Chenango County, New York Genealogy

Guide to Chenango 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 an Oneida word meaning "large bull-thistle." The County is located in the south central area of the state.

Parent County
15 March 1798: Created from Herkimer and Tioga 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.


 * 4 April 1804: 70 square miles taken to add to Oneida County.
 * 21 March 1806: part taken to create Madison County.

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.

Links to web sites with partial lists, maps and the interred of Chenango County, New York, USA cemeteries.


 * 1800-1965 at FamilySearch — index
 * Partial list of Chenango County Cemeteries with links to lists of the interred on New Horizons Genealogy, dedicated to New England and New York cemeteries pre-1940.
 * Partial list of Chenango County Cemeteries at the NY Hometown Locator, a gazetteer web site with maps. Additions are welcomed.

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

Federal

 * The 1890 Census is lost. For a substitute, see directories.

Church Records
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places


 * Unpublished cemetery &amp; church records for Chenango County. collected and compiled by Genealogical Committee Capt. John Harris Chapter

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.

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

Online



Microforms


 * 1798-1969 Deed Records: 1798-1905 - Index included: 1798-1769
 * 1798-1899 Mortgage Records 1798 - 1861 - Index included: 1798 - 1899

Books



Maps

 * Maps of New York (1683-1915)

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


 * Susquehanna River
 * 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 1792; toll booths opened by 1804.
 * Columbia (NY) Turnpike 1799
 * Lehigh and Lackawanna Paths 1766 from Unadilla, New York to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that is, from the Catskill Turnpike  to the Great Valley Road.
 * Minsi Path 1766 from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Kingston, New York
 * Ulster and Delaware Turnpike 1802 from Salisbury, Connecticut to Bainbridge, New York

Revolutionary War

 * Nelson B. Tiffany, Revolutionary War veterans, Chenango County, New York 4 volumes. Bowie, Maryland : Heritage Books, Inc., c1998 FS Library 974.773 M2t

Civil War

 * 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — index- 1st New York Volunteer Engineers
 * 1861-1865 Chenango County Clerk, Military enlistment & bounty records, 1865-1866

Available towns. Registers are available for: Afton· Columbus· Coventry· German· Lincklaen· McDonough· New Berlin· North Norwich· Norwich· Otselic· Oxford· Pharsalia· Pitcher· Plymouth· Preston· Sherburne· Smithville· Smyrna.

Regiments. Service men in Chenango County served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are companies that were formed in Broome County:


 * - 1st Battalion, New York Light Artillery, Battery A.
 * - 8th Regiment, New York Cavalry, Company K.
 * - 10th Regiment, New York Cavalry, Companies K, L and M.
 * - 17th Regiment, New York Infantry, Company H.
 * - 17th Veteran Regiment, New York Infantry
 * - 19th Regiment, New York Infantry
 * - 20th Regiment, New York Cavalry, Companies L and M.
 * - 22nd Regiment, New York Cavalry, Companies E and L.
 * - 26th Regiment, New York Infantry
 * - 76th Regiment, New York Infantry
 * - 89th Regiment, New York Infantry, Company E.
 * - 90th Regiment, New York Infantry, Second Company B.
 * - 114th Regiment, New York Infantry, Companies A, B, C, E, F, H and I.
 * - 157th Regiment, New York Infantry, Companies A, C and F.
 * - 161st Regiment, New York Infantry, Company K.
 * - 168th Regiment, New York Infantry, Companies A and H.
 * - 176th Regiment, New York Infantry, Company B.
 * - 193rd Regiment, New York Infantry, Company K.

Naturalization and Citizenship

 * 1791-1980 at FamilySearch — index and images
 * SAMPUBCO Index of naturalization records

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes


 * 1629-1971 at FamilySearch.org — index and images
 * 1659-1999 New York Wills and Probate Records 1659-1999 at Ancestry — index and images $
 * 1787-1835 Abstracts of Wills, Administrations and Guardianships in NY State, 1787-1835 at American Ancestors ($).
 * 1792-1901 SAMPUBCO - Browsable index of testators of wills.
 * 1797-1850 Index of Wills of Chenango County, New York from 1797-1850, courtesy: NYGenWeb.
 * 1797-1850 - Barber, Gertrude A. Index of Wills of Chenango County, New York, From 1797-1850: Records are Kept at Norwich, Chenango Co., N.Y. New York: unknown, 1989. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * 1851-1875 - Barber, Gertrude A. Index to Wills of Chenango County, N.Y.: At Surrogate's Office, Norwich, N.Y., 1851-1875. New York: unknown, 1989. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * 1866-1923 at FamilySearch.org — index and images


