Genesee County, New York Genealogy

United States New York  Genesee County

Parent County

 * Created 30 March 1802 from Ontario County.

Neighboring Counties
Erie· Livingston· Monroe· Niagara· Orleans· Wyoming

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.

Church Records

 * 1927 - 1927 Directory First Baptist Church - Batavia, courtesy: NYGenWeb.

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

Land and Property
Cindy Amrhein has written guides to help researchers use Genesee County land records:


 * How to Search Deeds &amp; Mortgages
 * More to Deeds Then You Think
 * Land Company Conveyances

Additional online resources:


 * 1804-1824 - Livsey, Karen E. Western New York Land Transactions, 1804-1824. Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1991. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * 1825-1835 - Livsey, Karen E. Western New York Land Transactions, 1825-1835. Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1996. Digital version at Ancestry ($).

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

Available towns. Registers are available for: Alabama· Alexander· Batavia· Bergen· Bethany· Darien· Elba· Le Roy· Oakfield· Pavilion· Pembroke· Stafford.

Regiments. 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

 * 1809-1901 - SAMPUBCO Browsable index of testators of wills (1809-1901).

Cindy Amrhein has written a guide to help researchers use Genesee County probate records:


 * Wills and Probate Files

Archives, Libraries and Museums
Holland Land Office Museum 131 West Main Street Batavia NY 14020-2021 716-343-4727 E-mail: [mailto:info@hollandlandoffice.com info@hollandlandoffice.com]

County Historian
Genesee County Historian Engine House 3 West Main Street Batavia, NY 14020 585-344-2550 ext 2613 E-mail: history@co.genesee.ny.us

Courthouses
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.

Family History Centers
The following centers are accessible to residents of Genesee County, New York: Genesee County (Batavia)

Brockport New York Family History Center 4088 Lake Rd Brockport, New York 1-585-637-2030 T 9am-3pm, 7pm-9pm; Th 7pm-9pm; F 10am-2pm; Sat 9am-12pm Call to verify hours

Rochester New York Family History Center 1400 Westfall Rd Rochester, New York 14618 1-585-271-5040 Tues 9am-3pm, 7pm-9:30pm; Wed 7pm-9:30pm; Thurs 9am-12pm; Fri 9am-3pm; Sat 9am-12pm Closures: Weather closures posted on local TV channels 8, 9, 10, 13 Call to verify hours

Buffalo New York Family History Center 1424 Maple Rd Williamsville, New York 14221 1-716-688-2439 M, W 10am-2pm; T, Th 10am-9pm; Sat 10am-2pm Closed Holidays Call to verify hours

Societies
Genesee Area Genealogy Society Richmond Memorial Library 19 Ross Street Batavia NY 14020 The Genesee Area Genealogists welcome those with an interest in Genesee and Wyoming counties.

Holland Purchase Historical Society Holland Land Office Museum 131 West Main Street Batavia NY 14020-2021 716-343-4727 [mailto:info@hollandoffice.com info@hollandoffice.com] Not a research facility; contact Genesee County History department. 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; publication: 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.

Birth
Birth Substitutes


 * 1640–1962 at FamilySearch Historical Records – free; Index.
 * See Town Clerks' Registers of Men who Served in the Civil War in Genesee County in the Civil War section of Military for birth information.

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.

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.


 * 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."
 * 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."


 * 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  in the Civil War section of Military for death information.


 * 1849-50, 1859-60, 1869-70, 1879-80 See Mortality Schedule information in the Federal Census section of Census 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.

Divorce
Additional Resources

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)