Ontario County, New York Genealogy

''This article is about a county in western New York state. For other uses, see Ontario (disambiguation).''

United States New York  Ontario

Historical Facts

 * The original owners of this land were men of Massachusetts and Connecticut, Nathan Gorham and Oliver Phelps.
 * They were trustees for thirteen Dutch investors in Amsterdam. Trustees were needed because aliens were not then permitted to own land. This tract was later known as The Holland Purchase.
 * The legal transactions and recordings were conducted in Massachusetts by the General Court assembled and passed in that House of Representatives and Senate. It was approved by John Hancock, the governor of Massachusetts, before it was recorded in New York. Many transactions thereafter recorded include the grantors Nathan Gorham of Massachusetts and Oliver Phelps of Connecticut. A deed in 1817 from Oliver Phelps daughter, Mary, granted land to the school commissioner of Connecticut.

Parent County
27 January 1789: Created from Montgomery County.

Boundary Changes
Several counties set off and some take aways.


 * 1791: A part taken from Montgomery County.
 * 18 March 1796: Steuben County set off.
 * 30 March 1802: Genesee County set off.
 * 1814: A part taken from Steuben County.
 * 23 February 1821: Livingston and Monroe counties set off.
 * 5 February 1823: Yates County set off.
 * 11 April 1823: Wayne County set off.

Record Loss

 * Lost census: 1890

Biography

 * Ontario County, New York Biographies -- Access Genealogy

Cemeteries

 * Cemeteries in Ontario County -  Ontario County NY Gen Web
 * Cemeteries in Ontario County -  Ontario County NY Gen Net
 * Cemeteries in Ontario County -  Linkpendium
 * Find a grave - Map of Ontario County Cemeteries
 * Find a grave - List of Ontario County Cemeteries

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

State

 * The Ontario County Records and Archives Center has many census indexes online. They have completed up to 1892. The indexes are divided by towns.

Court Records
The Ontario County Records and Archives Center has placed many of their historical records on-line including various court records.

Gazetteers

 * Ontario County Gazetteer -  NY Home Town Locator

Land and Property

 * The indenture was procured from Chiefs and Warriors of the Five Indian Nations inhabiting this land by “fee or right of soil” in July of 1789. Nathan Gorham of Charlestown, Massachusetts and Oliver Phelps claimed title and began their development of this New York land from that date forward while never establishing residence in that State.
 * The original records for the Holland Land Company are in Holland. SUNY (State University of New York) at Fredonia microfilmed the records and they are in SUNY Brockport, New York.
 * Also available at "Holland Land Company Records"

The Ontario County Records and Archives Center has placed many of their historical records on-line including the following:


 * Real Property Deeds for the period 1789-1845.
 * Chattel Mortgages 1830's-1860's
 * Chattel Morgages 1840's-1870's

Maps

 * Map of Ontario County Showing Town Boundaries -  Ontario County NY Gen Web
 * Outline of Ontario County over Google Map - NY Home Town Locator
 * Maps of Ontario County -  Linkpendium

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


 * Great Genesee Road 1794
 * Erie Canal 1825

Military
Civil War service men in Ontario County served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county.


 * See 126th Regiment, New York Infantry, 138th Regiment, New York Infantry ,148th Regiment, New York Infantry , 154th Regiment, New York Infantry ,160th Regiment, New York Infantry

The Ontario County Records and Archives Center has placed many of their historical records on-line which include the following military records:


 * Civil War Records
 * Civil War Pension Records
 * Military Commissions
 * Civil War Records from 1865 Census Records
 * Revolutionary War Pension Records

Naturalization and Citizenship
The Ontario County Records and Archives Center has place two Indexes for Naturalization Records for the periods 1803-1906 and 1906-1956 on line.

Newspapers

 * Old Fulton Postcards. -   Free search-able web site which holds newspapers from upstate New York.
 * Daily Messenger (Canandaigua, New York) -  ancestry.com - $ need subscription
 * Ontario County (NY) newspapers on microfilm and paper at all NYS locations -- New York State Library

Vital Records
The Ontario County Records and Archives Center has placed many of their historical records on-line. They include marriage records, Poor House Indentures, and Vital Town Records.

Societies, Libraries and Museums

 * Ontario County Historical Museum
 * Ontario County Historical Museum List of references you can request to be searched.

Websites

 * The Ontario County NYGenWeb Project, an member of The NYGenWeb Project
 * Linkpendium
 * USGenWeb Archives
 * USGenWeb Archives backup site
 * The Ontario County Records and Archives Center
 * catalog for Ontario County
 * ancestry.com Ontario County Search - $ need ancestry.com subscription
 * Ontario County Links -  Linkpendium
 * Ontario County Links -  Rootsweb
 * Ontario County Links -  NY GenNet (AHGP - American History and Genealogy Project)
 * Ontario County Links -  Cyndi's List  -  Scroll or search down to "Ontario" for Ontario County Links
 * Ontario County Links -  GenealogyLinks.net
 * Ontario County Links -  My New York Genealogy
 * Ontario County Links -  Kindred Trails
 * Ontario County Links - D'ADDEZIO.com
 * Ontario County Links -  I Dream of Genealogy  (Scroll down to Ontario County,  mostly cemtery links)