Erie County, New York Genealogy

United States New York  Erie County

Historical Facts



 * Named for Lake Erie, in turn which comes from the Erie tribe of Indians who lived south and east of of the lake before 1654.

Boundary Changes

 * Created 2 April 1821 from Niagara County.

Cemeteries

 * Erie County, New York Cemeteries Past and Present - Many Erie County Cemeteries Listed Online
 * List of Cemeteries in Erie County - Findagrave
 * Map of Cemeteries in Erie County - Findagrave

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

Directories

 * Fold3.com ($) has Buffalo City Directories 1828, 1861-1923 (1 yrs. missing) available online.

History

 * BuffaloRearch.com - How to Research Buffalo, New York, Ancestors, Buildings, Companies, and more.

Maps

 * Map of Erie County Towns - Regional Knowledge Network
 * Outline of Erie County Over Google Map - NY Home Town Locator
 * Map of Towns of 7 Western New York Counties apx 1825 - Downloadable JPEG - Stoneybrook University

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


 * Great Genesee Road 1794
 * Erie Canal 1825
 * Lake Shore Path

Military

 * Civil War

Civil War service men served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are companies that were specifically formed in Erie County:


 * - 116th Regiment, New York Infantry
 * - 132nd Regiment, New York Infantry
 * - 151st Regiment, New York Infantry
 * - 155th Regiment, New York Infantry
 * - 160th Regiment, New York Infantry
 * - 164th Regiment, New York Infantry
 * - 176th Regiment, New York Infantry

Newspapers

 * Old Fulton Postcards - Free search-able web site which holds newspapers from upstate New York.

Repositories
Erie County has more than 25 intriguing historical societies, museums, and town historians. For a list, visit Erie County, New York Town Historians, Historical Societies and Historical Museums.

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

Family History Centers
Family History Centers (FHCs) are branches of the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah, and are located all over the world. Their goal is to provide resources to assist in the study of genealogy.

The closest FHCs in Erie County are the:


 * Buffalo New York - Inner City Family History Center
 * Buffalo New York Family History Center
 * Orchard Park New York Family History Center

For additional Family History Centers, search this online FHC directory. See also Introduction to LDS Family History Centers.

Societies

 * Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society
 * Buffalo and Erie County Library
 * Western New York Genealogical Society

Marriage
Names of Persons and dates of marriages from Elma, Erie County, New York website. Extracted marriages from the book “History of the Town of Elma, Erie County, NY, 1620-1901, Chapter XVII, Page 157.” Index gives: • Groom Name • Bride Name • Date

Divorce
Additional Resources

Websites

 * The Erie County NYGenWeb Project, an member of The NYGenWeb Project, an affiliate of The USGenWeb Project.
 * The USGenWeb Archives Project for Erie County.
 * The USGenWeb Archives Project for Erie County. (Backup site)
 * BuffaloResearch.com - Buffalo Genealogical Data
 * Erie County Links - Erie County, New York Cemeteries Past and Present - More links than just cemeteries.