Monroe County, New York Genealogy

United States New York  Monroe County

Guide to Monroe County New York genealogy. Birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, military, immigration and naturalization records.

Parent Counties
23 February 1821: Created from Genesee and Ontario counties.

Neighboring Counties
Genesee· Livingston· Ontario· Orleans· Wayne· Lake Ontario

Boundary Changes
Monroe County was part of several counties before becoming its own county:


 * 1683-1772: part of Albany County
 * 1772-1784: part of Tryon County
 * 1784-1789: name of the county was changed to Montgomery County
 * 1789-1802: part of Ontario County
 * 1802-1821: part of Ontario County and Genesee County
 * 23 February 1821: Monroe County was formed from parts of Ontario County and Genesee County.

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.


 * Garland Cemetery Index - from the Monroe County Public Library System.


 * Persons Buried in Ogden, NY and Addendum (pdf) -- This is a name index to persons buried in Ogden from 1803 to 2004. From the Monroe County Public Library System.

BillionGraves:


 * Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, Rochester.
 * Holy Trinity Catholic Cemetery, Webster
 * Lake View Cemetery, Sweden

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

Church Records
The major religious denominations in 1980 were the Catholic Church, the American Baptist Churches, the Presbyterian Church, and the United Methodist Church. For more information about these denominations and others in Monroe County, see the Association of Religion Data Archives (ARDA) Web site.

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

The Rochester Genealogical Society Church Records Preservation Committee meets weekly to digitize and publish church records on their web site.

Baptist

 * 1819-1861 – Sweden Baptist Church (Sweden, New York) Records include Articles of Faith, List of members received 1819-1860, and Minutes of meetings 1819-1861.

Catholic

 * Ann Mensch's Local Catholic Church and Family History &amp; Genealogical Research Guide is a free online resource that identifies the parishes of Monroe County, years parishes were created, contact information, as well as links to online records and research tips. Monroe County parishes fall under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Rochester.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons)

 * 1895-1941 – Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Rochester and Cumorah Districts Contains records of members. Usually contain birth and marriage information

Methodist

 * 1875-1904 – Records of Rev. E. J. Whitney marriages and burials with a few baptisms and membership records, 1875-1904 Rev. Whitney officiated in the Newfane Methodist Episcopal Circuit. Records from Parma, Hamlin, Clarkson and other towns in Monroe County; Kendall and other towns in Orleans County; Wilson and other towns in Niagara County; and Castile and other towns in Wyoming County

Presbyterian

 * 1836-1906 –Records of Bethel Free Church, Washington Street Church, Central Presbyterian Church and Central Presbyterian Church Sunday School, 1836-1906: typescript. 1985. Digital version at Ancestry – ($).
 * 1894-1931 – Brick Church Index [pdf file] - created from the monthly church bulletins of the Brick Church, which span the years from March, 1894 to June, 1931; from the Monroe County Public Library System

Quaker

 * Quaker Records: Rochester Monthly Meeting Monroe County, New York. Digital version at Ancestry – ($).

Court Records
The Monroe County Clerk has court records from 1821 to the present. The County Clerk is the Clerk of the Supreme and County Courts.

A search can be made of the public court records in person at the County Clerk's office or a request by phone or fax can be made asking the Clerk to do a search. For information about making such requests, including costs, see the County Clerk General Information and Requests web site.

When ordering documents, you need to provide the following information: index number type of record sought filing date name of the parties (or a business name)

An online index, Feb 1989 to the present and images, June 9, 1993 to the present is available online. Registration is required to use this free database.

Earlier records are at the County Clerk Office. Many have been filmed and are available through the Family History Library (see the Family History Library Catalog for film numbers).

Directories

 * Names from City Directories, 1876-1889 (pdf) -- This 21,199 name index was created from the Rochester city directories of 1876-1889 inclusive. These directories contain the year, names, the (USA style M/D/Y) date of the event, age if given, and notation (e.g. - removed to, or married) exactly as they appeared in the directories. From the Monroe County Library System.


