Useful Links

Assorted Useful Links

• City of Rochester Directories, 1820s-1940s - locate people within the Rochester city limits.
• Genesee County Home / Poorhouse records - check these indexes for names of Livingston County people or others who were residents at the County Home in Bethany, NY.
• Genesee Valley Canal:
  • Annual Reports of State Engineers and Surveyors, 1850-1923
• William G. Pomeroy Foundation - municipalities and nonprofit organizations looking for historical marker funding may apply here for a grant.

Cemetery Databases

• Find A Grave- user-added data and images of burials all over the world.

• Paintedhills.org - a local project to document burials in southern Livingston County; especially useful for the large cemeteries of Dansville, Livingston County.
• Rochester Mt. Hope and Riverside Cemeteries Records - original images are available through this search engine.
• Temple Hill Cemetery - Geneseo’s large historic cemetery has a searchable database with many gravestone photos.

Census

• NEW: 1950 US Census- not fully indexed by name; see webpage for research tips.
• Census of Agriculture - explore agricultural statistics through census reports by state, county, and even town.
• Census Reporter - current demographic data from the census.
• FamilySearch.org- many resources, including original images of all census schedules 1790-1940, including:
  • NYS census 1855, 1865, 1875, 1892
  • 1890 US Census of Veterans and Widows of the Civil War
  • 1915 and 1925 NYS schedule transcriptions (see below to access these in full via through Ancestry.com New York)

• New York State Archives- a great website with many diverse resources for researchers. A highlight is the ability to search selected NY records for free on Ancestry.com:
  1. Under Quick Links, find Ancestry.com New York
  2. Enter a New York State zip code (any one will work)
  3. Search by name or browse specific database
  4. You will be prompted to make a free account with Ancestry.com for the purposes of viewing these record collections, but you do not have to pay Ancestry or get a free trial. If you are led to a paywall page, begin your search again and be careful not to click links that take you away from the New York records.

Church Records

• If a religious organization (other than Catholic) is still extant, contact the church for any historical records.
• Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester- records are kept at the parish level where possible, but some Catholic church records from Livingston County may archived at the Diocese. Contact the archivist for more information.

• Rochester Churches Indexing Project - church records on microfilm with the LDS Church are indexed here, mainly from churches covered by the Rochester Catholic Diocese but including some Protestant denominations as well. Over 190,000 records and counting have been indexed here.
• American Baptist Historical Society - Some records from Livingston County are held at Mercer University, Atlanta, GA; Baptist records may not be extremely helpful for genealogists, but they may be worth checking out. See the website for more information.

Court Records

In general, researchers may apply to the Livingston County Clerk for court records, but some are available on Family Search. Click on the camera icon on each page to browse indexes and minutes:

• Livingston County Court of Common Pleas, 1821-1910
• Livingston County Court of Oyer and Terminer, 1840-1841, 1859-1871
• Ontario County court records and naturalizations, 1789-1821 - remember that anything dated after 1821, when Livingston County was formed, will be within the present-day boundary of Ontario County.
• Wills, 1821-1959, are available from the County Historian or the Surrogate Court Clerk. The Surrogate's office holds all probate records.

Immigration

• Castle Garden (Immigration Center) - beginning about 1820 and running until about 1892, when Ellis Island became New York’s official immigration center, this New York port kept records of immigrants. Search here for information on ancestors who immigrated to the USA.
• Livingston County Naturalization records, 1821-1955 on Family Search.
• Ontario County court records and naturalizations, 1789-1821 - remember that anything dated after 1821, when Livingston County was formed, will be within the present-day boundary of Ontario County.
• NYS Archives helpful information on naturalizations in New York State and women and naturalization.
• National Archives immigrant passenger lists

Livingston County Highlights

• 1868 Livingston County Directory
• American Agriculturist. Farm and Rural Directory and for Monroe and Livingston Counties, 1917. 
• Biographical Review...of Leading Citizens of Livingston and Wyoming Counties. Boston, 1895. 
  • Index to Biographical Review
• Doty, Lockwood L. A History of Livingston County, New York, 1876. 
  • Index to Doty’s history 
• Doty, Lockwood R. History of the Genesee Country, 1925. 
  • Index to History of the Genesee Country, vols. 3 and 4 (biographical)
• Smith, James H. History of Livingston County, New York: 1687 to 1881, 1881. 
  • Index to Smith’s history

• Turner, Orsamus. History of the Pioneer Settlement of Phelps and Gorham's Purchase. 1851.
• Turner, Orsamus. Pioneer History of the Holland Purchase. 1850.
• Livingston County Clerk - holds land transaction records and mortgages in Livingston County, 1821 to present. A visit in person is necessary to access deeds, mortgages, and civil records. They are also digitized on familysearch.org, but they are not all indexed by name. The County Clerk does not hold vital record certificates.
• Livingston County Historical Society and Museum - an organization known for its programming and massive collection of historical artifacts related to Livingston County.
• Milne Library Special Collections - including the Genesee Valley Historical Collection, Wadsworth Family Papers, and James W. Kimball Traditional Music and Dance Collection

Livingston County Towns

Avon

• Genealogical Records of the Pioneer Families of Avon, NY, 1871.
  • Index to Genealogical Records of Avon 

Conesus

• Boyd, William P. History of the Town of Conesus, 1887. 
• Waite, D. Byron. O-neh-da Te-car-ne-o-di, or Up and Down the Hemlock, 1883. (Covers Hemlock Lake area, including Livonia, Conesus, and Springwater.)
  • Index for Up and Down the Hemlock

North Dansville

• Bunnell, A. O. Dansville: Historical, Biographical, Descriptive, 1789 to 1902, 1902. 
  • Index to Bunnell’s Dansville history 

Nunda

• Hand, H. Wells. A Centennial History of the Town of Nunda, 1808 to 1908, 1908. 

