Ontario County, New York Genealogy

The original county of Ontario, created in 1789, included the present counties of Steuben, Yates, parts of Seneca, Wayne, parts of Livingston and parts of Monroe in the western section of New York. The original owners of this land were men of Massachusetts and Connecticut, Nathan Gorham and Oliver Phelps. They were trustees for thirteen Dutch investors in Amsterdam. Trustees were needed because aliens were not then permitted to own land. This tract was later known as The Holland Purchase. The legal transactions and recordings were conducted in Massachusetts by the General Court assembled and passed in that House of Representatives and Senate. It was approved by John Hancock, the governor of Massachusetts, before it was recorded in New York. Many transactions thereafter recorded include the grantors Nathan Gorham of Massachusetts and Oliver Phelps of Connecticut. A deed in 1817 from Oliver Phelps daughter, Mary, granted land to the school commissioner of Connecticut.

The indenture was procured from Chiefs and Warriors of the Five Indian Nations inhabiting this land by “fee or right of soil” in July of 1789. Nathan Gorham of Charlestown, Massachusetts and Oliver Phelps claimed title and began their development of this New York land from that date forward while never establishing residence in that State.

A transcription of the fourth deed recorded on 18 November 1789 between Nathaniel Gorham and Oliver Phelps grantors to Robert Morris grantee is available on the website http://www.godfrey.org/friends.html under the topic New York Original land deeds of Ontario.

Additional parties receiving land in that deed were: Caleb Gardner, Caleb Benton, Chapain Dickinson, William Bacon, Elijah Austin, George Joy, Eleazer Linley, Arthur Erwin, Prince Bryan, John Shamesborn and Hudson, a Robinson and a Hathaway, Arnold Potter, Israel Chapin, a Jenkins and a Swift, John Rop, Reverend John Smith, Nathan Comstock, Stephen Warner, Bonny Stone, a Watkins, Prince Bryan or Wilder, John Fellows, Enos Boughton, William Walker, Jonathan Fasset, Marvin Ontes, Samuel Franklin, William Wadsworth, Stone Dodge, Abner Miles, Jeremiah Wadsworth, Thomas Grant, William Jedd, a Dennis, Ezekiel Scott, Caleb Hyde, Samuel Street and Ebenezer Hunt.

This transcription of the deed includes a map of the Ontario tract from the Pennsylvania border to Lake Ontario with subdivisions designating names of the settlers.

The original records for the Holland Land Company are in Holland. About ten to fifteen years ago, SUNY (State University of NY) at Fredonia microfilmed the records and they are in SUNY Brockport, New York.