Niagara County, New YorkEdit This Page

Neighboring Counties

Erie | Genesee | Lake Ontario | Orleans | Ontario counties: Lincoln | Welland · Lake Ontario^[2]

Boundary Changes

2 April 1821: Erie County was created from southern part.^[1]

Record Loss

Niagara 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.

Individual cemeteries in this county

BillionGraves:

• Acacia Park Cemetery, North Tonawanda
• Glenwood Cemetery, Lockport
• Royalton Mount Ridge Cemetery, Royalton
• St. Matthews Cemetery, North Tonawanda
• Wheatfield Cemetery, North Tonawanda

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.^[3]
• 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.

• 1863-1950 Second Methodist Episcopal Church, Newfane FHL film 1378854 Contains baptisms 1863-1950; marriages 1863-1950; probationers' records including deaths 1863-1940; alphabetical records of members in full connection including deaths 1863-1931; class records including deaths 1863-1881; records of official members including deaths 1884-1907, 1927-1931; record of pastors including deaths 1909-1969.

Additional Church Records

Additional church records can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Niagara 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 Niagara 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

• Souvenir History of Niagara County New York Commemorative of the 25th Anniversary of the Pioneer Association of Niagara County. 1902. Digital version at FamilySearch Books Online - free.

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 Niagara 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: Niagara 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.)

• The Holland Purchase of Western New York, courtesy: USGenWeb Archives.

Additional resources

Additional resources for Niagara County, New York land records may be found in the Niagara County, New York – Land 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.

Maps

Migration

Early migration routes to and from Niagara County for European settlers included:^[4]

• Lake Ontario
• Mohawk or Iroquois Trail (west fork) about 1722
• Great Genesee Road 1794^[5]
• Erie Canal 1825

Military

War of 1812

Rabock, Louis L. The war of 1812 of the Niagara frontier (Bufffalo Historical Society 1927) pages 385 FHL Book 974.796 B4

Cruikshank, Ernest Alexander and Lundy's Lane Historical Society , .The Documentary history of the campaign on the Niagara frontier (District of Columbia, Library of Congress, Photoduplication Service ,1968) 1 Microfilm reel  FHL Film 1404213

Graves, Donald E., Red coats & grey jackets : the Battle of Chippewa, 5 July 1814 (Toronto, Ontario: Dundrurn Press c1994) pages 210   FHL Book 971.338 C1 M2

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: Hartland · Newfane · Pendleton · Somerset.

Regiments. Service men in Niagara 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 Niagara County:^[6]

- 105th Regiment, New York Infantry

- 129th Regiment, New York Infantry

- 132nd Regiment, New York Infantry

- 151st Regiment, New York Infantry

- 153rd Regiment, New York Infantry

- 164th Regiment, New York Infantry

Naturalization and Citizenship

• 1907-1966 New York, Western District Naturalization Index, 1907-1966 at FamilySearch Historical Records – free; Index.
  

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 Niagara County, New York newspaper images:

• Niagara Fall NY Gazette 1854-1969
• North Tonawanda NY Evening News 1893-1986

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 Niagara 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. ^{[7] [8]}

References

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} 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. ↑ 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.
4. ↑ Handybook, 847-61.
5. ↑ Compare the more northerly route in Handybook, 849, with the more southerly route described in Wikipedia contributors, "New York State Route 5" in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_State_Route_5 (accessed 28 June 2011).
6. ↑ 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.
7. ↑ 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.
8. ↑ 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 Niagara County Surrogate Court.
The petitions for Niagara County, New York are also available on microfilm at the Family History Library and its centers:

• 1822–1932 Listed as "Probate Records" FHL Film 900543 (1068 films) First film is an index.

Online Probate Indexes and Abstracts

• 1787-1835 Abstracts of Wills, Administrations and Guardianships in NY State, 1787 - 1835 at New York Ancestors ($); includes Niagara County, New York.^[1]
• 1820-1901 - SAMPUBCO Browsable index of testators of wills.
  
• Arthur Caswell Parker, Seneca Myths and Folk Tales 1978. Digital version at World Vital Records ($). Includes Niagara County probate records.^[2]
  

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 - Niagara County: Administrations, 1823-1902; Decrees, Minutes, Orders, 1849-1902; Final settlements, 1873-1899, 1919-1935; General index, 1822-1928; Guardianship appointments, 1853-1965; Letters of testamentary, 1831-1901; Probate records, 1930-1971; Real estate records, 1881-1906; Wills, 1840-1971

Probate Records on Microfilm

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

• 1822–1928 General Index to Petitions 900543–900544
• 1830–1972 Index to Guardianship Records FHL Film 903054
• 1835–1970 Probate Records: Petitions 900543 (1068 films)
• 1820–1906 Probate Records (General Index, Wills, Administrations, Minutes, Final Settlements FHL Film 900543 (66 films)
• 1831–1904 Guardianship Records FHL Film 911525 (180 films)
• 1930–1971 Probate Records FHL Film 911527 (10 films)

Additional Probate Indexes and Abstracts

Additional probate indexes or abstracts can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Niagara 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 Niagara County, New York Repositories. ([Ithaca, New York]: New York Historical Resources Center, Olin Library, Cornell University, 1984). At various libraries; FHL Book 974.798 A3g. Includes index. Includes references to some family histories and genealogies.

