New York County Resources
This entry was originally written by Roger D. Joslyn, CG, FUGA, FGBS, FASG for Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources.
Since 1919 New York has had a system of local historians who are appointed to collect and preserve old records. While each county, town, and village should have a historian, not all vacancies are always filled, and of those that are, the knowledge and helpfulness in answering inquiries varies. In most cases it is best to start with the county historian, whose office may contain original or transcribed county, church, cemetery, newspaper, and other material, and in some cases, specialized indexes to these and other types of records. See Directory of New York State County and Municipal Historians (n.p., 1991), available for $20 from Directory, RFD #2, Box 228, Bath, NY 14810. A list of county historians can be found at www.tier.net/~aphnys/cohistorians.html.
Publication of town records is not widespread, with the exception of those for Queens (including Nassau), Suffolk, and Westchester counties. Various items from town records have been presented in Tree Talks (see Periodicals). See also Harold R. Nestler, A Bibliography of New York State Communities: Counties, Towns, Villages (Port Washington, N.Y.: Ira J. Friedman, 1968).
Some New York counties have set up record centers or archives such as are found in Broome, Cayuga, Montgomery, Ontario, Rockland, Ulster, Warren, Washington, Westchester, and other counties. While most initial inquiries about records should be made with the county clerk and county Surrogate's clerk, the information sought might actually now be housed in a county records center/archives. This practice will doubtless continue in New York, especially for older records.
All the counties in New York, past and present, are listed below. The first column indicates the map coordinates. The name of the county and the mailing address of the county clerk, who is in charge of deeds, mortgages, copies of marriage records (1908'ca. 1935), divorces, court records, state censuses, and other records, is in the second column. The year the county was created follows and, where applicable, the parent county or counties from which it was formed. The date the earliest deed was recorded is in the fourth column. County deeds and mortgages not found with the county clerk are also indicated here. The last column shows the date of the earliest county Surrogate Court record, followed by the mailing address of the county Surrogate's clerk, if not the same as that of the county clerk. Some counties have copies or abstracts of earlier deeds and wills from parent counties.
It should be kept in mind that the names of the parent county or counties are those from which the new county was first formed in the year indicated. Many changes took place later, at which times whole towns or parts of them were annexed to or from the newer county. For example, Yates County was created in 1823 from part of Ontario County; the following year, two towns were added to Yates from Steuben County. For the specifics of other changes, consult gazetteers, county directories, and county histories.
| Map | County | County Address | Date Formed | Parent County(ies) | Deeds | Surrogate's Court | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q15 | Albany | 16 Eagle St., Rm. 128, Albany 12207-1019 | 1683 | original | 1656 | 1787, 16 Eagle St., Albany 12207-1019 | ||||
| C4 | Allegany | 7 Court St., Belmont 14813-1039 | 1806 | Genesee | 1807 | 1807 | ||||
| H2 | Bronx | 851 Grand Concourse , Rm. 118, Bronx 10451-2937 | 1914 | New York (Westchester) | 1914* | 1914, 851 Grand Concourse, Rm. 317 | ||||
| * At the City Register's Office, 1932 Arthur Ave., Rm 301, Bronx 10457 | ||||||||||
| S11 | Broome | 44 Hawley St./P.O. Box 2062, Binghamton 13902-2062 | 1806 | Tioga | 1806 | 1806, P.O. Box 1766, Binghamton 13901-1766 | ||||