 * 1626-1836 Calendar of Wills On File and Recorded in the Offices of the Clerk of the Court of Appeals, of the County Clerk at Albany, and of the Secretary of State, 1626-1836 at FamilySearch Digital Library; Also at: Ancestry ($), American Ancestors ($)
 * - Chenango County: Accounts, Orders, 1830-1859; Administration bonds, 1890-1915; Appraisal records, 1892-1902; Bond index, 1878-1915; Creditor notices, 1859-1910; Dower records, 1830-1848, 1863-1868; Estate index, 1798-1970; Final settlements, 1856-1913; Final settlements, Orders, 1871-1897; Guardianship bonds, 1890-1915; Guardianship records, 1814-1940; Letters of administration, 1811-1829, 1848-1904; Letters of administration, Letters of testamentary, 1830-1882; Letters of guardianship, 1860-1890; Letters of testamentary, 1890-1904; Minutes, Orders, 1830-1903; Orders, 1858-1909; Probate records, 1809-1912; Publication orders, 1884-1912; Sales, 1858-1901; Tax records, 1892-1907; Will and Proceeding index, 1798-1970; Wills, 1792-1901

Probate Records on Microfilm

The probate records described above may also be on microfilms like these:


 * 1798-1970 Probate records.
 * 1792-1922 Wills.

Repositories
Cornell University, Guide to Historical Resources in Chenango County, New York Repositories. ([Ithaca, New York]: New York Historical Resources Center, Olin Library, Cornell University, 1982). ; . Includes index. Includes references to some family histories and genealogies.

County Historian's Office
Patricia E. Evans, Historian Joan Lieb, Historical Research Assistant 45 Rexford Street Norwich, NY 13815 Phone: (607)337-1845 E-mail: countyhistorian@co.chenango.ny.us

The County Historian may provide access to obituaries, vital records, church records, maps, and family files or journals. Some historians provide search services for their office records and others may refer you to local genealogists who research in the area.

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

FamilySearch Centers

 * Cortland New York FamilySearch Center
 * Elmira New York FamilySearch Center
 * Ithaca New York FamilySearch Center
 * Norwich New York FamilySearch Center
 * Oneonta New York FamilySearch Center
 * Owego New York FamilySearch Center
 * Vestal New York FamilySearch Center


 * Fairview Public Library - an affiliate library
 * Steele Memorial Library - an affiliate library

Social Groups Online

 * New York Genealogy Research Community (FamilySearch on Facebook)

Vital Records
Vital Records of Chenango County, New York before 1880: Marriages, Births, Deaths from Original Sources (courtesy: NYGenWeb) combined information culled from several sources to provide vital record information.

Birth

 * 1881-1942 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 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 – 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 image


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


 * 1908–1935 at FamilySearch – free; Index.


 * 1908–1922 Marriage records, and licenses


 * 1908–1935 Chenango Co., New York, marriage record

Marriage Substitutes


 * 1686-1980 at FamilySearch – 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 groom, 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."


 * 1813-1850 10,000 Vital Records of Central New York at Ancestry ($).


 * 1822-1906 Miscellaneous Chenango Marriage Notices at NYGenWeb - free.


 * 1840-1841 Chenango Marriages from Chenango Telegraph at NYGenWeb - free.


 * 1859-1862 Marriage Records, Chenango Telegraph 1859-1862 at NYGenWeb - free.


 * 1868-1869 Marriage Records, Chenango Telegraph 1868-1869 at NYGenWeb - free.


 * 1853-1878 Death &amp; Miscellaneous Chenango Marriage Notices 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
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 – 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."


 * 1822-1904 Miscellaneous Chenango Obituary Notices at NYGenWeb - free.


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


 * 1853-1878 Death &amp; Marriage Notices from the Oneonta Herald 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.


 * 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.


 * 1880s-1920s Selected Obituaries Chenango and Madison County at NYGenWeb - free.

Additional Resources

Chenango County New York Genealogy Websites

 * Chenango County, NY History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
 * New York Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
 * The Chenango County NYGenWeb Project, an member of The NYGenWeb Project, an affiliate of The USGenWeb Project.
 * The USGenWeb Archives Project for Chenango County.
 * The USGenWeb Archives Project for Chenango County. (Mirror site)
 * Chenango County Genealogy