Tompkins County, New York Genealogy

Guide to Tompkins County, New York ancestry, family history, and genealogy birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, and military records.

New York Online Genealogy Records

Description
The County was named for Daniel D. Tompkins, who served as Governor of New York and Vice President of the United States. The County is located in the south central area of the state.

Parent Counties
7 April 1817: Created from parts of Cayuga and Seneca counties.

Boundary Changes
For animated maps illustrating New York County boundary changes, "Rotating Formation New York County Boundary Maps" (1683-1915) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.

Record Loss
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Populated Places
For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit HomeTown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this 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.


 * 1800-1965 - at FamilySearch — index

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

Church Records
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places




 * 1840s-1850s - Pastor's Hand Book, Book A, courtesy: NYGenWeb - free. Marriages.


 * 1840s-1860s - Original Marriage Records of Rev Levi Pitts, courtesy: NYGenWeb - free.


 * 1850s-1880s - Pastor's Hand Book, Book B, courtesy: NYGenWeb - free. Marriages.


 * 1854-1855 - Tompkins County Members of the New York Baptist Union for Ministerial Education 1854-1855, courtesy: NYGenWeb - free.


 * 1870 - The Tabernacle Baptist Church, courtesy: NYGenWeb - free. Includes membership list.


 * 1880s-1940s - The Snyder Hill Free Will Baptist Church, courtesy: NYGenWeb - free. Includes membership list.


 * Gross, Edna May. Unpublished Records of Births, Baptisms, Confirmations, Marriages, Deaths. Ithaca, N.Y.: unknown, 1986. Digital version at Ancestry ($).

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

Emigration and Immigration

 * 1906-1942 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Maps and Gazetteers

 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Genealogy

 * 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
Tompkins County was formed by an act of the legislature, April 17, 1817 - taken from Cayuga and Seneca Counties. Its lineage extends back to Onondaga, Kerkimer, Montgomery, Tryon and Albany counties. It was named in honor of governor Daniel D. Tompkins. The county of Tompkins when formed contained the towns of Hector, Ulysses, and Covert taken from Seneca County, and the town of Dryden and a part of the towns of Locke and Genoa from Cayuga County.

Tompkins County, as originally formed, had within its limits a good portion of Cayuga Lake and extended westward to the Seneca Lake. Tompkins County is bounded on the north by Cayuga and Seneca Counties, on the east by Cortland and Tioga, on the south by Tioga, Schuyler and Chemung, and on the west by Chemung and Schuyler. Its county seat is Ithaca.

The County of Tompkins consists of nine townships: Caroline, Danby, Dryden, Groton, Enfield, Ithaca, Lansing, New field and Ulysses, along with many villages and hamlets.

Some of the finest farming lands in the state are found in Tompkins County on the eastern and western shores of Cayuga Lake.

Addtional Resources:
For more information and family name details, see the book,"An outline history of Tioga and Bradford counties in Pennsylvania, Chemung, Steuben, Tioga, Tompkins and Schuyler in New York : by townships, villages, boro's and cities".

Another excellent history of Tompkins County is found in"Landmarks of Tompkins County, New York : including a History of Cornell University by W.T. Hewitt", and FHL US/CAN Film. See the FamilySearch Catalog for more historical entries for Tompkins County, New York.

Land and Property
Original land records in began in [?dateyear?]. These records are housed at the [?repository?] in [?town?].

Online



Microforms



Books






 * 1817-1860 - Index to Deeds Tompkins County, NY 1817-1860 Inclusive, courtesy: NYGenWeb.

Maps

 * Maps of New York (1683-1915)

Migration
Migration routes for early European settlers to and from included:


 * Ancram (NY) Turnpike 1805, also sometimes called the Catskill Road, from Salisbury, Connecticut to Catskill, New York
 * Catskill Road 1750s from Springfield, Massachusetts to Catskill, New York
 * Catskill Turnpike  (aka Susquehannah Turnpike ) from Catskill, NY to Unadilla, NY; route travelled by Europeans by the 1750s; toll booths opened by 1804.
 * Forbidden Path, 1767 from Athens, Pennsylvania to Salamanca, New York
 * Lehigh and Lackawanna Paths 1766 from Unadilla, New York to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that is, from the Catskill Turnpike  to the Great Valley Road.
 * Ulster and Delaware Turnpike 1802 from Salisbury, Connecticut to Bainbridge, New York

Civil War

 * 1861-1865 - at FamilySearch — index

Available towns. Registers are available for: Caroline· Danby· Dryden· Enfield· Groton· Ithaca· Newfield· Ulysses.

