Nassau County, New York Genealogical Records Information

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Nassau County History and Information

Nassau County Facts

Nassau County was created in 1899 and formed from Queens County . Nassau County was named for William of Orange-Nassau, the later King William III of England and the County Seat is Mineola. Nassau County vital records are available from the Town office where the event occured and from the New York State Bureau of Vital Records. See also Extended History for more historical details.

The Nassau County Courthouse is located at One West St., Mineola , NY 11501; 516-571-3000 and the Official County Website is located at http://www.nassaucountyny.gov/.

Nassau County Borders Suffolk County (East), Queens County (West) .

Nassau County Municipalities: Cities include Mineola, Glen Cove, Long Beach. Towns include Hempstead, North Hempstead, Oyster Bay. . 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.

Nassau 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.

Nassau 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.

Nassau County Clerk has Land & Court Records from 1899 and is located at 240 Old Country Road, Mineola, NY 11501 - Phone:(516) 571-2664 .
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.

Nassau County Surrogate Court Clerk has Probate Records from 1899 and is located at 262 Old Country Rd., Mineola, NY 11501; phone:(516) 571-2082, fax: (516) 571-3803 .
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.

Nassau County Historian is located at 14 Wavy Lane, Wantagh, NY 11793 .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 Nassau County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Nassau 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
Nassau 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.

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

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

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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

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

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Nassau County, New York Family Books at Amazon.com

County History

From the time of the earliest settlement on Long Island until the surrender of the colony of New Netherland to the English the western end of the island was within the jurisdiction of the Dutch, whose claim included the town of Oyster Bay, which claim, however, was disregarded by the English. The Plymouth Company issued, by order of Charles I, letters patent to William, Earl of Sterling, for the entire island. Sterling executed a power of attorney to James Farrett to dispose of lands on Long Island. Four years later the earl died and his grandson, who succeeded him, survived but a few months. Their heirs surrendered the grant for the island to the Crown. The settlers on the eastern end were left to themselves and regulated their affairs accordingly. Purchases of land were made by the towns and were in later years confirmed by the governors appointed by the Duke of York.

There were claims and counterclaims. A Scotchman claimed Long Island, according to Van der Donck. Another, Captain Andrew Forester, of Dundee, claimed Long Island for the Dowager of Sterling. When Charles II ascended the throne, Winthrop, Governor of the colony of Connecticut, was sent to England to obtain a charter. He received a charter covering the territories of the colonists of Connecticut and New Haven, and as a result the colony which became later known as the Connecticut Colony laid claim to Long Island, as being one of the islands adjacent. The English Settlement In 1664 Major John Scott came to Long Island with some royal authority and formed a combination of the Englishes (sic) villages— Hempstead, Gravesend, Flushing, Newtown, Jamaica, and Oyster Bay with himself as president. Charles II granted, by letters patent, to his brother James, the country occupied by the Dutch, together with Long Island. Lyon Gardiner appears to have been the first settler on the eastern end of the island, locating on Gardiner's Island a little before Southold and Southampton were settled. Then came the settlements of Easthampton, Shelter Island, Oyster Bay, Huntington, Brookhaven, and Smithtown. Each town was in the beginning a colony by itself, independent of all others. After a few years the towns voluntarily placed themselves under the protection of the New England colonies. Southampton obtained the protection of Connecticut; Easthampton, Brookhaven, and Huntington did the same thing later. Southold united with the New Haven colony, together with Shelter Island. When the colonies of New Haven and Connecticut were united and a new charter was granted, including the territory of the islands adjacent, Connecticut claimed Long Island as one of those islands, and this claim had the support of the eastern towns. Oyster Bay also placed itself under the protection of Connecticut.

The other English towns on the western end, within the Dutch jurisdiction, were trying to join this union, and then the grant to the Duke of York was made, and at the same time the colony of New Netherland became English, and Long Island was incorporated with New York. Later the English Governor called together delegates of the various towns to meet at Hempstead. At this assemblage Long Island and Staten Island were created into a "shire" called Yorkshire, and the Duke's laws were formulated. Yorkshire was divided into three ridings like its namesake in England. These were divisions of territory for the convenience of the courts. The shires in England were also called counties, because they were governed by a count or earl.

The several towns had up to this time existed without having their boundaries properly fixed. The settlers of the district came together from time to time to regulate their local affairs, and these men, associated for the purpose of government, constituted the town. Now the towns were recognized and were required to take out patents for the lands within their boundaries, which the towns themselves, or the West India Company, had purchased from the Indians. The present Suffolk County had constituted the East Riding, Hempstead, Flushing, Jamaica, and Oyster Bay the North Riding, and the present Kings County, Newtown, and Staten Island, the West Riding. The first General Assembly of the colony met and repealed some of the Duke's laws. The ridings also were abolished and the island was redivided into three counties - Kings, Queens, and Suffolk. The town of Newtown, formerly a part of West Riding, was made a part of Queens County. Kings and Queens counties were named in compliment of King Charles and his wife. Staten Island was made a County by itself and named Richmond, one of the titles of a son of Charles.

In 1788 the towns were recognized by the laws of the newly established State of New York. The division of the island into three counties remained in force until Greater New York City came into existence, taking in, among Long Island territory, Kings County and a large part of Queens County. In 1899 Queens County was divided. The part included within the greater city retained the old name, and the remainder was incorporated as the County of Nassau.

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