| C3 | Cattaraugus | 303 Court St., Little Valley 14755-1028 | 1808 | Genesee | 1817 | 1817 | ||||
| Cattaraugus had no county government until 1817. Its records were first kept in Buffalo, but they were destroyed in 1813 when the British burned the courthouse. In 1812 Cattaraugus was annexed to Allegany County, and from 1814'17 county records for the eastern towns of Olean and Ischua were kept in Belmont and for the western town of Perry, in Buffalo. | ||||||||||
| Q10 | Cayuga | 160 Genesee St., Auburn 13021 | 1799 | Onondaga | 1799 | 1799, 153 Genesee St., Auburn 13021-3471 | ||||
| Charlotte | (see Washington) | |||||||||
| C1 | Chautauqua | 1 N. Erie St./P.O. Box 170, Mayville 14757-0170 | 1808 | Genesee | 1811 | 1811, 3 N. Erie St., Mayville 14757 | ||||
| Chautauqua was attached to Niagara County until 1811, but records kept in Buffalo were burned by the British in 1813. | ||||||||||
| S10 | Chemung | 210 Lake St. , P.O. Box 588, Elmira 14902-0588 | 1836 | Tioga | 1836 | 1836, 224 Lake St. , P.O. Box 588, Elmira 14902-0588 | ||||
| R12 | Chenango | 5 Court St., Norwich 13815 | 1798 | Herkimer/Tioga | 1798 | 1798 | ||||
| L16 | Clinton | 137 Margaret St., Plattsburgh 12901-2933 | 1788 | Washington | 1788 | 1790 | ||||
| R16 | Columbia | 560 Warren St., Hudson 12534 | 1786 | Albany | 1786 | 1787, 401 Union St., Hudson 12534 | ||||
| Cornwall | 1683 | original | ||||||||
| Located in Maine, this county was transferred to Massachusetts in 1686, but no longer exists in name. See Collections of the Maine Historical Society, first series, vol. 5 (1857). | ||||||||||
| Q11 | Cortland | 46 Greenbush St., Ste. 101, Cortland 13045-3702 | 1808 | Onondaga | 1808 | 1808, 46 Greenbush St., Ste. 301, Cortland 13045-2725 | ||||
| Cumberland | 1766 | Albany | ||||||||
| Disallowed the year after it was formed, Cumberland was re-established in 1768 and ceased to exist 1777'78 when Vermont declared itself a republic. | ||||||||||
| S13 | Delaware | P.O. Box 426, Delhi 13753-0426 | 1797 | Ulster/Otsego | 1797 | 1797, 3 Court St., Delhi 13753 | ||||
| Dukes | 1683 | original | ||||||||
| Dukes County was annexed to Massachusetts in 1692 (see Massachusetts). | ||||||||||
| T15 | Dutchess | 22 Market St., Poughkeepsie 12601 | 1683 | original | 1718 | 1752, 10 Market St., Poughkeepsie 12601 | ||||
| Almost uninhabited until 1701, Dutchess was administered by Ulster County from that time until at least 1713. Some older records, including marriages, 1908'35; state and federal censuses; tax records, 1854'1954; and the 'Ancient Documents' series are at the County Records Center and Archives, 27 High St., Poughkeepsie 12601. | ||||||||||
| B3 | Erie | 25 Delaware Ave., Buffalo 14202 | 1821 | Niagara | 1808 | 1800, 92 Franklin St., Buffalo 14202 | ||||
| In 1813 the British burned the courthouse in Buffalo, then the seat of Niagara County, destroying records that also included Cattaraugus and Chautauqua counties. | ||||||||||
| M15 | Essex | 7559 Court St. , P.O. Box 247, Elizabethtown 12932-0247 | 1799 | Clinton | 1799 | 1803, 100 Court St., P.O. Box 505, Elizabethtown 12932-0505 | ||||
| L14 | Franklin | 355 W. Main St./P.O. Box 70, Malone 12953-0070 | 1808 | Clinton | 1808 | 1809, 355 W. Main St., Malone 12953 | ||||
| P14 | Fulton | 223 W. Main St., P.O. Box 485, Johnstown 12095-0485 | 1838 | Montgomery | 1838 | 1838, 223 W. Main St., Johnstown 12095 | ||||
| A4 | Genesee | P.O. Box 379, Batavia 14021-0379 | 1802 | Ontario | 1803 | 1805, 1 W. Main St., P.O. Box 462, Batavia 14020-0462 | ||||
| Gloucester | 1770 | Cumberland | ||||||||
| This county ceased to exist when Vermont declared itself a republic 1777'78. | ||||||||||
| R15 | Greene | P.O. Box 446, Catskill 12414-0446 | 1800 | Ulster/Albany | 1800 | 1803, 320 Main St., P.O. Box 469, Catskill 12414-0469 | ||||
| O14 | Hamilton | Rt. 8, Box 204, Lake Pleasant 12108 | 1816 | Montgomery | 1797 | 1861, White Birch Lane, P.O. Box 780, Indian Lake 12842-0780 | ||||
