Chenango County, New York Genealogical Records Information

Start your family tree. We'll start searching. It's FREE. - Enter a few simple facts about recent generations of your family. We'll use what you enter to try and find more about your family in the world's largest online collection of historical records and family trees.

SEARCH THIS SITE

SEARCH FOR YOUR ANCESTORS IN THESE NEW YORK GENEALOGICAL DATABASES:

NY Court, Land & Wills

NY Public Records

NY Birth, Marriage & Death

Chenango County History and Information

Chenango County Facts

Chenango County was created in 1798 and formed from Herkimer and Tioga Counties. Chenango County was named for an Onondaga word meaning "large bull-thistle" and the County Seat is Norwich. See also Extended History for more historical details.

The Chenango County Courthouse is located at County Office Bldg., 5 Court St., Norwich , NY 13815; 607-337-1700 and the Official County Website is located at http://www.co.chenango.ny.us.

Chenango County Borders Madison County (North), Otsego County (Northeast), Delaware County (Southeast), Broome County (South), Cortland County (West) .

Chenango County Municipalities: Afton (village), Afton (town), Bainbridge (town), Bainbridge (village), Columbus (town), Coventry (town), Earlville (village), German (town), Greene (town), Greene (village), Guilford (town), Lincklaen (town), McDonough (town), New Berlin (town), New Berlin (village), North Norwich (town), Norwich (city), Norwich (town), Otselic (town), Oxford (town), Oxford (village), Pharsalia (town), Pitcher (town), Plymouth (town), Preston (town), Sherburne (town), Sherburne (village), Smithville (town), Smyrna (town), Smyrna (village) . Town Clerks are responsible for vast amounts of local information from deeds, property transfers, and genealogical materials. Research on place and road names, the history of property transfers and much more are available through your Town Clerk. They are a tremendous resources.

Chenango County, New York History Books at Amazon.com
Family History Library - The largest collection of free family history, family tree and genealogy records in the world.

There are free downloadable and printable forms to help with your research. These include U.S. Census Extraction Forms, U.K. Census Extraction Forms, Research Calendar, Ancestral Chart, Research Extract, Correspondence Record , Family Group Sheet , Source Summary Form.

Chenango County Court Records

See Also New York Land Records, Marriage Records, Court & Probate Records

PLEASE READ!! Please call the clerk's department to confirm hours, mailing address, fees and other specifics before visiting or requesting information because of sometimes changing contact information.

Chenango County Clerk has Land & Court Records from 1798 and is located at County Office Bldg., 5 Court Street, Norwich, NY 13815; Phone: (607) 337-1450, Fax: (607) 337-1455.The County Clerk's office contains records and deeds recorded since 1798. These are indexed.
The county clerk is the keeper of most civil and criminal trial court records for Supreme Court and County Court, naturalizations, marriages (1908–35), censuses (Some county clerks' offices hold duplicate copies of some of the State censuses taken periodically between 1825 and 1925 and copies of the federal census), as well as deeds and mortgages.

Land conveyances (deeds and mortgages) are recorded in the county clerks' offices or in the New York City Register's Office. Recording of deeds became mandatory statewide in 1840. Before that many deeds were not recorded.
Marriages Prior to 1784 couples intending to marry were required to obtain licenses from and file bonds with the provincial secretary, if the impending marriage was not announced in a church. These Marriage Bonds were mostly destroyed in the 1911 Capitol fire. Published abstracts are available in Names of persons for whom marriage licenses were issued by the secretary of the province of New York, previous to 1784. (Albany: 1860; repr. with supplements 1984); and in New York Marriage Bonds, 1753-1783, comp. Kenneth Scott (New York: 1972).
Naturalization records are created by the Federal and State courts. State court naturalization records generally remain in custody of the county clerks. Older Federal court naturalization records have been transferred to the National Archives. Photocopies of naturalization documents and indexes for New York City for the period 1792-1906 (both Federal and State courts) are held by the National Archives--Northeast Region, 201 Varick Street, New York, NY 10014.

