Montgomery County, New YorkEdit This Page

Boundary Changes

Five counties set off over the years.^[3]

• 27 January 1789: Ontario
• 16 February 1791: Herkimer, Otsego, Tioga
• 21 February 1816: Hamilton

Record Loss

Montgomery County New York Genealogy Resources

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.
  

Biography

Business Records and Commerce

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.

Federal

U.S. Census Mortality Schedules for New York, 1850-1880:

• Available online at Ancestry ($).
• Deaths are included for the 12 months prior to the census, 1849-50, 1859-60, 1869-70, and 1879-80 beginning 1 June and ending 31 May of the census year.^[4]
• Basic contents of the records include: Name, sex, age, color, marital status, place of birth, month of death, occupation, and cause of death. 1870 also has parents' birthplace. 1880 lists how long a resident of the county.
• Also on FHL Films 1415128–42 which can be ordered through any Family History Center.

State

New York State 1865 and 1875 Census Marriage, Mortality; and 1865 Soldier Mortality records:

• Images available online at New York State Census, 1865 and New York State Census, 1875. Click on the link to go to the page, then click on the ‘Browse through images’ link and select your county, then select an ancestor's town and browse to the end of the population schedule until you find the Marriage, Mortality, and 1865 soldier mortality schedules.
• Includes marriages and deaths for the 12 months prior to the census, ending 1 June of the census year.
• Marriage entry content: Husband's name, wife's name, ages and previous marital status, month and day and place of marriage, and church or civil ceremony.
• Death entry content: Name, age, sex, color, marital status, month and day of death, native state or country, occupation and cause of death.
• 1865 deaths of officers and enlisted men entry content: Name, age, marital status, citizenship status, enlistment date, original regiment, original rank, regiment at death, rank at death, promotions, death date and place, manner of death, surviving associates, and burial place.
• Also on microfilm. See the Family History Library line in the above State Census Chart. These can be ordered through any Family History Center.

Church Records

Church records are good substitutes for birth, marriage, and death information and are most often found on a local city/town or county level.  Published and manuscript church records can be found at public, university, and private libraries.

For a brief general history of denominations and a guide to finding various New York denomination's records, see New York Church Records Wiki page.

Ann Mensch's Local Catholic Church and Family History & Genealogical Research Guide is a free online resource that identifies the parishes of Montgomery County, years parishes were created, contact information, as well as links to online records and research tips. Montgomery County parishes fall under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Albany.

• 1734-1735 - Register of Baptisms, Marriages, Communicants, & Funerals Begun by Henry Barclay at Fort Hunter, January 26th, 1734/5: Register Book, Fort Hunter 1734. Albany, N.Y.: New York State Library, 1919. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
  

• 1852, 1857 - Marriages of Rev. J.M. Van Buren and Rev. Ransford Wells, courtesy: NYGenWeb.
  

• 1869-1883 - Pastoral Register of the Rev. Francis M. Kip, Jr. Funerals 1869-1883, courtesy: NYGenWeb.
  

• 1870-1883 - Pastoral Register of the Rev. Francis M. Kip, Jr. Marriages, courtesy: NYGenWeb.
  

• 1871-1883 - Pastoral Register of the Rev. Francis M. Kip, Jr. Baptisms, courtesy: NYGenWeb.
  

• Dempster, James. Records of Marriages and Baptisms of the Rev. James Dempster. 1934. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
  

Additional Church Records

Additional church records can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Montgomery County, New York Church Records  in online catalogs like:

• WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
• Family History Library Catalog (For instructions see FHL Catalog Place-name Search).

Court Records

Ancestors may have also been involved in municipal, state, or federal court cases. See also New York Court Records and United States Court Records.

Crime and Criminals

Directories

Ethnic, Political, or Religious Groups

Gazetteers

Genealogy

• Rootsweb message board for Montgomery County, New York 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.
  

History

Land and Property

Land and property records can place an ancestor in a particular location, provide economic information, and reveal family relationships. Land records include: deeds, abstracts and indexes, mortgages, leases, grants and land patents.

See New York Land and Property for more details, especially about the papers generated in New York State by large speculative land companies.

Original land records in Montgomery County, New York began in [?dateyear?]. These records are housed at the [?repository?] in [?town?].

