Onondaga County, New York Genealogy

United States New York  Onondaga County

Parent County
5 March 1794: Created from Herkimer County.

Formation of Onondaga County USGenWeb history and law citation.

Neighboring Counties
Cayuga· Cortland· Madison· Oswego

Boundary Changes
8 March 1799: Cayuga County set off. 8 April 1808: Cortland County set off. 1 March 1816: Oswego 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.

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


 * Belle Isle, Davis Homestead, Fairmount, Howlett Hill, Jacksonville Rural, Lafayette, Lakeview, Maplewood, North Syracuse, Old Farm, Oswego Bitters, Owasco Rural, Polish National, Sherwood Robbins, St. Mary's, Stanton, West Hill, Wheeler, White Chapel Memory Gardens, Woodlawn Cemetery
 * Cemeteries and Memorial Sites of Politicians in Onondaga County.
 * USGS (Geographic Names Information System, GNIS).
 * Cemeteries in Onondaga County. NY US Gen Web
 * Onondaga County Cemetery Locationsby Gary H. Jones and Garrett Voss.
 * Find a grave - Map of Cemeteries in Onondaga County
 * Find a grave - List of Cemeteries in Onondaga Couny

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

1820 United States Census: The American Pomeroy Historic Genealogical Association (APHGA) found that the 1820 census was incorrectly microfilmed, with several pages out of sequence for Onondaga County. Both the Ancestry and Heritage Quest indices placed household from Manilus in neighboring Cicero. Corrected indices are free of charge from APHGA and are posted online.

State

 * Census Records For Onondaga County.
 * U. S. Census Mortality Schedules, New York, 1850-1880. $
 * United States Census (Mortality Schedule) 1850.
 * United States Census, 1850.
 * Search the 1855 New York State Census for Onondaga County.
 * 1930 Census of Merchant Seaman. $
 * Skaneateles Historical Society, 1830-1930 Census Index.

Church Records

 * 1820s - Christ Church (Protestant Episcopal), Manlius Membership Lists, courtesy: USGenWeb Archives.
 * Church Histories and Records in Onondaga County.
 * 1826-1851 - Early Records of the First Presbyterian Church of Syracuse, N.Y.: From the Date of Establishment in 1826 to the End of the First Pastorate in 1850, Embracing a Record of Marriages and Baptisms by the Rev. John Watson Adams, the First Minister, and a List of Members, etc. Syracuse: Genealogical Society of Central New York, 1986. Digital versions at Ancestry ($); Dunham - Wilcox - Trott - Kirk (free); Internet Archive.
 * Christ Church (Protestant Episcopal), Manlius. Baptisms, marriages, deaths, removals.
 * Churches in Onondaga County.
 * Manlius Methodist Church, World War I: Township of Manlius, Onondaga County, New York State. Manlius, N.Y.?: The Club?, 1986. Digital version at Ancestry ($). List of members who fought in World War I.

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

Ethnic, Political, or Religious Groups

 * German Immigrant Ancestors in Syracuse and Onondaga County, New York.
 * History of Germans in Syracuse and Onodaga County, New York. $
 * German Genealogy Group.
 * Pioneer Irish of Onondaga, 1776-1847. $ (Available for free use at your nearest Family History Center).

History

 * German Immigrant Ancestors in Syracuse and Onondaga County, New York.
 * Linkpendium History, Genealogy and Family History.
 * History of Onondaga New York, with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches. By Professor W. W. Clayton. Published by D. Mason &amp; Co., Syracuse, N. Y. 1878.
 * Gazetter of the State of New York, 1860 Onondaga County.
 * Onondaga County New York History.
 * Onondaga Historical Association Publications Volume 1.
 * Onondaga Historical Association Publication Volume1915.
 * Onondaga Historical Association Publication Volume 1916.
 * Onondaga Historical Association Publications Volume 1919.
 * Onondaga, or Reminiscences of earlier and later times being a series of historical sketeches relative to Onondaga; with notes on the several towns in the county, and Oswego (1849).
 * Onondaga's centennial. Gleanigs of a century(1896).
 * Pioneer Times in The Onondaga County. $
 * Publications of the Onondaga Historical Association.
 * Syracuse New York Historical Records.
 * : with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of the prominent men and pioneers, by W. Woodford Clayton.

Land and Property

 * Onondaga Land Records. Includes grantor indices for property transactions in the towns of Manlius, Pompey, and Tully; as well as bounty land records.

