Jefferson County, New York Genealogy

United States New York  Jefferson County

Parent County

 * Created 28 March 1805 from Oneida County.

Neighboring Counties
Lewis· Oswego· St. Lawrence· Ontario counties: Frontenac· Grenville· Leeds· Lake Ontario

Boundary Changes

 * 1817: Carleton Island, captured from the British in the War of 1812 was annexed.

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.

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

Church Records

 * 1800s - "Baptisms, Marriages, and Members at First Presbyterian Church, Watertown, Jefferson County, N.Y.," Early Settlers of New York State, Vol. I (begins on page 476), courtesy: Ancestry ($).
 * German Flats Dutch Reformed Church, courtesy: NYGenWeb.
 * Index to North Country Methodists, courtesy: NYGenWeb.
 * Index of Names in Presbyterian Church of Oxbow, NY, courtesy: NYGenWeb.
 * Oxbow Presbyterian Church Records, courtesy: NYGenWeb.

Military
Civil War

Available towns. Registers are available for: Adams· Alexandria· Brownville· Champion· Clayton· Ellisburg· Henderson· Hounsfield· Le Ray· Lorraine· Lyme· Orleans· Pamelia· Philadelphia· Rodman· Rutland· Watertown· Worth.

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


 * - 129th Regiment, New York Infantry

Naturalization and Citizenship
SAMPUBCO Browsable index of applicants.

Newspapers
Watertown Herald, years 1886-1918 Northern New York Historical Newspapers

Probate Records

 * 1830-1900 - SAMPUBCO Browsable index of testators of wills.

Archives, Libraries and Museums
Libraries


 * Jefferson Community College, Mervil Dewey Library 1220 Coffeen St. Watertown, New York 13601 Phone: 315-786-2413 or 315-786-2225 Email: jyoung@sunyjefferson.edu

Collection includes histories of Jefferson, Lewis, St. Lawrence and other contiguous North County counties, local information, periodicals, Harold Sanderson Civil War Database and more.

Museum


 * Paddock Museum 228 Washington Street Watertown, New York 13601 Phone: 315-782-3491 Hours: Tuesday - Friday 10 am - 5 pm Saturday 10 am - 4 pm

Courthouses
The Jefferson County Clerk's office has marriage, land, court, military discharge and naturalization records as well as the state census. The Surrogate Court has probate records. For further information about where the records for Jefferson County are held, see the Jefferson County Courthouse page.

Societies

 * Jefferson County Historical Society 228 Washington Street Watertown, New York 13601 Phone: 315-782-3491 Publication: Quarterly Newsletter Museum Musings

Collection includes artifacts, letters, photographs and more. For genealogical research contact the Roswell P. Flower Memorial Library's Genealogy Department.


 * Historical Association of South Jefferson 29 East Church Street Adams, New York 13601 Phone: 315-232-2616 or 315-298-5953 Email: hasouthjeff@yahoo.com or quick4@peoplepc.com Hours: Monday and Tuesday 8 am - 2 pm Thursday 10 am - 4 pm Most Fridays 8 am - 2 pm Other hours by appointment.


 * 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.

Social Groups Online

 * New York Genealogy Research Community (FamilySearch on Facebook)

Vital Records

 * 1847-1849 Vital Records of Jefferson County, 1847, 1848, and 1849 - free.
 * 1891, 1910 Various 1891 and 1910 births, marriages, and deaths Jefferson County Journal at USGenWeb Archives - free.
 * Index to births, deaths, marriages in Watertown Daily Times and Jefferson County Journal - free.

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; Index.

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.


 * 1864-5 1000 Vital Records from 1865 Jefferson Co., NY Census at RootsWeb.

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.


 * 1864-5 1000 Vital Records from 1865 Jefferson Co., NY Census at RootsWeb.

Additional Resources

Websites

 * The Jefferson County NYGenWeb Project, a member of The NYGenWeb Project, an affiliate of The USGenWeb Project.
 * The USGenWeb Archives Project for Jefferson County.
 * The USGenWeb Archives Project for Jefferson County. (Mirror site)