 * Fold3.com ($) has Rochester City Directories 1861-1889 (3 yrs. missing) available online.
 * The Central Library of Rochester and Monroe County NY has digitized the Rochester City Directories; 1827 - 1940 for the years that they were published. They have also digitized the Suburban directories; 1930 - 1940.

Genealogy

 * Monroe County New York Genealogy Project has tombstone transcriptions and information about the cemeteries in Monroe County, histories of some of the towns and villages, a map showin the original lots of the county, various old postcards, etc.


 * Rootsweb message board for has many information threads about families that resided in that county. There is a search engine that allows you to search by surname and topic.

History
When it became a county on February 23, 1821, it already had 28,000 settlers with several towns and villages that provided agricultural support to the mill town of Rochester. Rochester became the county seat. Today, Monroe county is composed of 19 towns, 10 villages, and the City of Rochester.

Monroe County History article on the county Web site.

History of Monroe County, New York, by W.H. McIntosh is online at Internet Archive.

Land and Property
History of Land Records in Monroe County

New York and Massachusetts both claimed the area of Monroe County. After the Revolution, the two states settled by allowing New York to have the right to govern, while Massachusetts had the right of pre-emption or first right to sell the land. Massachusetts sold those rights to Oliver Phelps and Nathaniel Gorham. Most of these rights later went to Robert Morris. Morris sold most of his rights to the Holland Land Company. The purchasers were also to acquire rights to the land from the Indians. For additional information, see and My New York Genealogy, Monroe County.

Land Records

The Monroe County Clerk, as county registrar, has land records since 1821 when the county was created. The Clerk preserves and indexes the records. These records are housed at the Monroe County Court House at 39 W. Main Street, Rochester NY 14614.

An online index, 1973 to the present plus images, 1976 to the present is available online. Registration is required to use this free database.

Online



Microforms



Books



Maps

 * The Monroe County Web site has a page with links to many types of Monroe County maps, including maps of each town.


 * The Monroe County Genealogy Project has a map of the original lots in Monroe County within the towns.

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


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

Military
Since Monroe County was created in 1821, no one representing the county served in the Revolutionary War nor the War of 1812. However veterans of those wars became residents of Monroe County and have records there or in Monroe county's parent counties.

Various Wars
War Dead, from the Revolutionary War to the Lebanon Conflict (pdf) -- This information was taken from material provided by the County Historian's Office and contains about 2,800 names. From the Monroe County Public Library System.

Civil War
Available towns. Registers are available for: Brighton· Chili· Clarkson· Gates· Greece· Henrietta· Irondequoit· Ogden· Parma· Penfield· Perinton· Sweden· Webster.

Regiments. Service men in Monroe County served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are military units that were specifically formed in Monroe County:


 * - 104th Regiment, New York Infantry
 * - 105th Regiment, New York Infantry
 * - 108th Regiment, New York Infantry
 * - 129th Regiment, New York Infantry
 * - 151st Regiment, New York Infantry
 * - 164th Regiment, New York Infantry
 * - 175th Regiment, New York Infantry
 * - 178th Regiment, New York Infantry

Monroe County Civil War Roster is an online transcription of pages from the History of Monroe County 1788-1877 that list the men who served in the Civil War from Monroe County. The men are arranged by town, then by name. The entries give name, unit, enlistment and discharge dates, and whether wounded or killed.

Civil War Master List- a compilation of names taken from various sources such as card files, the 1865 census, and the County Historian's Office. It contains over 38,000 names primarily from the Rochester and Monroe County area. From the Monroe County Library System

World War II
World War II and Korean Casualties (pdf) -- This information was taken from data punch cards with cells of newspaper film kept by the Local History Division and contains about 6,500 names.

World War II Master File (pdf) -- This information was taken from card files in the Local History Division and contains about 7,000 names. From the Monroe County Public Library System.