Maps

 * Onondaga County Maps (Onondaga County NYGenWeb)
 * Map of Townships in Onondaga County 1874. (Onondaga County NYGenWeb)
 * Onondaga County New York 1895 U. S. Altas.
 * New York Counties, clickable map.
 * 1860 County map with family names. Courtesy of the Town of Onondaga Historical Society.
 * 1875 County map with family names. Courtesy of the Town of Onondaga Historical Society.

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


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

Military
Military Records including Revolutionary War, War of 1812, Civil War, Indian War, Spanish-American War, World War I, World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War.

American Revolution


 * Onondag's Soldiers of the Revolution. Official records, compiled by Frank H. Chase, secretary of the Onondaga Historical Association.
 * Revolutionary soliders resident or dying in Onondaga County.

War of 1812


 * British Subjects Reporting to Syracuse a the Onset of The War of 1812

Civil War

Available towns. Registers are available for: Camillus· Cicero· Clay· DeWitt· Elbridge· Fabius· LaFayette· Manlius· Otisco· Pompey· Salina· Syracuse - 1st thru 8th Wards· Skaneateles· Spafford· Tully· Van Buren.

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


 * - 122nd Regiment, New York Infantry
 * - 149th Regiment, New York Infantry
 * - 176th Regiment, New York Infantry


 * Onondaga's Part in the Civil War.


 * U. S. Civil War Soldiers, 1861-1865. $

World War I


 * World War I records (Accessgenealogy)


 * World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918. $

World War II


 * Onondaga County, World War II Casualties Army and Air Force.


 * U. S. World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942. $


 * U. S. World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946. $

Naturalization and Citizenship

 * Northern District Court of New York Naturalization Project.


 * 1812 Naturalizations (Onondaga County NYGenWeb)

Newspapers

 * Onondaga County newspapers on microfilm at NYSL.
 * Central City Daily Courier(Syracuse, New York). $
 * Evening Herald (Syracuse, New York). $
 * Onondaga County.
 * Onondaga County, New York newspapers on microfilm and paper at all NYS locations.
 * The Post Standard (Syracuse, New York). $
 * Search Historical Newspapers (Syracuse).
 * Syracuse Herald (Syracuse, New York). $
 * Syracuse Herald Journal (Syracuse, New York) $
 * Search the Onondaga County Public Library's WPA files.
 * Many Newspaper records for Onondaga County have been microfilmed or abstracted. Some of those copies are available at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. For a listing of their holdings, see the from their catalog.
 * Old Fulton Postcards Free searchable web site which holds newspapers from upstate New York.

Poorhouses, Poor Law, etc.

 * 1827–1962 Onondaga County Poorhouse Ledger and Onondaga County Hospital Ledgers . Microfilm of original ledgers at the town hall, Onondaga, New York. Includes town, date, name, age, admission and discharge, nativity, cause of pauperism, charges per inmate, deaths and transfers, pauper children bound out, their ages and to whom bound, and other reports. Birth records include baby number, name, date of birth, sex, alive or stillborn, sex, legimacy; and parents' name, nativity, occupation, nativity, age, color and number of other children. Death records include number and name of corpse, date of death and burial, relative's name and residence, and who claimed body. Onondaga County poorhouse, located on Onondaga Hill four miles from Syracuse opened for the reception of paupers, December 17, 1827.

Probate Records
Abstracts 

Select wills covering a range of years are listed at NYGenWeb:


 * Onondaga County Wills, courtesy: NYGenWeb.

Indexes


 * 1796-1867 - SAMPUBCO Browsable index of testators of wills.

Repositories
Cornell University, Guide to Historical Resources in Onondaga County, New York Repositories. ([Ithaca, New York]: New York Historical Resources Center, Olin Library, Cornell University, 1985). ; . Includes index. Includes references to some family histories and genealogies. Contents: v. 1. Resources in Syracuse University Special Collections, George Arents Research Library -- v. 2. Resources in Syracuse University Archives -- v. 3. Resources in public libraries, museums, historical societies and medical centers.

Archives, Libraries and Museums

 * Onondaga Historical Association Museum and Research Center.
 * Onondaga County Public Library. Local History and Genealogy Department.
 * Syracuse Public Library, 335 Montgomery St., Syracuse, NY 13202

Courthouses
The Onondaga County Clerk's office has land, divorce, court, naturalizatoin miliatry and state census records. The Surrogate Court has probate records. For further information about where the records for Onondaga County are held, see the Onondaga County Courthouse page.

Societies
The Masonic Trowel.

Syracuse Chapter Empire State Society Sons of the American Revolution. Linkpendium Societies Genealogy and Family History.