Online

Microforms

Books

Additional land records can sometimes be found using these catalogs:

• WorldCat using the search phase: Montgomery County, New York deeds. (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog.)
• Family History Library Catalog using the search phrase: 1, New York - Land and Property. (For instructions see FHL Catalog Place-name Search.)

Maps

Atlas of Montgomery and Fulton counties, New York: from actual surveys (1868)] - Internet Archive.

Migration

Early migration routes to and from Montgomery County for European settlers included:^[5]

• Mohawk River pre-historic
• Erie Canal 1825
• Mohawk or Iroquois Trail

Military

Revolutionary War

Tryon (Montgomery) County men served in the 1st New York Regiment.^[6]

Civil War

Town registers. The New York town clerks kept a bound register of all soldiers from their town serving in the Civil War 1861-1865. Registers are arranged by county, and town. Some town registers are missing. The registers include an index at the start of each town.

Content. Many register entries include full name, residence, date and place of birth, parents names, marital status, date of enlistment and muster and rank, discharges, death, or promotion.

Access. The original registers are at the New York State Archives in Albany, New York. Microfilm copies are found at the Family History Library (FHL Film 1993401-37) and can be ordered for viewing at your local Family History Center. They are also indexed and available at Ancestry.com ($).

Available towns. Registers are available for: Amsterdam · Canajoharie · Florida · Glen · Mohawk · Palatine · Root · St. Johnsville.

Regiments. Service men from Oswego County 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 Montgomery County.^[7]

- 115th Regiment, New York Infantry, Companies A, B, D, G, H, I, K

- 134th Regiment, New York Infantry, Company I

- 153rd Regiment, New York Infantry, Companies B, C, E, F, H

Naturalization and Citizenship

Newspapers

Old Fulton NY Post Cards has the largest online collection of 400 New York 1795-2007 newspapers. The instructions for this quirky site are needed to get the most out of it.

• Search engine for all 400 newspapers.
• List of 400 newspapers 1795-2007 at this site.

• Wiki instructions for finding ancestors in Old Fulton NY Post Cards newspapers.
• Site's FAQ instructions about how to do searches.

Old Fulton NY Post Cards has the following Montgomery County, New York newspaper images:

• Amsterdam NY Evening Recorder 1884-1974

Obituaries

Periodicals

Poorhouses, Poor Law, etc.

Probate Records

Probate records including original estates and wills for New York are held in the office of the Montgomery County, New York County Surrogate Court beginning in 1787, or when the county was formed. Prior to 1787, most are housed at the New York State Archives. See New York Probate Records for more information about using probate records.
Content:  Probate Records may give the decedent's date of death, names of his or her spouse, children, parents, siblings, in-laws, neighbors, associates, relatives, and their place of residence.
Record types:  Wills, bonds, petitions, accounts, inventories, administrations, orders, decrees, and distribution.

Probate Petitions

In 1830, state law required the Surrogate Court clerk to issue a probate petition for a deceased individual with property. This petition, unique to New York, usually lists the deceased's death date. It also lists the heirs, their relationship to the deceased, and their residence. ^{[8] [9]}

References

1. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), 490. At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
2. ↑ Handybook, 478.
3. ↑ Handybook, 489-92.
4. ↑ Arlene Eakle, and Johni Cerni, The Source: A Guidebook of American Genealogy (Salt Lake City: Ancestry, 1984), 103. At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27ts.
5. ↑ Handybook, 847-61.
6. ↑ "1st New York Regiment," Valley Forge Legacy, http://valleyforgemusterroll.org/regiments/ny1.asp, accessed 31 May 2012.
7. ↑ Frederick Phisterer, New York in the War of the Rebellion, 3rd ed. (Albany, N.Y.: J. B. Lyon Company, 1912). Internet Archive digital copy; At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Film 1486494-96; Fiche 6083559-64; Book 974.7 M2p.
8. ↑ Alice Eichholz, Red Book: American State, County and Town Sources, 3rd ed. (Salt Lake City: Ancestry Pub., 2004), 479. At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27rb 2004.
9. ↑ Henry B. Hoff, "Navigating New York Probate," American Ancestors 12 (Fall 2011): 57.

These petitions are often found in the estate files and can be obtained from the Montgomery County Surrogate Court.

Online Indexes and Abrstracts

• 1787-1835 Abstracts of Wills, Administrations and Guardianships in NY State, 1787 - 1835 at New York Ancestors ($); includes Montgomery County, New York.^[1]
  
• 1787-1918 - SAMPUBCO Browsable Index of testators of wills.
  