Chenango County Surrogate Court Clerk has Probate Records from 1798 and is located at Courthouse, 5 Court Street, Norwich, New York 13815; Telephone 607 337-1827, Fax 607 337-1834
The Surrogates Office contains all the wills recorded in the County since 1800. These are also indexed and can be copied for $1.00 per page. .
The Surrogate's Court in each county generally has records dating back to the establishment of the county or 1787, whichever was later. Record keeping was systematized by an 1830 statute. Surrogate's Courts maintain records of wills, letters testamentary, letters of administration, orders and decrees, and appointments of guardians; and filed papers, including original wills, petitions for probate (gives date of death and lists next of kin), performance bonds, property inventories (seldom found after ca. 1900), administrator's or executor's accountings, etc. Surrogate's Courts create comprehensive indexes to records and files.

In recent decades many courts have ceased recording documents in books and substituted microfilm recording. Some courts have disposed of old property inventories, which have no continuing legal value. Most Surrogate's Court records are retained permanently because they may document title to real property or the legal status of individuals. Surrogate's Court records statewide occupy over 200,000 cubic feet, with over half a million record retrievals yearly. The court is authorized to charge substantial fees for records searches conducted by court staff. Prior to that time most estates were handled in New York City, the capital until 1797. Before 1787, some wills were recorded in the counties and occasionally in town records.

Click Here to Search New York Court, Land, Wills & Financial Records! - Researchers often overlook the importance of court records, probate records, and land records as a source of family history information.

Chenango County Historian is located at Museum, 45 Rexford Street, Norwich, NY 13815.In New York State, every municipality (town, city, village, county) must have an appointed historian. Most of the towns have their own historians as well and each can be contacted. A county historian may be appointed for each county, check for availability.

Below is a list of online resources for Chenango County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Chenango County Court Records by clicking the link below:

New York Wills, 1626-1836: This database is a collection of New York citizens' wills from 1626 to 1836 that were recorded in the office of the clerk of the court of appeals, of the county clerk of Albany and of the secretary of state.
Soundex Index to Petitions for Naturalizations Filed in Federal, State, and Local Courts in New York City, 1792-1906: NARA M1674. The Soundex index to naturalization petitions filed in federal, state, and local courts in New York City, including New York, Kings, Queens and Richmond counties, 1792-1906.
Index to the Naturalization Petitions of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, Jul 1865-Sep 1906: NARA M1164. A card index to naturalization petitions filed in the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York from July 1865 through September 1906
Index to the Naturalization Petitions of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, 1906-Nov 1925: NARA M1164. A card index to naturalization petitions filed in the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York from October 1907 through November 1925.
Index to the Naturalization Petitions of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, 1865-1957: NARA M1164. A card index to naturalization petitions filed in the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York from November 1925 through December 1957.
Alphabetical Index to Declarations of Intention of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, 1917-1950: NARA M1675. Alphabetical Index to Declarations of Intention of the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, 1917-1950
Alphabetical Index to Petitions for Naturalization of the US District Court [and Circuit Court] for the Southern District of New York, 1824-1941: NARA M1676. Alphabetical Index to Petitions for Naturalization of the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, 1824-1941.
Alphabetical Index to Petitions for Naturalizations of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York, 1907-1966: NARA M1677. Alphabetical Index to Petitions for Naturalizations of the US District Court for the Western District of New York, 1907-1966
Chenango County, New York Court Books at Amazon.com
New York Immigration & Emigration Records - Immigration records help the family historian to understand the movements of their ancestry as they relocated to different parts of the world.