Naturalization and Citizenship

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

Newspapers
The Rochester Newspaper Index is a project of the Rochester Public Library. The database consists of references to articles that appeared in the Rochester newspapers during the period 1818-1897.

The Digital Newspaper Gateway is a list of titles of many historic newspapers for Monroe County with the dates of newspapers available in the Monroe County Library System.

Historical Newspapers of the Rochester, New York Region has an index and images of selected historical newspapers with information for Livingston, Monroe, Ontario, Wayne and Wyoming counties.


 * Fairport (NY) Herald; 1873-1925
 * Fairport (NY) Monroe County Herald Mail; 1885-1992
 * Greece (NY) Press; 1934-1958
 * Hilton (NY) Record; 1906-1968
 * Rochester (NY) Album; 1825-1828
 * Rochester (NY) Daily Advertiser &amp; Telegraph; 1828-1829
 * Rochester (NY) Daily Record; 1910-1974
 * Rochester (NY) Democrat Chronicle; 1884-1948
 * Rochester (NY) Republican; 1829-1849
 * Rochester (NY) Telegraph; 1818-1820
 * Rochester (NY) Union &amp; Advertiser; 1862-1885
 * Spencerport (NY) Suburban News; 1961-1994
 * Webster (NY) Herald; 1938-1981
 * Moore's Rural New Yorker; 1872

Other resources:


 * Fairport (NY) Herald; February 1873-March-1889, April 1890-April 1925 at Historical Newspapers of the Rochester, New York Region
 * Fairport (NY) Herald-Mail May-December 1925 at Historical Newspapers of the Rochester, New York Region
 * Fairport-Perinton (NY)Herald-Mail 1980-1992 at Historical Newspapers of the Rochester, New York Region
 * Monroe County Mail 1885-1893, 1896-1979 at Historical Newspapers of the Rochester, New York Region
 * Moore's Rural New Yorker 1861-1865 (published1850-1878)
 * Moore's Rural New Yorker 1872 at Northern New York Historical Newspapers

Probate Records
Online Indexes and Abstracts


 * 1787-1835 Abstracts of Wills, Administrations and Guardianships in NY State, 1787 - 1835 at New York Ancestors ($); includes.
 * 1796-1855 - Early Settlers of New York State, Vol. II. Digital version at Ancestry ($). Includes Monroe County wills and estate settlements. Includes records from parent counties.
 * 1821-1841 - Gertrude A. Barber, Monroe County, New York, Abstracts of Wills. 1940-1941. Digital versions at Ancestry ($); World Vital Records ($). Will Books A, 1, 2, and 3.
 * 1821-1874 The Central Library of Rochester and Monroe County has digitized searchable PDF files of the names in the petitions for the wills and and administrations for Monroe County from 1821-1874. (http://www3.libraryweb.org/lh.aspx?id=470901).
 * 1829-1901 - SAMPUBCO Browsable Index of testators of wills.
 * 1873-1902 - SAMPUBCO Browsable guardianship index of the children. Petitions are filed in their names rather than deceased father, mother, relative, or financial concerns.


 * - Monroe County: Dower records, 1830-1880; General index, 1821-1969; Letters of administration, 1863-1901; Letters of guardianship, 1826-1902; Letters of testamentary index, 1806-1890; Letters of testamentary, 1847-1901; Miscellaneous records, 1865-1902; Wills, 1829-1901

Probate Records on Microfilm

Probate records found at Historical Records and described in Online Probate Records above are also found on microfilm as follows:


 * 1821–1923 Miscellaneous Record Index
 * 1821–1970 Probate Records Index
 * 1861–1912 Probate Records

Repositories
Cornell University, Guide to Historical Resources in Monroe County, New York Repositories. ([Ithaca, New York]: New York Historical Resources Center, Olin Library, Cornell University, 1983–4). ; . Includes index. Includes references to some family histories and genealogies.

Archives, Libraries and Museums
Monroe County Library System, has an online catalog, Genealogy Resources,Digital Collections, Local History Resources, Pathfinders (guides to the collection)

Cox Local History Room of the Scottsville Free Library, Scottsville, New York, has genealogy files of local families, an index to cemeteries of Wheatland, histories of the area, maps, etc.

