Ontario County, New York Genealogy

''This article is about a county in western New York state. For other uses, see Ontario (disambiguation).''

United States New York  Ontario County

Quick Facts

 * The area of Ontario County was part of Albany County. Albany was an enormous county, including the northern part of New York State as well as all of the present State of Vermont and, in theory, extending westward to the Pacific Ocean. Albany County was reduced in size in 1766 by the creation of Cumberland County, and further in 1770 by the creation of Gloucester County.  In 1772 Albany was further divided, and the western part became Tryon County, that was renamed Montgomery in 1784.  In 1789, Ontario County was formed from part of Montgomery County.  Ontario was further reduced in size in 1796, 1802, 1821 and 1823.  . - Wikipedia
 * 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.

Parent County
27 January 1789: Created from Montgomery County.

Boundary Changes
Several counties set off and some take aways.


 * 1791: A part taken from Montgomery County.
 * 18 March 1796: Steuben County set off.
 * 30 March 1802: Genesee County set off.
 * 1814: A part taken from Steuben County.
 * 23 February 1821: Livingston and Monroe counties set off.
 * 5 February 1823: Yates County set off.
 * 11 April 1823: Wayne County set off.

State

 * The Ontario County Records and Archives Center has many census indexes online. They have completed up to 1892. The indexes are divided by towns.

Court Records
The Ontario County Records and Archives Center has placed many of their historical records on-line including various court records.

Land and Property

 * 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.
 * The original records for the Holland Land Company are in Holland. SUNY (State University of New York) at Fredonia microfilmed the records and they are in SUNY Brockport, New York.
 * Also available at familysearch.org "Holland Land Company Records"

The Ontario County Records and Archives Center has placed many of their historical records on-line including the following:


 * Real Property Deeds for the period 1789-1845.
 * Chattel Mortgages 1830's-1860's
 * Chattel Morgages 1840's-1870's

Military History and Records
The Ontario County Records and Archives Center has placed many of their historical records on-line which include the following military records:


 * Civil War Records
 * Civil War Pension Records
 * Military Commissions
 * Civil War Records from 1865 Census Records
 * Revolutionary War Pension Records

Naturalization and Citizenship
The Ontario County Records and Archives Center has place two Indexes for Naturalization Records for the periods 1803-1906 and 1906-1956 on line.

Vital Records
The Ontario County Records and Archives Center has placed many of their historical records on-line. They include marriage records, Poor House Indentures, and Vital Town Records.

Websites

 * The Ontario County NYGenWeb Project, an member of The NYGenWeb Project, an affiliate of The USGenWeb Project.
 * The Ontario County Records and Archives Center
 * FamilySearch.org catalog for Ontario County