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


 * - 15th Regiment, New York Cavalry, Companies G, H and K.
 * - 21st Regiment, New York Cavalry, Companies B and M.
 * - 30th Regiment, New York Infantry, Company A.
 * - 32nd Regiment, New York Infantry, Companies E and I.
 * - 64th Regiment, New York Infantry, Company E.
 * - 109th Regiment, New York Infantry, Companies A, B, F and G.
 * - 137th Regiment, New York Infantry, Companies D, G, I and K.
 * - 138th Regiment, New York Infantry, Company F.
 * - 143rd Regiment, New York Infantry, Companies D and I.
 * - 179th Regiment, New York Infantry, Company I.

Naturalization and Citizenship

 * 1791-1980 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Probate Records
The petitions for are also available on microfilm at the Family History Library and its centers:


 * 1818–1900 Listed as "Petitions, proof of wills, letters of administration, and estate papers".

Online Probate Abstracts and Indexes


 * 1629-1971 at FamilySearch.org — index and images
 * 1659-1999 New York Wills and Probate Records 1659-1999 at Ancestry.com — index and images ($)
 * 1787-1835 Abstracts of Wills, Administrations and Guardianships in NY State, 1787 - 1835 at American Ancestors by NEHGS ($).
 * 1817-1903 SAMPUBCO Browsable index of testators of wills.
 * 1866-1923 at FamilySearch.org — index and images


 * - Tompkins County: Administration bonds, 1890-1903; Bonds, 1896-1901; Decrees, Minutes, Orders, 1831-1914; Dower records, 1817-1882; Executor records, 1862-1910; Final settlements, 1868-1907; General index, 1818-1951; Guardianship records, 1817-1913; Letters of administration, Letters of testamentary, 1823-1904; Letters of testamentary, 1869-1904; Sales, 1831-1907; Will index, 1910-1936; Wills and Administrations, 1850-1891; Wills, 1817-1903; Wills, Administrations, Petitions, 1818-1900.

Probate Records on Microfilm

The probate records described above also may be among those on microfilm including:


 * 1817–1932 Index 1818–1951, Probate Records: Wills 1817–1903, Index to wills 1818–1936, Minutes 1831–1914, Guardian 1829–1916, Letters of administration and testamentary 1823–1904
 * 1818–1900 Petitions, proofs, estate papers

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

Archives, Libraries and Museums
Tompkins County Museum 401 East State Street Ithaca, NY 14850 Phone: (607) 273-8284 FAX: (607) 273-6107

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

Family History Centers

 * Cortland New York Family History Center
 * Elmira New York Family History Center
 * Ithaca New York Family History Center


 * Steele Memorial Library - an affiliate library

Societies
Finger Lakes Genealogical Society PO Box 581 Seneca Falls, New York 13148

Bristol Hills Historical Society 6547 State Rt.64 Naples, NY 14512 (585) 229-2400 Facebook

Vital Records
Tompkins County is considered a consolidated county because birth and death records were collected from the towns, cities and villages and are on file with the Office of Vital Records in Ithaca. See this link for information about obtaining copies of birth and death records for most towns from 1880 to the present. Towns with records beginning later than 1880 are listed on the Office of Vital Records website.

Records may be ordered from the Tompkins County Office of Vital Records and must be requested by mail. Fees apply for both a record search and for a document copy. There is a 50-year restriction for deaths and a 75-year restriction for births. The restriction is waived if the applicant can prove the relationship to direct-line ancestors. Copies are also available at the New York State Department of Health in Albany. See New York Vital Records Wiki page for more information about ordering records from Albany.

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.

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 Tompkins County. See the Tompkins County Health Department for information about ordering records. Most town records begin in 1880.


 * 1881-1942 New York, Birth Index, 1881-1942 at Ancestry — index, ($)


 * 1881-1942 Reclaim the Records: New York State Birth Index at Archive.org - images of index

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

 * 1639-1962 - New York, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $


 * 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.


 * 1847–1848 and 1908–1936 at FamilySearch — index and images


 * 1881-1964 Reclaim the Records: New York State Marriage Index at Archive.org - images of index


 * 1908–1935 at FamilySearch Historical Records – free; ;.

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 groon, 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."


 * 1820s-1900s Miscellaneous Marriages of Tompkins County at NYGenWeb - free.


 * 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 browsable.


 * 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
However, death records were collected and consolidated from the town records by Tompkins County. See the Tompkins County Health Department for information about ordering records. Most town records begin in 1880.

Death Indexes
 * 1824-1962 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 1880-1956 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1880-1956 - New York, Death Index, 1880-1956 at Ancestry — ($), index only
 * 1880-1956 - Reclaim the Records: New York State Death Index at Archive.org - images of index
 * 1957-1963 - at FamilySearch — Index only

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 browsable.


 * 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

Tompkins County New York Genealogy Websites

 * Tompkins County NYGebWeb
 * Tompkins County, NY History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
 * New York Genealogy Network Community on Google+
 * New York Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
 * Tompkins County Genealogy