Archives, Libraries and Museums

Niagara County Community College Library Special Collections
Henrietta G. Lewis Library, Fourth Floor
3111 Saunders Settlement Rd
Sanborn NY 14132
716-731-3271 ext. 401

Native America Collection includes reference books, biography, history, and tribes.
Periodicals: Native Peoples, Journal of Cherokee Studies, Northeast Indian Quarterly, Akwekon Journal, Turtle Quarterly, Southern Indian Studies
  
Nioga Library System
6575 Wheeler Rd
Lockport NY 14094
716-434-6167

• Barker Free Library
• Lewiston Public Library
• Lockport Public Library
• Middleport Free Library
• Newfane Free Library
• Niagara Falls Public Library (Central Library)
• LaSalle Branch
• North Tonawanda Public Library
• Ransomville Free Library
• Sanborn-Pekin Free Library
• Wilson Free Library
• Youngstown Free Library

County Historian

Courthouses

The Niagara 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 Niagara County are held, see the Niagara 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 Niagara County, New York is the Buffalo New York Family History Center. For additional nearby Family History Centers, search online in the FHC directory.

The following centers are accessible to residents of Niagra County, New York:

Niagara County (Lockport)

St Catharines Ontario Canada Family History Center
351 Glenridge Avenue
St Catharines, Ontario L2T 3K6, Canada
1-905-685-5795
Hours: T 6:30pm-9:30pm; Th 10am-4pm
Closures: Closed for Christmas and New Years
Call to verify hours

Buffalo New York Family History Center
1424 Maple Rd
Williamsville, New York 14221
1-716-688-2439
M, W 10am-2pm; T, Th 10am-9pm; Sat 10am-2pm
Closed Holidays
Call to verify hours

Societies

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.

Niagara County Genealogical Society
215 Lockport Street
Lockport NY 14094-2605
716-433-1033
Hours: Thursday - Saturday 1:00 - 4:45 pm
Closed holidays

The Niagara County Genealogical Library is located on the second floor of the Niagara County Historical Society Museum. Access to the collection is free to both members and non-members of the society. It includes many unpublished genealogies and manuscripts, 2000 books, cemetery records, census records, city directories, DAR books, maps, atlases and a vertical file.  Record holdings relate to Niagara County, other New York Counties, New England, Pennsylvania, and Ontario, Canada.  Those who can not personally travel to the research library are invited to join the society and use the look-up service.

"We love visitors..."

Send general questions or comments to comments@niagaragenealogy.org
Join us on Facebook - Niagara County Genealogical Society

Niagara County Historical Society, History Center and Musuem
The Outwater Memorial Building
215 Niagara Street
Lockport NY
716-434-7433
Museum open Monday - Saturday 9 am - 5 pm

The Niagara County Historical Society complex presents a glimpse of life in Niagara County over the past 175 years.

Find us on Facebook -The History Center of Niagra

Western New York Genealogical Society
P.O. Box 338
Hamburg, New York 14075-0338
Email: info@wnygs.org
Directory

Focus is on eight Western New York counties - Erie, Niagara, Genesee, Wyoming, Orleans, Chautauqua, Cattaraugus and Allegany - which comprise the area of the original Holland Land Company purchase.

Social Groups Online

• Facebook - Niagara County Historian
• Join us on Facebook - Niagara County Genealogical Society
• Find us on Facebook -  The History Center of Niagra, Niagara County Historical Society
• Facebook - Town of Newfane
• Join the conversation on Twitter - Town of Pendleton
• Facebook - New York Genealogy Research Community, FamilySearch Research Group 
• Facebook - The Niagara Falls Historian, City of Niagara Falls Historian
• Facebook - Niagara Falls Public Library
• Facebook - North Tonawanda Public Library

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.
  

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

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 Niagara 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.
  

• 1908–1935 New York, County Marriages 1908–1935 at FamilySearch Historical Records – free; FHL film 897551(first of 38 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."
  

• 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."
  

• 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.
  

Additional Resources

Additional resources for Niagara County births, marriages and deaths may be found in the New York, Niagara– 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

Niagara County New York Places

Niagara County New York Genealogy Websites

• The Niagara County NYGenWeb Project, an member of The NYGenWeb Project, an affiliate of The USGenWeb Project.
• The USGenWeb Archives Project for Niagara County.
• The USGenWeb Archives Project for Niagara County. (Backup site)

Niagara County New York Genealogy References

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