| Hamilton remained attached to Montgomery County until 1838 and then briefly to Fulton County. Earlier surrogates' records are evidently in Montgomery, Fulton, and St. Lawrence counties. See Tree Talks 20 (1980): 166. | ||||||||||
| P13 | Herkimer | County Office Bldg., 109 Mary St., Ste. 111, Herkimer 13350-2923 | 1791 | Montgomery | 1804, 1791'98* | 1792, 301 N. Washington St., P.O. Box 5550, Herkimer 13350-5550 | ||||
| *Deeds 1791'98 for what became Oneida County are in Utica. | ||||||||||
| M11 | Jefferson | 175 Arsenal St., Watertown 13601-2522 | 1805 | Oneida | 1805 | 1805 | ||||
| J2 | Kings | 360 Adams St., Rm. 189, Brooklyn 11201-3712 | 1683 | original | 1683* | 1787, 2 Johnson St., Rm. 109, Brooklyn 11201 | ||||
| * At the City Register's Office, 210 Joralemon St., Rm 2, Brooklyn 11201. Many Surrogate's files before about 1870 are now at the NYC Archives and on microfilm at the Family History Library. | ||||||||||
| N12 | Lewis | 7660 State St., P.O. Box 232, Lowville 13367-0232 | 1805 | Oneida | 1805 | 1805, 7660 State St., Lowville 13367 | ||||
| B5 | Livingston | 6 Court St., Geneseo 14454-1048 | 1821 | Genesee/Ontario | 1821 | 1821, 2 Court St., Geneseo 14454 | ||||
| Q11 | Madison | P.O. Box 668, Wampsville 13163-0668 | 1806 | Chenango | 1806 | 1806, Court St., P.O. Box 607, Wampsville 13163-0607 | ||||
| A5 | Monroe | 39 West Main St., Rochester 14614 | 1821 | Genesee/Ontario | 1821 | 1824, 541 Hall of Justice, Rochester 14614 | ||||
| Q14 | Montgomery | P.O. Box 1500, Fonda 12068-1500 | 1772 | Albany (called Tryon until 1784) | 1777 | 1787, 58 Broadway, P.O. Box 1500, Fonda 12069-1500 | ||||
| H3 | Nassau | 240 Old Country Rd., Rm. 109, Mineola 11501 | 1899 | Queens | 1899 | 1899, 262 Old Country Rd., Mineola 11501 | ||||
| J2 | New York | 60 Centre St., Rm. 103B, New York 10007-1402 | 1683 | original | 1654* | 1665**, 31 Chambers St., Rm. 402, New York 10007 | ||||
| * At the City Register's Office, 66 John Street, 13th Floor, New York 10038. Early records of the county clerk are in Division of Old Records, 31 Chambers Street, Rm 703. **Pre-1830 Surrogate's files and inventories are not known to have survived. | ||||||||||
| A3 | Niagara | 175 Hawley St., P.O. Box 461, Lockport 14094-0461 | 1821 | Genesee | 1821 | 1821, 175 Hawley St., Lockport 14094 | ||||
| Records for the period 1813'21 are in Buffalo, which was the county seat of Niagara until Erie was created; earlier records were destroyed when the British burned the Buffalo courthouse in 1813. | ||||||||||
| P12 | Oneida | 800 Park Ave., Utica 13501-2939 | 1798 | Herkimer | 1791'1885* | 1798 | ||||
| * At the B-1 Records Center, 800 Park Ave., Utica 13501. Deeds 1886 to present are with the county clerk. | ||||||||||
| P11 | Onondaga | 401 Montgomery St., Rm. 200, Syracuse 13202 | 1794 | Herkimer | 1784 | 1796, 401 Montgomery St., Rm. 209, Syracuse 13202-2173 | ||||
| A6 | Ontario | 20 Ontario St., Canandaigua 14424 | 1789 | Montgomery | 1789'1915* | 1789'1926*, 27 N. Main St. | ||||
| *These records'and mortgages to 1920'are at the Ontario County Department of Records, Archives, and Information Management Services, 3051 County Complex Drive, Canandaigua 14424; later deeds and all indexes are at the county clerk's; later Surrogate's Court records are at the courthouse, Canandaigua 14424. | ||||||||||
| U14 | Orange | 255-275 Main St., Goshen 10924-1621 | 1683 | original | 1703 | 1787, 30 Park Pl., Goshen 10924 | ||||
| A4 | Orleans | 3 S. Main St., Albion 14411-1449 | 1824 | Genesee | 1824 | 1824 | ||||
| O11 | Oswego | 46 E. Bridge St., Oswego 13126-2123 | 1816 | Oneida/Onondaga | 1791 | 1816, 25 E. Oneida St., Oswego 13126 | ||||
| Q13 | Otsego | 197 Main St., P.O. Box 710, Cooperstown 13326-0710 | 1791 | Montgomery | 1791 | 1791, 197 Main St., Cooperstown 13326-1129 | ||||
| U15 | Putnam | 40 Gleneida Ave., Carmel 10512 | 1812 | Dutchess | 1812 | 1812, 44 Gleneida Ave. | ||||
