Ontario County, New York Genealogy

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

United States New York  Ontario County

Parent County
27 January 1789: Created from Montgomery County.

Neighboring Counties
Livingston· Monroe· Seneca· Steuben· Wayne· Yates

Boundary Changes

 * 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.

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.

Biography

 * Ontario County, New York Biographies -- Access Genealogy

Cemeteries
Cemetery records often reveal birth, death, relationship, military, and religious information.


 * Find a grave - Map 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.

Church Records

 * 1799-1888 - Membership Lists, First Presbyterian Chuch of Victor, N.Y., courtesy: Dunham-Wilcox-Trott-Kirk.
 * 1810s-1840s - Sessional Records of the Church at Oaks Corners, courtesy: NYGenWeb.
 * 1823-1874 Rev. Noah Barrell's Record of Marriages, 1823-1874 at NYGenWeb - free.
 * 1826-1861 - First Baptist Church of Geneva Membership Lists, courtesy: NYGenWeb.
 * 1830-1870 - Hopewell Presbyterian Church Records 1830-1870, courtesy: The Burr.
 * 1840-1925 - First Freewill Baptist Union Society of Canandaigua Record Book 1840-1925, courtesy: NYGenWeb.
 * 1846-1888 - Marriages Performed by Rev. O.P. Alderman of Naples &amp; Phelps 1846-1888, courtesy: NYGenWeb.
 * Mid 1800s - First Methodist Church of Geneva Membership Lists, courtesy: NYGenWeb.
 * 1850s-1880s - Marriage and Funeral Records of Universalist Church, courtesy: NYGenWeb.
 * 1862-1905 - Register of Marriage Services Officiated by Rev. S. Mills Day, Pastor of the Congregational Church of Honeoye 1862-1905, courtesy: NYGenWeb.
 * 1863-1870 - Marriages at the Methodist Episcopal Church, Port Gibson, Ontario County, N.Y. October 1863 - April 1870, courtesy: NYGenWeb.
 * 1870-1894 - Records of Marriages of Port Gibson Methodist Episcopal Church, Port Gibson, Ontario County, N.Y. November 1870 - April 1894, courtesy: NYGenWeb.
 * 1871-1878 - Baptism, Marriage, Funeral Records, First Universalist Church of Bristol, courtesy: NYGenWeb.
 * 1907-1936 - Records of Marriages of Port Gibson Methodist Episcopal Church, Port Gibson, Ontario County, N.Y. June 1907 - March 1936, courtesy: NYGenWeb.
 * Early Church Records, West Bloomfield Church, Ontario Church, Early Settlers of New York State, Vol. I (begins on page 7), courtesy: Ancestry ($).

Cornell University's Study Center for Early Religious Life in Western New York has an online guide to Ontario County church records in their library.

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

History

 * 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.
 * More about Bristol and Our History, by the Town of Bristol, has a fairly lengthy history of the town (accessed 19 October 2011).

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 NYGenWeb
 * Maps of Ontario County - Linkpendium
 * Maps of Bristol's Past - Town of Bristol
 * Western New York Legacy has many digital maps for western New York

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


 * Great Genesee Road 1794
 * Erie Canal 1825

General

 * Bristol Veterans lists veterans buried in the town of Bristol.

Civil War

Available towns. Registers are available for: Bristol· Canadice· Canandaigua· East Bloomfield· Gorham· Hopewell· Naples· Phelps· Richmond· Seneca· Victor· West Bloomfield.

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


 * - 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

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


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

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

Probate Records

 * 1789-1926 - Surrogate Court Records, 1789-1926, courtesy: Ontario County Historian's Site.


 * 1795-1888 - SAMPUBCO Browsable index of testators of wills.


 * 1795-1827 - Ontario County Estate Records for residents of what is now Yates County, courtesy: The Yates County Office of Public History.


 * 1848-1850 - Wiles, Harriett M. Abstracts of Wills of Ontario County, New York, 1848-1849-1850: Volume 12 (XII) (Liber D). unknown, 1949. Digital version at Ancestry ($).


 * 1927-1965 - Index to Surrogate Court Records 1927(+/-) - 1965, courtesy: Ontario County Records and Archives Center.

Repositories
Cornell University, Guide to Historical Resources in Ontario 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

 * Ontario Public Library, 1850 Ridge Road Ontario, NY 14519, phone: (315) 524-8381


 * - Ontario, Wayne, Wyoming, Livingston Counties (OWWL) Catalog


 * Bloomfield Public Library, 9 Church St, E Bloomfield, NY 14443, phone: 585-657-6264


 * Bristol Library, 6750 County Rd 32 Canandaigua, NY 14424, phone: (585) 229-5862. Web site explains about the local history and genealogy resources with information about the Town of Bristol Historian. Requests may made to the town historian.


 * Geneva Public Library, Local History and Genealogy Collection has atlases, histories, city directories, and filmed newspapers.


 * Ontario County Public Libraries web site lists libraries in Ontario County with their addresses and links to their web sites.


 * Ontario County Historian's Site has information about veteran burials, cemeteries, and other historical records.

Courthouses
The Ontario Records Management Officer has marriage, divorce, probate, court land, Revolutionary War, naturalization records as well as state census and county maps. For further information about where the records for Ontario County are held, see the Ontario County Courthouse page.

Societies
Ontario County Historical Museum


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

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.

Social Group Online

 * New York Genealogy Research Community (FamilySearch on Facebook)

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.
 * Various nineteenth-century newspaper vital records at NYGenWeb - 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 Ontario County Index to Marriages, 1908-1935 (file folders) at The Ontario County Department of Records, Archives and Information Managament Services - free.


 * 1908-1935 Ontario County Index to Marriage Records 1908-1935 (4 bound volumes) at The Ontario County Department of Records, Archives and Information Management Services - free.


 * 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."


 * 1809–1850  Fred Q. Bowman,10,000 Vital Records of Western New York, 1809-1850 (Baltimore,MD: Genealogical Pub. Co., 1985).Ancestry($); World Vital Records($); ; . Abstracted from newspaper marriage and death columns.


 * 1813–1850  Fred Q. Bowman,10,000 Vital Records of Central New York, 1813-1850 (Baltimore, MD:Genealogical Pub. Co., 1986).Ancestry($); World Vital Records($); ;. Abstracted from newspaper marriage and death columns.


 * 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."


 * 1809–1850  Fred Q. Bowman,10,000 Vital Records of Western New York, 1809-1850 (Baltimore,MD: Genealogical Pub. Co., 1985).Ancestry($); World Vital Records($); ; . Abstracted from newspaper marriage and death columns.


 * 1813–1850  Fred Q. Bowman,10,000 Vital Records of Central New York, 1813-1850 (Baltimore, MD:Genealogical Pub. Co., 1986).Ancestry($); World Vital Records($); ;. Abstracted from newspaper marriage and death columns.


 * 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 Ontario County NYGenWeb Project, an member of The NYGenWeb Project
 * 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 - NY (AHGP - American History and Genealogy Project)
 * 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)