Wayne County, New York Genealogy

United States New York  Wayne County

Parent County
Wayne County was created 11 April 1823 from parts of Ontario and Seneca counties.

Neighboring Counties
Cayuga· Monroe· Ontario· Seneca· Lake Ontario

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.


 * Wayne County Cemeteries - Map of Cemeteries in Wayne County -  Find a Grave

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

Church

 * 1800s - Wayne County NY Marriages from Universalist Sources, courtesy: NYGenWeb.
 * 1800s - 19th Century Deaths Recorded at Lyons Presbyterian Church, courtesy: NYGenWeb.
 * 1800s - Deaths at Zion Episcopal Church of Palmyra, courtesy: NYGenWeb.
 * 1823-1850 - The Zion Episcopal Church Records of Palmyra, Wayne County, N.Y.: Part I: Lists of Communicants, 1826-1850, Baptisms, 1823-1850, Deaths, A Few. New York, N.Y., 1935-1937. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * 1823-1847 - Rev. Noah Barrell's Record of Marriages, 1823-1847, courtesy: NYGenWeb.
 * 1825-1829 - Marriages Recorded at Lyons Presbyterian Church 1825-1829, courtesy: NYGenWeb.
 * 1827-1841 - Marriages Recorded at Zions Episcopal Church, Palmyra, Wayne County, N.Y., courtesy: NYGenWeb.
 * 1836-1837 - Rev. Noah Barrell's Record of Marriages. For Sodus, Arcadia, Newark, Phelps and Lockville
 * 1843-1851 - Official Members, Methodist Episcopal Church, Port Gibson, N.Y. and East Palmyra, N.Y., 1843-1851, courtesy: NYGenWeb.
 * 1853-1868 - Record of Baptisms of the Methodist Episcopal Church, East Palmyra, N.Y., courtesy: NYGenWeb.
 * 1854-1855 - Wayne County members of the New York Baptist Union for Ministerial Education, 1854-1855, courtesy: NYGenWeb.
 * 1856-1878 - Butler Center Methodist Episcopal Church Record Book 1856-1878, courtesy: NYGenWeb.
 * 1856-1914 - Butler Center Methodist Church Marriages 1856-1914, courtesy: NYGenWeb.
 * 1858-1923 - Butler Center Methodist Church Baptisms 1858-1923, 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.
 * 1870s-1880s - List of Early Members of the Marion NY First Reformed Church, courtesy: NYGenWeb.
 * 1897 - 1897 Revised Membership List of the Marion NY First Reformed Church, 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.

The Wayne Co., NYGenWeb Project has compiled an impressive list of local ministers.

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

Directories
The Wayne County NY Gen Web site has provided the 1867 Directory of Wayne County.

History
A Brief History of Wayne County

A History of Wayne County New York with illustrations of its scenery, etc. (a digital copy)



Maps
Wayne County Town Map - Wayne County Government

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


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

Military
Civil War

Available towns. Registers are available for: Butler· Galen· Huron· Lyons· Macedon· Marion· Ontario· Rose· Savannah· Sodus· Walworth· Williamson· Wolcott.

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


 * - 111th Regiment, New York Infantry
 * - 138th Regiment, New York Infantry
 * - 160th Regiment, New York Infantry
 * - 161st Regiment, New York Infantry

Newspapers

 * Old Fulton Postcards - Free search-able web site which holds newspapers from upstate New York.
 * Surname Search - Office of the Wayne County Historian - Enter surname, given name matches listed in alphabetical order from historiancs records. Includes clipped newspaper articles. This site does not give online access to the actual articles, but sometimes the actual articles can then be found at Old Fulton Postcards, using the citation to give a clue as to what search string to use at Old Fulton Postcards.
 * Wayne County (NY) newspapers on microfilm and paper at all NYS locations - NY State Library

Probate records

 * 1823-1901 - SAMPUBCO Browsable index of testators of wills.
 * 1823-1849 - Wiles, Harriet M. Abstracts of Wills of Wayne County, N.Y.: Surrogate's Office, Lyons, N.Y. New York, 193--1940. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * 1823-1850 - Wiles, Harriet M. Letters of Administration: Intestate Records in the Surrogate's Office, Lyons, Wayne County, N.Y. New York, N.Y., 1940. Digital version at Ancestry ($).