Chenango County Vital Records

See Also Research In Tax Records

Scattered town and precinct tax records for a few years in the 1770s and 1780s and nearly complete lists for the whole state, 1799-1804, are at the New York State Archives, although for the latter period the surviving 1804 rolls cover only delinquent taxes of nonresidents. New York City tax records are at the Municipal Archives. Some early assessment rolls have been published in The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, such as those for New York City, 1730, in volume 95; New Rochelle, 1767, in volume 107; and Ulster County, 1709-21, in volume 62. See also volumes 43-44 of the New-York Historical Society's Collections for New York City assessments 1695-99. A few counties such as Ontario have retained their early tax records, but most do not have them until about 1850 or even later. Many old tax lists are to be found in manuscript collections. Dutchess County is fortunate to have a long series of eighteenth century tax records. Some of the 1798 U.S. Direct Tax records survive for New York.

Below is a list of online resources for Chenango County Tax Records. Email us with websites containing Chenango County Tax Records by clicking the link below:

Chenango County, New York Tax Books at Amazon.com

Chenango County Genealogical Addresses

See Also Other New York Genealogical Addresses

The Repositories in this section are Archives, Libraries, Museums, Genealogical and Historical Societies. Many County Historical and Genealogical Societies publish magazines and/or news letters on a monthly, quarterly, bi-annual or annual basis. Contacting the local societies should not be over looked. State Archives and Societies are usually much larger and better organized with much larger archived materials than their smaller county cousins but they can be more generalized and over look the smaller details that local societies tend to have. Libraries can also be a good place to look for local information. Some libraries have a genealogy section and may have some resources that are not located at archives or societies. Also, take a special look at any museums in the area. They sometimes have photos and items from years gone by as well as information of a genealogical interest. All these places are vitally important to the family genealogist and must not be passed over.

Below is a list of online resources for Chenango County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Chenango County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:

The Chenango County Historical Society, 45 Rexford Street, Norwich, NY 13815; (607) 334-9227,
Local New York Researchers, Find a local researcher or become a local researcher.
New York State Archives and Records Administration, The State Education Department, Cultural Education Center, 11th Floor; Empire State Plaza, Albany, NY 12230; (518) 474-8955, [EMAIL]
Referred to here as the New York State Archives for brevity, it was the last such archives to be established in the United States. It houses land and court records, military and tax records, New York state vital records indexes, pre-settlement survey maps, and legislative records.
New York State Library, Cultural Education Center, 7th Floor, Empire State Plaza, Albany, NY 12230; The state library has a large collection of published and manuscript material on New York, including genealogies and local histories, federal and state censuses, city directories, and periodicals. It is also one of the two depositories for the State of New York DAR collection.
The New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, 122 East 58^th Street, New York, New York 10022-1939; 212-755-8532, Fax: 212-754-4218; A private society, the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society publishes the NYG&B Newsletter and a quarterly, The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record. Its library holds much New York State and related material, both for New England and the Mid-Atlantic states. For New York there are censuses, federal and state; a large manuscript collection of church, cemetery, Bible, and other records; and an extensive amount of published family and local histories. Nonmembers can use the library for a small fee, but only members have access to the stacks, manuscripts, and microforms. The library provides a list of area researchers.
New York State Historical Association, West Lake Road, P.O. Box 800, Cooperstown, New York, 13326-0800
National Archives--Northeast Region, 201 Varick Street, New York, NY 10014.
New York Newspapers & Periodicals Records - Newspapers and periodicals are the diaries of local communities. They are excellent sources of family history details - often recorded nowhere else. Look for obituaries, marriages, legal notices, and more found in our Historical Newspaper Archives.
New York Genealogical Society Books at Amazon.com

Chenango County Church & Cemeteries

Click Here to Search New York Obituary Records! - This database is a compilation of obituaries published in U.S. newspapers, collected from various online sources. Obituaries can vary in the amount of information they contain, but many of them are genealogical goldmines, including information such as names, dates, places of birth and death, marriage information, and family relationships.

There are many churches and cemeteries in Chenango County. Some transcriptions are online. A great site is the Chenango County Tombstone Transcription Project.