| J2 | Queens | 88-11 Sutphin Blvd., Rm.105, Jamaica 11435 | 1683 | original | 1683* | 1787**, 88-11 Sutphin Blvd., Rm. 700, Jamaica 11435 | ||||
| * At the City Register's Office, 144-06 94th Ave., Jamaica 11435. ** Most or all pre-1830 surrogate's files were lost or destroyed. | ||||||||||
| Q16 | Rensselaer | 105 Third St., Troy 12180 | 1791 | Albany | 1791 | 1794, 72 Second St. | ||||
| J1 | Richmond | 130 Stuyvesant Pl. , 2nd Floor, Staten Island 10301 | 1683 | original | 1683 | 1787, 18 Richmond Terrace, Rm. 201, Staten Island 10301-1935 | ||||
| U15 | Rockland | 1 S. Main St., Ste. 100, New City 10956-3549 | 1798 | Orange | 1798 | 1798, 1 S. Main St., Ste. 27D, New City 10956-3549 | ||||
| L13 | St. Lawrence | 48 Court St., Canton 13617-2217 | 1802 | Clinton/Herkimer/Montgomery | 1802 | 1803 | ||||
| P15 | Saratoga | 40 McMaster St., Ballston Spa 12020-1908 | 1791 | Albany | 1791 | 1791, 30 McMaster St., Ballston Spa 12020 | ||||
| Q15 | Schenectady | 620 State St., Schenectady 12305 | 1809 | Albany | 1809 | 1809, 612 State St., Schenectady 12305-2113 | ||||
| R14 | Schoharie | 300 Main St. , P.O. Box 549 | 1795 | Albany/Otsego | 1795 | 1795, 290 Main St., P.O. Box 669, Schoharie 12157-0669 | ||||
| R9 | Schuyler | 105 Ninth St., Box 8, Watkins Glen 14891 | 1854 | Tompkins/Steuben/Chemung | 1854 | 1854, 105 Ninth St. | ||||
| B7 | Seneca | One Di Pronio Dr., Waterloo 13165 | 1804 | Cayuga | 1804 | 1804, 44 W. Williams St., Waterloo 13165 | ||||
| C6 | Steuben | 3 E. Pulteney Sq., Bath 14810 | 1796 | Ontario | 1796 | 1796 | ||||
| H5 | Suffolk | 310 Center Dr., Riverhead 11901-3398 | 1683 | original | 1683 | 1787, 320 Center Dr., Riverhead 11901 | ||||
| T13 | Sullivan | 100 North St., Monticello 12701 | 1809 | Ulster | 1809 | 1811 | ||||
| A fire in 1909 destroyed will volumes 1-7 but all or most of the files survived. | ||||||||||
| S10 | Tioga | P.O. Box 307, Owego 13827-0307 | 1791 | Montgomery | 1791 | 1798, 20 Court St., P.O. Box 10, Owego 13827-0010 | ||||
| The explanation for the delay in the Surrogate's records is not fully known, but some estate records during this period may have perished in an early fire in Spencer, once the county seat. | ||||||||||
| R10 | Tompkins | 320 N. Tioga St., Ithaca 14851 | 1817 | Cayuga/Seneca | 1817 | 1817, 320 N. Tioga St., P.O. Box 70, Ithaca 14851-0070 | ||||
| Tryon | (see Montgomery) | |||||||||
| S14 | Ulster | 244 Fair St., P.O. Box 1800, Kingston 12402-1800 | 1683 | original | 1684 | 1787 | ||||
| O15 | Warren | 1340 State Rt. 9, Lake George 12845 | 1813 | Washington | 1813 | 1813, 1340 State Rt. 9, Lake George 12845-9803 | ||||
| P16 | Washington | 383 Broadway, Bldg. A, Fort Edward 12828 | 1772 | Albany (called Charlotte until 1784) | 1774 | 1787, 383 Broadway, Bldg. C | ||||
| The eastern part of the county became a part of Vermont when it declared itself a republic in 1777'78. | ||||||||||
| A6 | Wayne | 9 Pearl St., P.O. Box 608, Lyons 14489-0608 | 1823 | Ontario/Seneca | 1823 | 1823, 54 Broad St., Rm. 106, Lyons 14489 | ||||
| U15 | Westchester | 110 Dr. Martin , Luther King Jr. Blvd., White Plains 10601 | 1683 | original | 1667'1852* | files, 1775'1910; original wills through 1941;and record books, 1777'1895** | ||||
| *These records, with indexes for 1680'1897, are held at the Records Center and Archives, 2199 Saw Mill River Rd., Elmsford, NY 10523. Later deed records are with the county clerk (address above). **Later Surrogate Court records are at 140 Grand St., 8th Floor, White Plains, NY 10601. | ||||||||||
| B4 | Wyoming | 143 N. Main St., Warsaw 14569 | 1841 | Genesee | 1841 | 1841, 147 N. Main St., Warsaw 14569-1123 | ||||
| B6 | Yates | 417 Liberty St., Ste. 1107, Penn Yan 14527 | 1823 | Ontario | 1823 | 1823, 108 Court St., Penn Yan 14527 | ||||
| B6 | Yates | 417 Liberty St., Ste. 1107, Penn Yan 14527 | 1823 | Ontario | 1823 | 1823, 108 Court St., Penn Yan 14527 | ||||