 Mt. Morris

• Cicero, Dianne. Church of the Assumption: 1914-1961. 2005.
• Parsons, Rev. Levi and Samuel L. Rockfellow. 1794 to 1894, Centennial Celebration of Mt. Morris, NY, 1894. 

Springwater

• Peabody Diary Collection, 1849-1937 Index.
  • See information and instruction sheet.
• Walbridge, Orson. Early History of Springwater, Livingston County, NY. 1887.

York

• Root, Mary. History of Town of York, 1940.
  • See index and contact us for lookups.

Livingston County: Early Records

• Allegany County Historian - Nunda and Portage were part of Allegany County until 1846, and Ossian was part of Allegany County until 1857 when it was annexed to Livingston County. Contact this historian if you’re seeking early records.

• Genesee County Historian - before Livingston County was formed in 1821, the towns of Caledonia, Leicester, Mt. Morris, and York were part of Genesee County. When searching early records, it may be useful to contact this historian.
• Ontario County Records and Archives Center - a number of towns (Avon, Conesus, Geneseo, Groveland, Lima, Livonia, Sparta, and Springwater) were part of Ontario County until Livingston County was formed in 1821. Some early records are kept by Ontario County, including early guardianships.

Maps

• Early western New York maps:  
  • 1809
  • 1812
  • 1823
  • Early 1800s maps from collections at SUNY Geneseo

• 1852 Livingston County map and 1858 Livingston County map 
  • Index to 1852 map
  • Index to 1858 map
• 1856 Allegany County map (Ossian annexed to Livingston in 1857)
• 1872 Livingston County Atlas
• 1902 Livingston County Atlas
• Sanborn fire insurance maps - local villages from 1880s-1899; lots of details
• US Geological Survey maps - as early as 1901 for parts of Livingston County to present
  

Military

• New York State Military Museum and Veteran’s Research Center - find military rosters from the Adjutant General’s Report, information on flags and forts, and much more.
• National Archives - a database packed with military-related information as well as many other resources. Full military records may be available by submitted request. 
• New York State Archives- many resources including service records from NY:
  1. Under Quick Links, find Ancestry.com New York
  2. Enter a New York State zip code (any one will work)
  3. You will be prompted to make a free account / sign in with Ancestry.com
  4. Under "Included Data Collections," click on a records series to browse.
• War of 1812 pensioners:
  • 1841 list, giving names, ages, and residences
  • 1883 list, giving cause of disability or relationship to pensioner

Newspapers

• Fulton History - one of the largest searchable collections of digitized New York State newspapers from the early 1800s to present. Tip: try various specific search terms within quotation marks for better results. 
• Library of Congress: Chronicling America - historical newspapers from 1777-1963.
• Milne Library, SUNY Geneseo - regional newspapers and other collections available on microfilm
• New York State Historic Newspapers - another great site with digitized NY newspapers; the Livingston Republican (1837 to 1979) and several Dansville newspaper titles can be searched here.

New York State & National Databases

• NEW: Cobblestone Info Base - check out the Cobblestone Museum's database for details on cobblestone structures, past and present, in New York and across the world.
• FamilySearch.org - tons of resources and free-access content always being added. Some highlights include: 
  • Passport Applications and passenger lists
  • County marriages, 1847-1848 and 1908-1936
  • Births and christenings
  • Land records
  • Original images of all census schedules 1790-1940
• Library of Congress- a massive national database of finding aids and scanned documents.

• New York State Archives- many diverse resources for researchers. A highlight is the ability to search selected NY records for free on Ancestry.com: 
  1. Under Quick Links, find Ancestry.com New York
  2. Enter a New York State zip code (any one will work)
  3. Search by name or browse specific database
  4. You will be prompted to make a free account with Ancestry.com for the purposes of viewing these record collections, but you do not have to pay Ancestry or get a free trial. If you are led to a paywall page, begin your search again and be careful not to click links that take you away from the New York records.
• New York State Library - another database of material on every topic of New York State history, especially state governmental information and documentation.

Seneca History

• American Philosophical Society- browse their guide for scholarly work and finding aids related to indigenous cultures all over the Americas, including Seneca.
• Ganondagan State Historic Site - located on the original site of a 17th-century Seneca town, the Seneca Art and Culture Center and the reproduction bark longhouse help interpret traditional Seneca life for visitors. Online resources are also available.
• Iroquois Genealogy Society - an incredible collection of census records, maps, images, church records, and Haudenosaunee stories.
• Seneca-Iroquois National Museum - visit the galleries and Onöhsagwë:de’ Cultural Center in Salamanca, NY, one of the capitals of the Seneca Nation of Indians, and explore their extensive exhibits documenting Haudenosaunee history.

Vital Records

• Official vital records - after about 1880, birth and death records are available from the registrar of the municipality where the event occurred. Marriage records are available where the marriage license was issued. Applying to a town or city clerk is recommended, but vital records may also be available through the New York State Department of Health. Very long wait times should be anticipated.
• Reclaim the Records - Basic indexes to many birth, death, and marriage certificates in New York State are now accessible online! Browse the lists and get the information you need to seek a certificate at the local level.
• Index of early marriages in Ontario County from newspapers, 1803-1879 -  part of Livingston County was formed from Ontario in 1821.
• City of Rochester Marriage Records, 1876-1943 - check this link for ancestors married in the City of Rochester. This page also links to the very useful records of the Mt. Hope Cemetery.  

Updated May 2023