Western Monroe Historical Society, Brockport, New York, has an extensive collection of local history records.

Monroe County, New York Archives, a digital library of the USGenWeb Archives Project.

High Falls Heritage Area, Rochester, New York, has information about the area history, geography, commerce and culture.

Records and Archives room of Monroe County has a significant collection of drawings of construction jobs dating back to the 1870s and many aerial photographs.

Monroe County Public Libraries gives many of the names and addresses of the public libraries in Monroe County by town.

Courthouses
The Monroe County Clerk's office has marriage, divorce, court, land and naturalization records. The Surrogate Court has probate records. For further information about where the records for Monroe County are held, see the Monroe County Courthouse page.

County Clerk
County Clerk’s Office 101 County Office Building 39 W. Main Street Rochester, NY 14614 Phone: 585 753-1600 Fax: 585 753-1624

Societies
Pioneer Society of Rochester and Western N.Y. was created Sept., 31, 1847 in Rochester. The organization faded after 1870. This site lists the members in 1847, 1854, 1866, and those listed in newspapers.

Rochester Historical Society has books, manuscripts, prints, photographs, etc.

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.

Schools

 * Spencerport High School Yearbook Index (pdf) -- This name index covers the years 1911 through 1922, and then various years through the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s. From the Monroe County Public Library System.

Social Groups Online

 * New York Genealogy Research Community (FamilySearch on Facebook)

Vital Records
Monroe County is considered a consolidated county because birth and death records were collected from the towns, cities and villages. Birth and death records are at the Monroe County Health Department's Office of Vital Records. This site also explains the record availability and eligibility requirements. A separate page is specific to "Genealogy Records and Resources". An online form can be completed online, but then the page must be printed and mailed with payment (see page for instructions).

Office of Vital Records Monroe County Health Department 111 Westfall Road Room 147 Rochester, New York 14620 Phone 1-585-753-5141

Marriage records are usually found at the office of the town, city, or village clerk where the marriage license was issued. See the heading Places on this wiki page for links to local community wiki pages and their available records. Limited consolidated Tompkins County marriage records 1908-1935 are available at the Family History Library. See New York Vital Records for a discussion about beginning dates and availability of vital records in New York.

The Web site, Assorted Vital Records from Monroe Co., NY, includes abstracts from newspapers, wills, directories, churches, and other records that gave information about births, marriages and deaths in Monroe County.


 * 1801–1892 Monroe County, New York, master card file index of vital and other records. . Microfilm of original card file in Hilton, New York in the possession of the Hamlin town historian. Information indexed in the cards was taken from the following sources: Clarkson census, 1820-1850; Union census, 1855; Hamlin census 1865- 1892; original purchases of lots on Triangle Tract, 1801-1809; records of the following churches: Clarkson Congregational, Walker Baptist, and Morton Baptist; bounty payments made to Civil War enlistees and draftees and/or substitutes in all Monroe Co. towns; birth records of Dr. Mann; records of the following cemeteries: Blossom, Garland, Walker, Baxter, West Clarkson, Parma Union, Morton, Wright; records of the Harmon Monument Co.; veteran burials in Hamlin per Monroe Co. Grave Register; gazetteer and business directory, 1869-1870; deaths recorded in the diaries of Frank Cary; people mentioned in early town minutes, 1861-1871; excerpts from the Tenny genealogy; obituaries clipped from Br. Rep. and D and C; town of Hamlin birth, marriage, and death records.


 * 1847-1850 Vital Records from the Monroe County Poorhouse 1847-1850 at NYGenWeb - free. Includes births, marriages, and deaths.

Use substitute records for birth, marriage and death information. These substitute records include Bible Records, Cemeteries, Church Records, Newspapers, and Probate Records.

Birth
However, birth records were collected and consolidated from the town records by Monroe County. See the Monroe County Vital Records for information about ordering records. Most town records begin in 1881.