Archives, Libraries and Museums
Libraries


 * Lyons Public Library 122 Broad Street Lyons, New York 14489 Phone: 315-946-9262 Email: lyonslibrary@owwl.org Hours:Monday and Wednesday 10 am - 5 pm, 7 - 9 pm Tuesday and Thursday 12 - 9 pm Friday 10 am - 5 pm, Saturday 9 am - 1 pm


 * The Palmyra Kings Daughters Free Library 127 Cuyler Street Palmyra, New York 14522 Phone: 315-597-5276 Hours: Monday - Thursday 10 am - 8 pm Friday 10 am - 5 pm Saturday 10 am - 2 pm (Closed Saturdays in July and August)

The Palmyra library had local histories, old newspaper listings on marriages, cemetery listings, old maps, deaths, poorhouse records and more.


 * Clyde Savannah Public Library 204 Glasgow Street Clyde, New York 14433 Phone: 315-923-7767 Hours: Monday and Wednesday 1 - 8 pm Tuesday and Thursday 10 am - 6 pm Friday 1 - 6 pm, Saturday 10 am - 1 pm Closed Saturdays during July and August and on major holidays.

The Clyde library has historical photos.

Museums


 * Museum of Wayne County History 21 Butternut Street Lyons, New York 14489 Phone: 315-946-4943 Email: info@waynehistory.org Hours: Tuesday - Friday 10 am - 4 pm Saturdays 10 am - 1 pm April 1 - May 28 Saturdays 10 am - 4 pm June 4 - September 30
 * Heritage Square Museum 7147 Ontario Center Road Ontario, New York 14519


 * The Museums of Historic Palmyra 132 Market Street Palmyra, New York 14522 Phone: 315-597-6981 Email:bjfhpinc@rochester.rr.com


 * To learn about more museums in Wayne County see the website for Wayne County Tourism - Museums

Courthouses
The Wayne County Courthouse is the home for the County Clerk and County Historian. For further information about the records available and whre they are held, see the Wayne County Courthouses page.

Societies

 * Wayne County Historical Society 21 Butternut Street Lyons, New York 14489 Phone: 315-946-4943 Email: info@waynehistory.org


 * 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.


 * Lyons Heritage Society P.O. Box 150 Lyons, New York 14489 Phone: 315-946-6316 or 946-4596


 * For the names of other Historical Societies in Wayne County see the website at the Office of the County Historian.

Birth
Birth Substitutes


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


 * See Town Clerks' Registers of Men who Served in the Civil War in Wayne County 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.


 * 1686-1980


 * 1908-1935


 * 1908-1935 Marriage Records and 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 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.


 * Marriages and Deaths from the Wayne Sentinel. www.ancestry.com($)


 * Wiles, Harriett Mae Evretts. Marriages and Deaths from the Lyons Republican and Inscriptions from the Lyons Rural Cemetery: Nelson, N.Y. and Aurora, N.Y. Ann Arbor, Mich.: University Microfilms International - Books on Demand, 1990. ; Also found at www.ancestry.com ($).

Death

 * 1795-1952

Substitute Death Records


 * 1850-1880 U.S. Census Mortality Schedules, New York, www.ancestry.com ($)


 * Marriages and Deaths from the Wayne Sentinel. www.ancestry.com ($)


 * Wiles, Harriett Mae Evretts. Marriages and Deaths from the Lyons Republican and Inscriptions from the Lyons Rural Cemetery: Nelson, N.Y. and Aurora, N.Y. Ann Arbor, Mich.: University Microfilms International - Books on Demand, 1990. ; Also found at www.ancestry.com ($).

Additional Resources

Websites

 * The Wayne County NYGenWeb
 * USGenWeb Archives Project
 * Office of the Wayne County Historian
 * Surname Search - Office of the Wayne County Historian - Enter surname, given name matches listed in alphabetical order from historiancs records. Includes clipped newspaper articles.
 * Wayne County Links - Cyndi's List - Scroll or search down to "Wayne" for Wayne County Links
 * Wayne County ALHN &amp; AHGP *Wayne County Links GenealogyLinks.net
 * Wayne County Links My New York Genealogy
 * Wayne County Links Kindred Trails
 * Wayne County Links D'ADDEZIO.com