Livingston County, New York Genealogical Records Information

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Livingston County History and Information

Livingston County Facts

Livingston County was created in 1821 and formed from Genesee and Ontario Counties. Livingston County was named for Robert R. Livingston, a New York delegate to the Continental Congress and the County Seat is Geneseo. See also Extended History for more historical details.

The Livingston County Courthouse is located at Government Center, 6 Court St., Geneseo , NY 14454; 585-243-7000 and the Official County Website is located at http://www.co.livingston.state.ny.us/.

Livingston County Borders Monroe County (North), Ontario County (East), Steuben County (Southeast), Allegany County (Southwest), Wyoming County (West), Genesee County (Northwest) .

Livingston County Municipalities: Cities include Geneseo. Villages include Avon, Caledonia, Dansville, Leicester, Lima, Livonia, Mount Morris, Nunda. Towns include Avon, Caledonia, Conesus, Geneseo, Groveland, Leicester, Lima, Livonia, Mount Morris, North Dansville, Nunda, Ossian, Portage, Sparta, Springwater, West Sparta, York . 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.

Livingston County, New York History Books at Amazon.com
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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.

Livingston 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.

Livingston County Clerk has Land & Court Records from 1821 and is located at Government Center, 6 Court St., Rm. 201, Geneseo, NY 14454; Phone: (585) 243-7010 , Fax: (585) 243-7159 .
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.

Livingston County Surrogate Court Clerk has Probate Records from 1821 and is located at 2 Court St., Geneseo, NY 14454; phone:(585) 243-7095, fax: (585) 243-7583;e-mail: tmoore@courts.state.ny.us .
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.

Livingston County Historian is located at 5 Murray Hill Drive, Mt. Morris, NY 14510 .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 Livingston County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Livingston 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
Livingston 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.

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

Livingston County, New York Tax Books at Amazon.com

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

Livingston County Genealogical Society, 3 Elizabeth St., Dansville 14437
Livingston County Historical Society, 30 Center Street, Geneseo, New York 14454; (716) 243-9147
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

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

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Livingston County, New York Family Books at Amazon.com

County History

Livingston County is not a section that has been ravaged with the wars and events which are the incidents that go to make up what is called "history." Instead of being the ground over which armies have marched, and for which they fought, it has rather always been the home of those who tilled and loved the soil, and with one great exception, been left in peaceful possession. Before ever the eyes of the white man looked upon this fertile land the Seneca had made it his granary, and the seat of the largest of his villages. He had attained some height in civilization, and acquired a few of its arts. Much of the land had been brought under cultivation, the forest had been cleared over quite large areas. He grew his corn and grain, melons and vegetables, his apple and other fruit trees were wonders in the sight of the whites as later these were disclosed to them. The Seneca was the Keeper of the Western Gate in the confederacy known as the Iroquois, the living barriers against the enemies from the wide west reaches of America. The first mention of them by Europeans is that in the "Jesuit Relations" under the date of 1644-45, but Jacques Cartier knew of them a hundred years and more prior to this.

The one great exception to the peace of this region came as a consequence of the Senecas taking sides in a quarrel which was not their own. When the Colonies were struggling to be rid of the yoke of the Mother Country, the Senecas joined forces with the British, as did several other tribes. The result of this interference was the destruction of the homes and the laying waste of the Indian cornfields and orchard. In 1779 General Sullivan was sent by Congress to march to the head of the Indian country, burning as he went all the towns and possessions of the Iroquois, so that they might be completely removed from the struggle between two white peoples. Chenussio (Geneseo), the great town of the Seneca, was the end and aim of the march, and it was at this place, and in other parts of Livingston County that the climax of Sullivan's devastating expedition was reached. After wiping out forty Indian villages, burning more than 160,000 bushels of corn, and chopping down untold hundreds of fruit trees, he ended the power of the Iroquois forever. He did more than this, for his expedition discovered and disclosed the exceeding beauty and richness of the country, particularly that now enclosed in Livingston County, leading to its very early settlement after the Revolution.

The Indians received rather shabby treatment by their allies after their defeat by the Colonies, for there was no provision in the treaty of the Revolution which protected the Iroquois. They received rather better treatment by the victors, and in September, 1797, the tribes were gathered at Geneseo and a treaty was signed whereby the Indians transferred their lands to the State except certain selected spots which they reserved for their own use. Previous to this time there were few settlers in the County, although a few had located in the years following 1790. The most prominent of these pioneers was James and William Wadsworth, from Durham, Connecticut, who located at Geneseo, June 10, 1790. They became large land holders later, and because of their liberal policy in the selling of this land greatly helped the settlement of the district. Most of the first settlements were at Geneseo, and near the sites of the old Seneca towns, and were made by folk from New England. Just a little later York, Avon and Caledonia were founded by colonies of Scotch.

Livingston County was formed from Genesee February 23, 1821, to which were added in 1846 and 1856 parts of Allegany County. It is located in the central part of the western half of the State, being bounded on the north by Monroe; on the east by Steuben and Ontario; on the south by Allegany and Steuben counties; and on the west by Allegany, Genesee and Wyoming counties. The Genesee River flows ,through the district; there are several beautiful lakes, Hemlock and Conesus, being the most noted (Conesus was called by the Indians "Ganeasost," meaning where the "heavens rest upon the earth"). There are many streams which furnished water power to the pioneers, and some of these when canalized were the means of transportation in the early days. The whole County is an upland, with hills that in a few places reach an elevation of 2,000 feet; but the slopes are gentle, the terrain rolling rather than hilly, and the vast majority of its 380,665 acres are arable.

Livingston is almost exclusively an agricultural County, one of the foremost of the State. Its soil is almost universally good, being covered originally with a dense forest in which the hardwoods and deciduous trees were numerous. The river flats, while subject to over-flow, are broad and very fertile. Three-quarters of the area is the best of grain land, and it was by its wheat that this part of New York became known. Changes took place even as early as 1825, which took some of the profit out of wheat growing, and insects and disease brought about a shift to spring wheat. In these later years wheat has come back as a crop, mostly of the spring variety. The Indian showed the way in the matter of fruit growing, but it was many years before the settlers followed the example and planted trees that made this a banner fruit section.

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