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.
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Researchers often overlook the importance of court records, probate records, and land records as a source of family history information.
PLEASE READ FIRST!!!! 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.
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:
Birth, marriage, and death records are connected with central life events. They are prime sources for genealogical information.
PLEASE READ FIRST!!!! The New York State Department of Health does not file records of births and deaths that occurred in New York City and marriage licenses that were obtained in New York City. To obtain information about genealogy services available for New York City records, please visit the New York City Municipal Archives web page.
New York State Dept of Health, Vital Records Section, Empire State Plaza, Albany, NY 12237; (518) 474-3077, (518) 474-3038 Information, Fax: (518) 432-6286, Vital records registration started in New York State outside of New York City in 1881. Please allow up to approximately 7-8 weeks for processing of all type of certificates when ordered through the mail. Generally, the New York State Department of Health provides uncertified copies of the following types of records for genealogy research purposes:
Below is a list of online resources for Chenango County Vital Records. Email us with websites containing Chenango County Vital Records by clicking the link below:
Few, if any, records reveal as many details about individuals and families as do government census records. Substitute records can be used when the official census is unavailable
Countywide Records: Federal Population Schedules that exist for Chenango County, New York are 1800, 1810, 1820, 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1890 (fragment, see below), 1900, 1910, 1920 and 1930. Other Federal Schedules to look at when researching your family tree in Chenango County, New York are Industry and Agriculture Schedules availible for the years 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880. Slave Schedules exist for 1850 & 1860. The Mortality Schedules for the years 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880.There are free downloadable and printable Census forms to help with your research. These include U.S. Census Extraction Forms and U.K. Census Extraction Forms
Below is a list of online resources for Chenango County Census Records. Email us with websites containing Chenango County Census Records by clicking the link below:
Genealogy Atlas has images of old American atlases during the years 1795, 1814, 1822, 1823, 1836, 1838, 1845, 1856, 1866, 1879 and 1897 for New Yorkand other states.
You can view rotating animated maps for New York showing all the county boundaries for each census year overlayed with past and present maps so you can see the changes in county boundaries. You can view a list of maps for other states at Census Maps
You can view rotating animated maps for New York showing all the county boundary changes for each year overlayed with past and present maps so you can see the changes in county boundaries. You can view a list of maps for other states and State Department of Transportation Maps at County Maps.
Below is a list of online resources for Chenango County Maps. Email us with websites containing Chenango County Maps by clicking the link below:
Military and civil service records provide unique facts and insights into the lives of men and women who have served their country at home and abroad.
New Yorkers have participated in military efforts since the colonial era. Military records shed light on the lives of soldiers, the struggles of the forces, as well as war's impact on the home front. They offer researchers a unique view of our past.
The uses and value of military records in genealogical research for ancestors who were veterans are obvious, but military records can also be important to re-searchers whose direct ancestors were not soldiers in any war. The fathers, grandfathers, brothers, and other close relatives of an ancestor may have served in a war, and their service or pension records could contain information that will assist in further identifying the family of primary interest. Due to the amount of genealogical information contained in some military pension files, they should never be overlooked during the research process. Those records not containing specific genealogical information are of historic value and should be included in any overall research design.
Below is a list of online resources for Chenango County Military Records. Email us with websites containing Chenango County Military Records by clicking the link below:
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:
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:
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:
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:
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.