Herkimer County, New York Genealogy

United States New York  Herkimer County

Parent County

 * Created 16 February 1791 from Montgomery County.

Neighboring Counties
Fulton· Hamilton· Lewis· Madison· Montgomery· Oneida· Otsego· St. Lawrence

Boundary Changes
Three partitions over the years set off these counties:


 * 5 March 1794: Onondaga
 * 15 March 1798: Oneida
 * 15 March 1798: Chenango

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.

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

Church Records

 * 1802-1803 - Baptismal Records of the Reformed Church of Columbia, 1802-1803, courtesy: NYGenWeb.
 * 1806-1816 - Baptismal Records of the Reformed Church of Columbia, 1806-1816, courtesy: NYGenWeb.
 * 1806-1836 - Records of the Dutch Reformed Church of Columbia, Herkimer County, New York 1806-1836, courtesy: Family History Archives. Baptisms 1806-1836, marriages 1825-1828, 1834-1836, and cemetery transcripts.
 * 1807-1812 - Name Index, 2nd Baptist Church, Newport, NY Church Minutes, courtesy: NYGenWeb.
 * 1811-1843 - Index Records of the Yellow Church of Manheim Herkimer County, New York Baptisms and Members 1811 to 1845, courtesy: NYGenWeb.
 * 1811-1817 - Baptismal Records of the Old Yellow Church in the Town of Manheim, Herkimer County
 * 1816-1826 - Baptismal Record of the Reformed Church of Columbia, 1816-1826, courtesy: NYGenWeb.
 * 1820 - First Membership List of the First Free Will Baptist Church of Christ in Middleville, courtesy: NYGenWeb.
 * 1821-1822 - Memorandum of Formation of the Old Yellow Church of Manheim, NY, courtesy: NYGenWeb.
 * 1822-1910 - Grace Episcopal Church Records, Norway, Herkimer Co., New York 1822-1910, courtesy: NYGenWeb.
 * 1825-1836 - Baptismal Records of the Reformed Church of Columbia, 1825-183, courtesy: NYGenWeb.
 * 1825-1828, 1832-1836 - Marriage Records of the Reformed Church of Columbia, 1825-1828 and 1832-1836, courtesy: NYGenWeb.
 * 1829 - The Charter of the Second Reformed Protestant Dutch Church of Warren, New York, courtesy: NYGenWeb.
 * 1839 - Roll of Members from the Old Yellow Church of Manheim, NY, courtesy: NYGenWeb.
 * 1895 - New York Baptist Annual, 1895. 1895. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * 1923 - Year Book and Church Directory, First Baptist Church, Ilion, New York, 1923. Ilion, N.Y.: First Baptist Church, 1923. Digital version at Ancestry ($).

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


 * Mohawk River pre-historic
 * Mohawk or Iroquois Trail 1722
 * Great Genesee Road 1794
 * Erie Canal 1825

Military
Civil War

Available towns. Registers are available for: Columbia· Frankfort· German Flatts· Litchfield· Little Falls· Manheim· Norway· Ohio· Russia· Salisbury· Schuyler· Stark.

Regiments. Service men from Herkimer 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 Herkimer County.


 * - 115th Regiment, New York Infantry, Company A and K
 * - 121st Regiment, New York Infantry, Companies A, B, C, D, G, H, I
 * - 152nd Regiment, New York Infantry, Companies A, B, C, D, E, F, I and K
 * - 153rd Regiment, New York Infantry: Company B

Probate Records

 * 1792-1917 - SAMPUBCO Browsable index of testators of wills.

Repositories
Cornell University, Guide to Historical Resources in Herkimer County, New York Repositories. ([Ithaca, New York]: New York Historical Resources Center, Olin Library, Cornell University, 1984). ; . Includes index. Includes references to some family histories and genealogies.

Archives, Libraries and Museums
Libraries


 * Frank J. Basloe Public Library 245 N. Main Street Herkimer, NY 13350 Phone: 315-866-1733 Email: LPaul@midyork.org Online obituary index. The Evelyn Dexter Arthur Collection is housed in th the Basloe Genealogy Room. The collection includes local files,historical maps, city directories, and the Herkimer Evening Telegraph newspaper on microfilm 1945-present. Ancestry and HeritageQuest are available.


 * Ilion Free Public Library 78 West Street Ilion, New York 13357 Phone: 315-894-5028 Local history room. Call ahead to confirm schedule.

Museums

Herkimer's Historic Four Corners 400 North Main Street Herkimer, New York 13350 Phone: 315-866-6413 E-mail: Herkimerhistory@yahoo.com Hours: Monday - Friday 10 am - 4 pm July and August also on Saturdays from 10 am - 3 pm

The Historic Four Corners is composed of the 1884 Herkimer County Historical Society Suiter Building Museum, the 1834 Herkimer County Jail, the 1873 Herkimer County Courthouse and the 1834 Herkimer Reformed Church.

Courthouses
The Herkimer 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 Herkimer County are held, see the Herkimer County Courthouse page.

Societies

 * Herkimer County Historical Society 400 North Main Street Herkimer, New York 13350 Phone: 315-866-6413 E-mail: Herkimerhistory@yahoo.com The society houses a genealogy collection including directories, biographies, cemetery files, local newspapers, family genealogies,and a will index. The society has a research fee policy listed on their website.


 * Little Falls Historical Society 319 South Ann Street Little Falls, NY 13365 Phone: 315-823-0643 E-mail: lfhistor@ntcnet.com


 * 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; publication: 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.

Social Groups Online

 * New York Genealogy Research Community (FamilySearch on Facebook)

Birth
Birth Substitutes


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


 * 1808–1850 Fred Q.Bowman, 7000 Hudson-Mohawk Valley, (NY), Vital Records, 1808-1850 (Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Pub. Co., 1997). ; . Abstracts from newspapers filed at the New York State Library in Albany.


 * See Town Clerks' Registers of Men who Served in the Civil War in the Civil War section of Military for birth information.


 * 1864-5 1000 Vital Records from 1865 Herkimer Co., NY Census at NYGenWeb - free.

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.
 * Herkimer County New York Marriage Record Vol. 1, pages 1-500 at USGenWeb Archives - free; includes abstracts.

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 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."


 * 1808–1850 Fred Q.Bowman, 7000 Hudson-Mohawk Valley, (NY), Vital Records, 1808-1850 (Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Pub. Co., 1997). ; . Abstracts from newspapers filed at the New York State Library in Albany.


 * 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.


 * 1864-5 1000 Vital Records from 1865 Herkimer Co., NY Census at NYGenWeb - free.

Death
Death Substitutes


 * 1795–1952 at FamilySearch Historical Records – 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."


 * 1808–1850 Fred Q.Bowman, 7000 Hudson-Mohawk Valley, (NY), Vital Records, 1808-1850 (Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Pub. Co., 1997). ; . Abstracts from newspapers filed at the New York State Library in Albany.


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


 * 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.


 * 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.


 * 1864-5 1000 Vital Records from 1865 Herkimer Co., NY Census at NYGenWeb - free.


 * 2000-present Obituaries -- J. Seaton McGrath Funeral Home: Serving Otsego and Herkimer Counties Since 1912 - free.

Additional Resources

Websites

 * The Herkimer County NYGenWeb Project, an member of The NYGenWeb Project, an affiliate of The USGenWeb Project.
 * The USGenWeb Archives Project for Herkimer County.
 * The USGenWeb Archives Project for Herkimer County. (Back up site)