Many church records, mostly early and particularly for Long Island, New York City, and the Hudson River Valley, have been published in The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record with a large collection of unpublished records maintained by the New York. Particularly useful as vital records substitutes among the surviving New York church records are those of the Dutch Reformed, Lutheran, Anglican, and Quaker groups.

The largest number of New York cemetery records (the bulk of which are actually transcriptions of cemetery marker inscriptions) is found in the multivolume collection of the Daughters of the American Revolution in the State of New York, Church, and Town Records, located at the New York State Library, the New York Public Library, and the DAR Library in Washington, D.C. Scattered volumes are found in other libraries including many local libraries in the area in which a particular cemetery is located.

Below is a list of online resources for Chenango County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Chenango County Cemetery & Church Records by clicking the link below:

Family Trees & Genealogy Tidbits

Click Here to Search New York Family Tree Records! - The use of published genealogies, electronic files containing genealogical lineage, and other compiled sources can be of tremendous value to a researcher.

When view family trees online or not, be sure to only take the info at face value and always follow up with your own sources or verify the ones they provide. Below is a list of online resources for Chenango County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information. Email us with websites containing Chenango County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below:

Search 60 Years Of Everton Data: For the first time ever you can get access to more than 150,000 pedigree files and family group sheets from Evertons. Learn More
Search the Family Tree DNA Project- Use DNA testing to break through your genealogical barriers!
Sites on USGenweb: [ Chenango County ] [ New York ] [ Main Page ]
[GenForum Message Boards] [Rootsweb Message Boards]
Genealogy Encyclopedia: General Abbreviations, Early Illnesses, Nickname Meanings, Worldwide Epidemics, Early Occupations, Common Terms, Censuses Explained, Free Genealogical Forms
Nichols and Related Families of Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, New York, and Virgina.
Meet your ancestors. Learn their stories. Start your FREE family tree.
New York Family & Local History Records - The Family & Local Histories Collection lets you read journals, memoirs, and other first-hand historical narratives right on your computer. Gathered from some of the world's finest libraries, these materials may provide hard-to-find town, county, and state information; tax records and wills; military, church, and court records; as well as photographs, stories, and maps.
Genealogical Document Search and Retrieval Service
Chenango County, New York Family Books at Amazon.com

County History

Bainbridge, a Chenango County Town, has a very special place in the County's history. The first County settlements were in the Bainbridge area in what was then known as Clinton and also included Afton. People were drawn to this area after they saw its bounty during the Revolutionary War. (It was Indian territory before then.) Many were exposed to it during the Clinton Campaign.

In 1779, General James Clinton led a group of 1600 soldiers the Susquehanna from Cooperstown to near Binghamton NY to rid the area of Indians, most of whom had already left. The group came upon a burned out village just south of Bainbridge near Afton. A journal entry of one of the soldiers describes what they found: " [We] proceeded on to Conihunto a small Indian Town that was, but was destroyed by our detachment last fall... A little below this town there is three or four islands in the River where the Indians raised their corn. On one of those islands our troops encamped with the boats & cattle... there were apples plenty at this place."

"Chenango" means "pleasant river flowing through the land of the bull thistle" and the tenacity of many of the residents in weathering hard times is a constant reminder of the County's namesake, the bull thistle. Established in 1798 and originally including all of Madison as well as Chenango counties, the present boundaries were established in 1806. While the County was originally settled with its share of small farms and mills, it was the tinkle of a cowbell that made the area a name for itself.

Subsistence farming on the pastoral hills of the County made way for specialization into the dairy industry. Gail Borden, a native of Norwich, developed the vacuum process to condense mild and there were ornate Borden's condenseries in almost every town in the County by the mid-20th century.

The forested hills of the County today seem to show that the country is wild and as untouched as it has ever been. Closer inspection, though, shows hillsides with home foundations hidden beneath the rows of planted evergreens. When the County was first settled, pioneers cleared most of the hills for farms. Many of the farms, however, were established on poor quality soil and the farms failed. In the 1930's, the CCC replanted a lot of the abandoned farmland with trees so the hills that appear carpeted with trees were established with a plan.