• 1784-1787 - Cassidy, T.E. "Montgomery County, New York Intestates. Libers II and III Intestates (Liber I is missing), Hall of Records, N.Y. City," The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, Vol. 59, No. 1 (Jan. 1928):83-85. Digital version at New York Family History ($); FHL Book 974.7 B2n v. 59.
• 1787-1831 - Becker, Edith Van Heusen. "Abstracts of Wills, Montgomery County, N.Y.," The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, 1787-1810 (Vol. I): Vol. 56, No. 2 (Apr. 1925):161-172; 1810-1816 (Vol. II): Vol. 56, No. 4 (Oct. 1925):380-397; 1816-1826 (Vol. III): Vol. 57, No. 2 (Apr. 1926):163-186; 1826-1831 (Vol. IV): Vol. 57, No. 3 (Jul. 1926):282-295. Digital version at New York Family History ($); FHL Book 974.7 B2n v. 56-57.

Online Probate Records

Original county-by-county New York, Probate Records, 1629-1971 are available free online at FamilySearch. To access these records, click Historical Records below, then click "Browse through 1,630,900 images". Then select the county name, and then the probate records and time of interest.

• Historical Records - Montgomery County: Administration records, 1896-1909; Bonds, 1890-1899; Decrees, Orders, 1802-1918; Guardianship index, 1825-1862; Letters of administration, 1788-1921; Letters of guardianship, 1825-1922; Letters of testamentary, 1864-1920; Probate records, 1874-1922; Will and Administration index, 1787-1905; Wills, 1787-1922

Probate Records on Microfilm

Probate records found at Historical Records and described in Online Probate Records above are also found on microfilm as follows:

• 1787–1905 General Index to Wills FHL Film 506564
• 1787–1922 Wills and Administration FHL Film 506564 (43 films) Includes Guardianship.

Additional Probate Indexes and Abstracts

Additional probate indexes or abstracts can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Montgomery County, New York probate wills in online catalogs like:

• WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
• Family History Library Catalog (For instructions see FHL Catalog Place-name Search).

Repositories

Cornell University, Guide to Historical Resources in Montgomery County, New York Repositories. ([Ithaca, New York]: New York Historical Resources Center, Olin Library, Cornell University, 1983). At various libraries; FHL Book 974.746 A3g. Includes index. Includes references to some family histories and genealogies.

Archives, Libraries and Museums =

Museums

• Walter Elwood Museum of the Mohawk Valley
  366 West Main Street, Route 5
  Amsterdam, New York 12010
  Phone: 518-843-5151
  Email: info@walterelwoodmuseum.org

• Noteworthy Indian Museum
  2 Prospect Street
  Amsterdam, New York 12010
  Phone: 518-843-4761

• Old Fort Johnson
  Phone: 518-843-0300
  Email: museum@oldfortjohnson.org
  Located at the corner of Routes 5 and 67, two miles west of Amsterdam, New York.
  Small admission.

County Historian's Office

Courthouses

The Jefferson County Clerk's office has marriage, divorce, cour, land, naturalization and state census records. The Currogate Court has probate records. For further information about where the records for Montgomery County are held, see the Montgomery 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 for family history research.

The main FHC for Montgomery County, New York is the Gloversville New York Family History Center. For additional nearby Family History Centers, search online in the FHC directory.

Societies

• Capital District Genealogical Society^[2]
  Empire State Plaza Station
  PO Box 2175
  Albany, NY 12220-0175

Counties served: Albany, Columbia, Fulton, Greene, Montgomery, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, and Washington.

$3 for non-member queries in their newsletter. Monthly meetings. They staff a genealogy support desk at the Town of Colonie Library.

• Central New York Genealogical Society^[3]
  Box 104, Calvin Station
  Syracuse, New York 13205
  E-mail: CNYSG@yahoo.com

Member queries; surname research list; online resources; six meetings/year; publishes Tree Talks (At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 974.7 B2t) 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)

Taxation

Town Records

Town records in New York may include early births, marriages, deaths, divorces, local histories, selected military records, and town meeting minutes. For further details, try the links to individual town Wiki pages found in Places. See also:

• Gordon L. Remington, New York Towns, Villages, and Cities: A Guide to Genealogical Sources (Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2002). NEHGS online edition; At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 974.7 D27r. Alphabetical list including date founded, if a town history exists, church and cemetery sources, and if a Civil War register (TCR) exists.