Birth Substitutes


 * 1640–1962 at FamilySearch Historical Records – free; Index.


 * 1821–1876 Goodell Witty and Samuel Beach Bradley, Alphabetical Family Groupings From 1821-1876, Birth Records of Dr. Samuel Beach Bradley: For Adjacent Parts of the Towns of Greece, Parma, Ogden and Gates in Monroe County, New York." ([Rochester?, N.Y.] 1973). ; . Extracted from Dr. Bradley's diaries, most of which are located in the Department of Manuscripts and University Archives at Cornell University. 


 * 1925-1953 Brockport Births, 1925-1953 (pdf) -- This is an index to births appearing in the Brockport Republic and the Brockport Democrat (also known as the Brockport Republic-Democrat) from 1925 to 1953. From the Monroe County Public Library System.


 * 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.


 * 1876-1943 City of Rochester Municipal Archives Historic Marriage Records Research Site at City of Rochester.


 * 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."


 * 1840s-1910s Marriages Found in the "Miscellaneous Records" Volumes in the Monroe County Courthouse at NYGenWeb - free.


 * 1846–1879 Karen E. Dau and Rev. George Washington Montogomery, Marriage Records of Rev. George Washington Montgomery, 1846-1879. (Rochester, New York : Rochester Genealogical Society, 1992.) ; . Reverand Montgomery was the founding minister of the First Universalist Society of the city of Rochester. This is transcribed from the original record with indexes added for bride, groom, and witnesses. Also includes ages and occupations.


 * 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.


 * 1856-1917 Brockport Marriages, 1856-1917 (pdf) -- This is a name index to marriages appearing in the Brockport Republic newspaper from 1856-1917. From the Monoroe County Public Library System.


 * 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 Marriages - 1865 State Census Records, Monroe County, New York at Mortality-Schedules.com - free.


 * 1864-5 1865 Marriages Extracted from the Monroe County, New York State Census at New Horizons Genealogical Services - free.


 * Pre-1908 Pre-1908 Marriages at USGenWeb Archives - free.


 * 1925-1953 - Brockport Marriages, 1925-1953 (pdf) -- This is an index to marriages appearing in the Brockport Republic and the Brockport Democrat (also known as the Brockport Republic-Democrat) from 1925 to 1953. From the Monroe County Public Library System.

Death
However, death records were collected and consolidated from the town records by Monroe County. See the Monroe County Vital Records for information about ordering records. Most town records begin in 1881.

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.


 * 1856-1923 Brockport Deaths, 1856-1923(pdf) -- This is a name index to death notices and obituaries appearing in the Brockport Republic newspaper from 1856-1923. From the Monore County Public Library System.


 * 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 1865 Deaths Extracted from the Monroe County, New York State Census at New Horizons Genealogical Services - free.


 * 1864-5 Deaths - 1865 State Census, Mortality Schedule, Monroe County, New York at Mortality-Schedules.com - free.


 * 1874-5 Deaths - 1875 State Census, Mortality Schedule, Monroe County, New York at Mortality-Schedules.com - free.


 * 1875-1893 Deaths from the Western N.Y. Masonic Relief Association at NYGenWeb - free.


 * 1925-1953 Brockport Deaths, 1925-1953 (pdf) -- This is an index to deaths appearing in the Brockport Republic and the Brockport Democrat (also known as the Brockport Republic-Democrat) from 1925 to 1953. From the Monore County Public Library System.


 * Monroe County Casualties in Korean and Vietnam Wars at NYGenWeb - free.

Additional Resources

Monroe County New York Genealogy Websites

 * The Monroe County NYGenWeb Project, a member of The NYGenWeb Project, an affiliate of The USGenWeb Project.
 * The USGenWeb Archives Project for Monroe County.
 * The USGenWeb Archives Project for Monroe County. (Backup site)
 * KindredTrails.com for Monroe County
 * Links to other genealogy related pages