Jefferson County, New York Genealogical Records Information

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Jefferson County History and Information

Jefferson County Facts

Jefferson County was created in 1805 and formed from Oneida County . Jefferson County was named for Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States and the County Seat is Watertown. See also Extended History for more historical details.

The Jefferson County Courthouse is located at 175 Arsenal St., Watertown , NY 13601; 315-785-3000 and the Official County Website is located at http://www.co.jefferson.ny.us/.

Jefferson County Borders St. Lawrence County (Northeast), Lewis County (Southeast), Oswego County (Southwest), Leeds and Grenville United Counties, Ontario (North), Frontenac County, Ontario (Northwest) .

Jefferson County Municipalities: Adams (town), Adams (village), Adams Center, Alexandria (town), Alexandria Bay (village), Antwerp (town), Antwerp (village), Black River (village), Brownville (town), Brownville (village), Calcium, Cape Vincent (town), Cape Vincent (village), Carthage (village), Champion (town), Chaumont (village), Clayton (town), Clayton (village), Deferiet (village), Depauville, Dexter (village), Ellisburg (town), Ellisburg (village), Evans Mills (village), Fort Drum (federal military installation), Glen Park (village), Great Bend, Henderson (town), Herrings (village), Hounsfield (town), La Fargeville, Le Ray (town), Lorraine (town), Lyme (town), Mannsville (village), Natural Bridge, Orleans (town), Pamelia (town), Philadelphia (town), Philadelphia (village), Redwood, Rodman (town), Rutland (town), Sackets Harbor (village), Theresa (town), Theresa (village), Watertown (town), Watertown (city), West Carthage (village), Wilna (town), Worth (town) . 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.

Jefferson 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.

Jefferson 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.

Jefferson County Clerk has Land & Court Records from 1805 and is located at 175 Arsenal Street, Watertown, NY 13601; Phone: (315) 785-3081, Fax: (315) 785-5048 .
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.

Jefferson County Surrogate Court Clerk has Probate Records from 1805 and is located at Jefferson County Court Complex, 163 Arsenal Street, Watertown, NY 13601; Phone: (315) 785-3019 .
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.

Jefferson County Historian is located at 175 Arsenal Street, Watertown, NY 13601.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 Jefferson County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Jefferson 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
Jefferson 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.

Jefferson 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 Jefferson County Tax Records. Email us with websites containing Jefferson County Tax Records by clicking the link below:

Jefferson County, New York Tax Books at Amazon.com

Jefferson 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 Jefferson County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Jefferson County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:

Directory of Archival and Historical Document Collections
Jefferson County Genealogical Society, P O Box 6453, Watertown, NY 13601
Jefferson County Historical Society , 228 Washington St, Watertown 13601
Town of Watertown Historical Society, 22867 County Rt 67, Watertown 13601
4 Rivers Historical Society , PO Box 504, Carthage 13619
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

Jefferson 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 Jefferson County. Some transcriptions are online. A great site is the Jefferson 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 Jefferson County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Jefferson 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 Jefferson County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information. Email us with websites containing Jefferson County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below:

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Genealogical Document Search and Retrieval Service
Jefferson County, New York Family Books at Amazon.com

County History

If one were to attempt to trace the history of Jefferson from its earliest occupation, a beginning would be made with the Indians of the Oneida and Onondaga tribes, whose hunting and fishing ground it was. In many parts of the County there are evidences of their early encampments and entrenchments. On the main line of travel from the Canadas to the Hudson valley the region was the scene of many bloody encounters between the Canadian Algonquins and the Iroquois. In nearly every town of the County, particularly those bordering Lake Ontario, are the remains of crude fortifications of Indian construction. These are usually on the hills and invariably face the northwest from whence came their enemy. The "first families" of Jefferson were red.

The first white man to visit Jefferson was, undoubtedly, Samuel de Champlain, who, in the autumn of 1615, with a force of 2,500 Indians, crossed from the "vicinity of Kingston to Galloup and Stony islands and from thence to near the mouth of Stony Creek in the present town of Henderson, where the canoes were concealed in the woods." The unsuccessful compaign against the Iroquois which followed need not be recounted, but the fact that this visit occurred only eight years after the settlement of Jamestown by the English, their first on this continent, and preceded that of the Pilgrims in 1620 by five, gives emphasis to the years covered by the County's history.

From the day of Champlain to the end of the French dominion in America, there were apparently no settlements made in this district. Military posts were established during the French and Indian war, notably at Henderson, and garrisons were placed in various parts of the northern New York country during the Revolution, but the district as a whole was only the haunt of the wandering trapper.

An indeterminate treaty was made with the Indians in 1784, which was made definite by the Oneidas in September, 1788, by which the territory of Jefferson was included in a vast domain ceded to the State of New York. Of more interest to the County was the so-called "Macomb's Purchase," which was the greatest grant of land ever made by a State to individuals, including as it did 3,670,715 acres. The area was divided into five great tracts, No. 4 of which included more than half of the present County of Jefferson. To the Macomb grant most of the titles to land are now traced.

Tryon County was formed 1772 from Albany but the name was changed after the Revolution to one less distasteful, Montgomery. In 1798 Oneida County was erected, including what is now Jefferson, and not until March 28, 1805, was this district set off with the name of the third President of the United States. As created, the County included parts of eight towns of Oneida County, but the boundaries of Jefferson have been changed three times. As now constituted the area of the County is 1,274 square miles.

Jefferson County is located in one of the most wonderfully beautiful natural sections of the State. From the lavish display of the "Thousand Islands" to the lower peaks of the Adirondacks it spreads in picturesque diversity. Nor does it lack in utility, for mixed with the wilds are intervale lands of richest fertility. With its natural resources so marked, for so many years kown to the soldiery who passed to and from Canada, it seems strange that the first permanent settler should not come until the spring of 1797 in the person of Noadiah Hubbard. Tradition has it that Lyman and Marvel Ellis visited that same year the region which now bears their name. In 1805, as Jefferson County, it was estimated that the inhabitants numbered 1,500.

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