Genesee County, New York Genealogy

United States New York  Genesee County

Historical Facts



 * Its name is from the Seneca Indian word Gen-nis'-hee-yo meaning "The Beautiful Valley."
 * County Historian Engine House 3 West Main Street Batavia, NY 14020 Ph: (585) 344-2550 ext 2613

Parent County

 * Created 30 March 1802 from Ontario County.

Boundary Changes
Over the years parts were set off to create these counties:


 * 7 April 1806: Allegany
 * 11 March 1808: Cattaraugus
 * 11 March 1808: Chautauqua
 * 11 March 1818: Niagara
 * 23 February 1821: Livingston
 * 23 February 1821: Monroe
 * 11 November 1824: Orleans
 * 14 May 1841: Wyoming

Biography
Gazeteer and Biographical Record of Genesee County, N.Y. 1788-1890, by J.W. Vose Co.

The two volumes listed below can be accessed at the Allen County Library website. Go to the website and search for Genesee County, New York to find these books.

Our county and its people: a descriptive and biographical record of Genesee County, New York, v. 1

Our county and its people: a descriptive and biographical record of Genesee County, New York, v. 2

Cemeteries
Volunteers have spent many hours transcribing cemetery markers, which often give not only birth and death dates, but family relationships. Here are several links to transcriptions:

USGenWeb List of Transcriptions for Genesee Cemeteries

Genesee County Cemetery Transcriptions at Interment.net

Google Search of BettysGenealogy.org

Alabama Center Cemetery Transcription

Wheatville Cemetery, Alabama Township Transcription

East Alabama Cemetery Transcription

Nichols Cemetery, Alabama Township Transcription

Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Alexander Township Transcription

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

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


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

Military
Civil War 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
 * - 138th Regiment, New York Infantry
 * - 151st Regiment, New York Infantry

Newspapers
Newspapers can be a rich source of genealogical information. Obituaries provide death and burial information, and often give names of immediate and extended family, including maiden and/or married names of women. Marriage announcements provide maiden names and often mention other family members as well. Information was not always carefully checked before publication, so it should be validated using other sources.

A searchable index to selected articles from the Batavia Daily News (covering approximately the mid-1800s to mid-1900s) is available at userdb.rootsweb.ancestry.com/news/. Included are instructions for requesting copies from the Genesee County Historical Society.

The Le Roy Gazette is available on Ancestry.com at http://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=50002. Fees may apply. According to the site, the date range runs from 1826 through 1993, though not all years are available.

A searchable collection of over 16 million newspaper pages from New York, including many from Genesee County can be found at the Old New York State Historical Newspaper Pages

Probate Records
SAMPUBCO Browsable index of testators of wills.

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

Societies
Genesee Area Genealogy Society

Websites

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