Vital Records

Vital records of birth, marriage or death were first recorded at the local level in the village clerk, town clerk, or city clerk’s ledger book. If you know where a birth, marriage or death took place, a copy of the certificate or record may be obtained by writing to the town, village or city clerk.

See the heading Places on this wiki page for links to local community wiki pages and their available records. See New York Vital Records for a discussion about beginning dates and availability of vital records in New York.

Use substitute records for birth, marriage, and death information. These substitute records include Bible Records, Cemeteries, Church Records, Newspapers, and Probate Records.

Birth

Early births were recorded on the town level and the years vary by town. (List of towns) The New York State Department of Health (state level) began recording births in 1881. Births were not recorded on the county level.

Birth Substitutes

• 1640–1962 New York Births and Christenings, 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). At various libraries; FHL Book 974.7 V2bo. 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.
  

• 1885-1891 Some Montgomery County Births 1885-1891 at NYGenWeb - free.
  

Marriage

Early marriages were sometimes recorded on the town level and the years vary by town. (List of towns) In 1880, town clerks were to record the marriage and a copy was sent to the New York State Department of Health (state level). Town clerks continue to record marriages. Marriages were recorded by the Montgomery County, New York clerk starting in 1908 and go until 1935.^[4]

• 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($); At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Film 514675 Item 1 or 930131 Item 2. Marriage bonds issued in the State of New York prior to 1784, and the earliest record dating 1664.
  

• 1908–1936 New York, County Marriages 1908–1935 at FamilySearch Historical Records – free; FHL film 1294823(first of 7 films)
  

Marriage Substitutes

• 1686-1980 New York Marriages, 1686–1890 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). At various libraries; FHL Book 974.7 V2bo. Abstracts from newspapers filed at the New York State Library in Albany.
  

• 1818-1834 Marriages from the Cherry Valley Gazette 1818-1834 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 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.
  

Divorce

Divorce judgment papers often include date and place of the marriage and the names and birthdates of any children. Local newspapers may publish notices of divorce actions.

Death

Early deaths were recorded on the town level and the years vary by town. (List of towns) The New York State Department of Health (state level) began recording deaths in 1881. Deaths were not recorded on the county level.

Death Substitutes

• 1795–1952 New York Deaths and Burials, 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). At various libraries; FHL Book 974.7 V2bo. Abstracts from newspapers filed at the New York State Library in Albany.
  

• 1847-49 1847-1849, Death Records, Montgomery County, New York at New Horizons Genealogical Services - free.

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

• 1849-50 Deaths - 1850 Federal Census, Mortality Schedule, Montgomery County, New York at Mortality-Schedules.com - free.

• 1849-50 The 1850 US Mortality Schedule - Montgomery County, NY 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 browseable.
  
• 1859-60 Deaths - 1860 Federal Census, Mortality Schedule, Montgomery County, New York at Mortality-Schedules.com - free.

• 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.
  

• 1869-70 Deaths - 1870 Federal Census, Mortality Schedule, Montgomery County, New York at Mortality-Schedules.com - free.
  

• 1895-1905 Deaths 1895-1905 Montgomery County, New York at NYGenWeb - free.
  

• 1931 Coroner's Reports at NYGenWeb - free.
  

• Miscellaneous Obits, Announcements & News Articles from the Amsterdam Evening Recorder Amsterdam, NY at NYGenWeb - free.
  

Additional Resources

Additional resources for Montgomery County births, marriages and deaths may be found in the New York, Montgomery– Vital Records topic page of the Family History Library Catalog (FHLC). Copies of records on FHL microfilm and microfiche can be ordered for viewing at Family History Centers. Copies of books found in the FHLC may be found in WorldCat catalog and ordered from your local library through interlibrary loan. Explore how to search the Family History Library Catalog and the Worldcat Online Catalog.

Voting Registers

Montgomery County New York Places

Montgomery County New York Genealogy Websites

• The Montgomery County NYGenWeb Project, an member of The NYGenWeb Project, an affiliate of The USGenWeb Project.

Montgomery County New York Genealogy References

• This page was last modified on 11 March 2013, at 23:52.
• This page has been accessed 3,955 times.
• Privacy policy
• About FamilySearch Wiki
• Disclaimers