Between the rolling hills of the County run four rivers: The Susquehanna, the Chenango, the Unadilla and the Otselic. Along their banks are wildlife and waterfowl that draw visitors to appreciate the rural beauty of the County. The hills divide the population into distinct communities who take pride in their distinctive landmarks: Norwich, the County seat with an elegant domed courthouse built in 1838; Otselic, where fishermen flock to the banks of the river on the first day of trout season and whose fishing line industry once earned it the name of Tackle Town, USA; Sherburne, with its annual Pageant of Bands and nearby waterfall and historic bridge; and Bainbridge, with the Jericho Tavern, a landmark restaurant from 1805 and a village park, ringed with white churches and punctuated with a Victorian fountain and gazebo.

THE CHENANGO COUNTY JAIL - A SHORT HISTORY OF THE EARLY YEARS-

The first jail was in the Courthouse, as also the jailor's apartments. Both buildings were made of wood and the jail building as stated by a local historian was insecure and desperate felons often effected a General Delivery. Fire, artfully supplied, generally secured an escape. Sometimes the flames would rage beyond control, endangering the lives of the incendiary and jeopardizing the edifice itself. To afford greater security, the legislature in 1830, authorized the supervisors to levy and collect by tax $2,000.00 for the construction of a stone building for the custody of prisoners. The present Courthouse is the fruit of that action, taking the place of the old wooden structure in 1837, at a cost of $16,000.00. Construction of the building was in the charge of a commission appointed by the Governor. Charles York, Henry Stone and Thompson Mead were the commission members.

The Norwich Supervisors meeting of December 6,1901, heard the report of a committee. George L. Page of Greene and Blinn Buel of North Norwich, appointed in 1900, on the condition of the jail. They reported that, in view of the repeated condemnations of the present jail buildings and facilities by Grand Juries of the County for many years and the equally strong censure of the State Prison Commission for permitting their continuance in their present condition, we recommend that proper and requisite steps be taken by the board to accomplish the building of a new Jail and Sheriff's residence. Upon acceptance of this report the committee was discharged and a motion adopted that a committee of three, of which the chairman be appointed one of them, take charge of the matter. Supervisors Page of Greene and Nash of Norwich were appointed to act with the chairman.

Norwich, April 4, 1902 - At a special meeting of the Board of Supervisors held last week, it was unanimously voted to build a new jail and Sheriff's residence in Norwich this season. The plans submitted by Architect W.J. Beardsley of Poughkeepsie, were chosen and have been endorsed by the State Prison Commission. The cost of the new building, including the architect's fees and $3000.00 for the property of Lucy Jennison is estimated at about $31,500.00. In order to provide the extras, the sum of $35,000.00 will be raised by means of bonds of $500.00 each. Ten of the bonds will become due each year, beginning February 1, 1903. The rate of interest on the bonds was fixed at 3 1/2 %. They will probably be sold at auction.

A committee was appointed as follows: Messers, Butterfield, Page, Beardsley, Nash and Miner. They will have charge of the matter and take the necessary steps to acquire the additional land needed, etc. It is expected the work will begin early next month.

At an auction, the old jail buildings were sold to the highest bidder. The barn went to Art Aldrich of 57 West Main St. It was taken down and reconstructed at the rear of his lot.

The jail kitchen and sheriff's residence were sold to R.E. Rindge to be rebuilt for the A.M.E. Zion Church on Fair St. for a parsonage.

The Lucy Jennison property, which was located where the present Sheriff's Office is located, was purchased by the county for $3,000.00. The house was sold to Virgil Scott, who moved it to the old fair street school lot, which he owned and where he had a glove factory in the former school building.

Chenango Union, May 23, 1903 - The new Chenango County Jail is completed and occupied. J.J. Flanagan, Sheriff.

Your user agent does not support frames or is currently configured not to display frames.