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

 * Onondaga County Schools.
 * School Records and Histories.

Social Groups Online

 * Onondaga Historical Association - Facebook.


 * New York Genealogy Research Community (FamilySearch on Facebook)

Vital Records
Onondaga County is unusual in New York state because birth, and death records and some marriage records for Onondaga County are on file with the Office of Vital Statistics in Syracuse. Search request forms are available at the Office of Vital Statistics, or may be found online or requested by mail. (Fees apply for both a record search and for a document copy.)

Marriage records are usually found at the office of the town clerk. See the heading Places on this wiki page for links to local community wiki pages and their available records. See New York Vital Records for a discussion about beginning dates and availability of vital records in New York.

Birth
Birth certificates for the City of Syracuse are available beginning in 1873, and for the rest of Onondaga County as early as 1883. Reporting of births was required beginning in 1914, so persons born before that year may not have a record on file. If a record has been on file for over 75 years, and the person is known to be deceased, anyone may request it. If the record has been on file for less than 75 years, the requester must be able to prove that he or she is in the direct line of descent by providing identification and other supporting documentation (e.g. birth certificates showing descent). Contact the Office of Vital Statistics for more information.


 * 1827–1962 Onondaga County Poorhouse Ledger and Onondaga County Hospital Ledgers . Microfilm of original ledgers at the town hall, Onondaga, New York. Includes town, date, name, age, admission and discharge, nativity, cause of pauperism, charges per inmate, deaths and transfers, pauper children bound out, their ages and to whom bound, and other reports. Birth records include baby number, name, date of birth, sex, alive or stillborn, sex, legimacy; and parents' name, nativity, occupation, nativity, age, color and number of other children. Death records include number and name of corpse, date of death and burial, relative's name and residence, and who claimed body. Onondaga County poorhouse, located on Onondaga Hill four miles from Syracuse opened for the reception of paupers, December 17, 1827.

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 and parents' names.


 * Linkpendium Vital Records Genealogy and Family History.


 * Skaneateles Historical Society, births, marriages, deaths.

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.


 * 1908–1934 Affidavit for license to marry

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."


 * 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.


 * 1859 - Syracuse, New York, 1859 Marriage Announcements.


 * 1864-5, 1874-5 See Marriage Schedule information in the State Census section of Census for marriage information for 1864-5, and 1874-5.


 * Linkpendium Vital Records Genealogy and Family History.


 * Skaneateles Historical Society, births, marriages, deaths.

Death
Death certificates for the City of Syracuse beginning in 1873, and for the rest of Onondaga County as early as 1883. If a record has been on file for over 50 years, anyone may request it. If it has been on file for less than 50 years, the requester must be able to prove that he or she is in the direct line of descent by providing identification and other supporting documentation (e.g. birth certificates showing descent). Contact the Office of Vital Statistics for more information.


 * 1827–1962 Onondaga County Poorhouse Ledger and Onondaga County Hospital Ledgers . Microfilm of original ledgers at the town hall, Onondaga, New York. Includes town, date, name, age, admission and discharge, nativity, cause of pauperism, charges per inmate, deaths and transfers, pauper children bound out, their ages and to whom bound, and other reports. Birth records include baby number, name, date of birth, sex, alive or stillborn, sex, legimacy; and parents' name, nativity, occupation, nativity, age, color and number of other children. Death records include number and name of corpse, date of death and burial, relative's name and residence, and who claimed body. Onondaga County poorhouse, located on Onondaga Hill four miles from Syracuse opened for the reception of paupers, December 17, 1827.

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."


 * 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.


 * 1859 Syracuse, New York, 1859 Death Notices.


 * 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.


 * Linkpendium Vital Records Genealogy and Family History.


 * Skaneateles Historical Society, births, marriages, deaths.

Additional Resources

Websites

 * The Onondaga County NYGenWeb Project, a member of The NYGenWeb Project, an affiliate of The USGenWeb Project.
 * The USGenWeb Archives Project for Onondaga County.
 * The USGenWeb Archives Project for Onondaga County. (Backup site)
 * Rootsweb - Onondaga Links
 * Linkpendium - Onondaga County
 * Cyndi's List New York.  Scroll or search down to Onondaga County for Links
 * ancestry.com Onondaga County Search. $ need US subscription to ancestry.com
 * Records. NYGenWeb
 * Researching in Onondaga County, New York. NYGenWeb
 * Obituaries and Funeral Home Records. Linkpendium
 * New York State Off-Line Sources. NYGenWeb