County Historian

Welcome to the website of the County Historian!
Browse around to find online resources, request research assistance, and explore Livingston County history.

Livingston County Bicentennial

In 2021 Livingston County will celebrate 200 years! Keep checking back here and on Livingston County social media for updates and events leading up to the big year.

Livingston County Bicentennial Seal
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Doing Research?

We are excited to help! Here are some ways you can start: 

  1. Search our online Records Index for a name.
  2. Send us your specific questions or call us!
  3. Plan a visit - we have an extensive research center.
  4. Browse other recommended digital resources and repositories to track down information.

              Help Share & Preserve Local History!Livingston County Bicentennial Seal

                      Free Scanning Events!

    You are invited to bring both historic and contemporary                photographs, documents, and other records to have digital                                       images created for future generations.

    Staff will scan the materials and record any information the owner shares about each piece. All originals will be returned along with a digital copy of the scans on a flash drive. The County Historian’s Office will then make the images available to researchers.

 Dates for County employees: July 15 - 19, 2019

    Dates for the public: July 22 -  26, 2019

Appointments are necessary!  For more information contact us:
                                         5 Murray Hill Drive, Mt. Morris, NY 14510                                             historian@co.livingston.ny.us   ♦   585-243-7955

What's New?

Out With the Old!

June 2019

Our outdated microfilm readers have come to the end of their useful lives. Meet the new ScanPro2200! Now our office is better equipped to access newspapers and other resources on microfilm and provide improved digital images.

Old Microfilm machine    New Microfilm machine

Clip of Henry Wilson book coverLife of Henry Wilson, the Murderer

June 2019

Henry Wilson, alias William A. Carson, alias James Morgan, confessed to the murders of five people and was executed in Geneseo, NY in 1865 for the murder of Henry Devoe. This account, written by the man himself, tells of his travels and crimes, and is quite riveting.

Digitized - Unusual Newspapers

May 2019
The Letter Box
A collection of assorted rare newspapers was recently digitized, from the 1817 Genesee Farmer and the 1859 Frederick Douglass' Paper  to the 1901 Bungtown Bugle and 1936 Living Stream Hose Co. Carnival Booster. Other titles include the Geneseo Business Item, Geneseo Daily News, Discover Conesus, Moscow Advertiser, and Hot Cinders. All have been uploaded to www.fultonhistory.com for searching. 

Patients Property book cover

Craig Colony Patients' Property Books, c. 1912-1947

April 2019

With no known patient records from Craig Colony Hospital for Epileptics, we rely on other resources to help us learn about our ancestors who spent time at the institution. These record books detail some of the personal belongings of patients at the hospital. Two books itemize the property, and one is just an index - the record book itself is not known to survive. Search our Online Records Database by name to see if your person is indexed in this exciting new mini-collection.

peabody

Peabody Diary Collection, 1849-1937 Index

February 2019

Browse the PDF index for a name, most from the Springwater area; take note of the abbreviation and number given, which corresponds to a diary, and contact us for more information! Click here for the index.

Clipping of a Coroner's Decision

Coroner's Records, 1906-1936

November 2018

This series, the bulk from 1923-1936, primarily comprises detailed Coroner's Inquests and corresponding Coroner's Decisions. Because of the sensitive nature of these records, no index is published. Please contact us about a specific case.

  1. Mon, Jul 15 - Fri, Jul 19

    Scanning Week: County Employees

  2. Mon, Jul 22 - Fri, Jul 26

    Community Scanning Week

  3. Sun, Sep 15

    Shaw Sisters and Women's Suffrage
View All
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Photographs from the Archives