery and Fulton counties, New York: from actual surveys (1868)] - Internet Archive.

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


 * Mohawk River pre-historic
 * Erie Canal 1825
 * Mohawk or Iroquois Trail

Military
Civil War

Available towns. Registers are available for: Amsterdam· Canajoharie· Florida· Glen· Mohawk· Palatine· Root· St. Johnsville.

Regiments. Service men from Oswego 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 Montgomery County.


 * - 115th Regiment, New York Infantry, Companies A, B, D, G, H, I, K
 * - 134th Regiment, New York Infantry, Company I
 * - 153rd Regiment, New York Infantry, Companies B, C, E, F, H

Probate Records

 * 1787-1918 - SAMPUBCO Browsable Index of testators of wills.

Archives, Libraries and Museums
Museums


 * Walter Elwood Museum of the Mohawk Valley 366 West Main Street, Route 5 Amsterdam, New York 12010 Phone: 518-843-5151 Email: info@walterelwoodmuseum.org


 * Noteworthy Indian Museum 2 Prospect Street Amsterdam, New York 12010 Phone: 518-843-4761


 * Old Fort Johnson Phone: 518-843-0300 Email: museum@oldfortjohnson.org Located at the corner of Routes 5 and 67, two miles west of Amsterdam, New York. Small admission.

Courthouses
The Jefferson County Clerk's office has marriage, divorce, cour, land, naturalization and state census records. The Currogate Court has probate records. For further information about where the records for Montgomery County are held, see the Montgomery County Courthouse 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 Montgomery 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

Websites

 * The Montgomery County NYGenWeb Project, an member of The NYGenWeb Project, an affiliate of The USGenWeb Project.