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Lewis County, New York Genealogy

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Guide to Lewis County, New York ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.

County Facts
County seat: Lowville
Organized: March 28, 1805
Parent County(s): Oneida
Neighboring Counties
Herkimer • Jefferson • Oneida • Oswego • St. Lawrence
Courthouse
New York, Lewis County Courthouse.png
Location Map
Ny-lewis.png


County Information

Description

The county was named for Morgan Lewis, the Governor of New York when the county was established. The county is located in the northeastern area of the state.[1]

County Courthouse

Lewis County Courthouse
7660 N. State St
Lowville, NY 13367
Phone: 315-376-5380
Lewis County Website

The Lewis County Clerk has birth, death, divorce, court, land, naturalization, miliatry rolls and state census. The Surrogate Court has probate records.

Lewis County, New York Record Dates

Information for this chart was taken from various sources, often containing conflicting dates. This information should be taken as a guide and should be verified by contacting the county and/or the state government agency.

Known Beginning Dates for Government County Records[2]
Birth* Marriage Death* Court Land Probate Census
1847 1880 1847 1907 1805 1805 1663
*Statewide registration for births and deaths started in 1880. General compliance for births by 1915 and deaths by 1890.

Record Loss

There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Boundary Changes

Populated Places

For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit HomeTown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:[5]

Towns
Villages
Hamlets


History Timeline

Morgan-Lewis.jpg


The county was named after Morgan Lewis 4th governor of the State.

Resources

Bible Records

  • 1581-1917 New York, Family Bible Records at Ancestry ($); Index. Database is a collection of genealogically important records taken from the Bibles of colony and state residents. Reveals the Bible's original owner, brief record of descendants,and a particular event such as birth or marriage as recorded in Bible.

Biographies

Business, Commerce, and Occupations

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Lewis County, New York online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online
Tombstone Transcriptions in Print (Often more complete)
List of Cemeteries in the County
See New York Cemeteries for more information.

Census Records

Historical populations
Census Pop. %±
1810 6,433 —
1820 9,227 43.4%
1830 15,239 65.2%
1840 17,830 17.0%
1850 24,564 37.8%
1860 28,580 16.3%
1870 28,699 0.4%
1880 31,416 9.5%
1890 29,806 −5.1%
1900 27,427 −8.0%
1910 24,849 −9.4%
1920 23,704 −4.6%
1930 23,447 −1.1%
1940 22,815 −2.7%
1950 22,521 −1.3%
1960 23,249 3.2%
1970 23,644 1.7%
1980 25,035 5.9%
1990 26,796 7.0%
2000 26,944 0.6%
2010 27,087 0.5%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

For information and tips on using and accessing online census records, see New York Census.

Federal
U.S. Census Mortality Schedules for New York, 1850-1880:

  • Available online at Ancestry ($).
  • Deaths are included for the 12 months prior to the census, 1849-50, 1859-60, 1869-70, and 1879-80 beginning 1 June and ending 31 May of the census year.[6]
  • Basic contents of the records include: Name, sex, age, color, marital status, place of birth, month of death, occupation, and cause of death. 1870 also has parents' birthplace. 1880 lists how long a resident of the county.
  • Also on FS Library Films 1415128–42.
  • The 1890 Census is lost. For a substitute, see Lewis.
  • 1849-50, 1859-60, 1869-70, 1879-80 See Mortality Schedule information in the Federal Census section of Census for death information.

State

Source 1825 1835 1845 1855 1865 1875 1892 1905 1915 1925
Ancestry.com - - - Yes - Yes Yes
Yes 		Yes Yes Yes
FamilySearch Library Yes - Yes Yes
FamilySearch Historical Records - - - Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
New York State Library Yes Yes - Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
  • 1864-5, 1874-5 See Marriage Schedule information in the State Census section of Census for marriage information for 1864-5, and 1874-5.

New York State 1865 and 1875 Census Marriage, Mortality; and 1865 Soldier Mortality records:

  • Images available online at New York State Census, 1865 and New York State Census, 1875. Click on the link to go to the page, then click on the ‘Browse through images’ link and select your county, then select an ancestor's town and browse to the end of the population schedule until you find the Marriage, Mortality, and 1865 soldier mortality schedules.
  • Includes marriages and deaths for the 12 months prior to the census, ending 1 June of the census year.
  • Marriage entry content: Husband's name, wife's name, ages and previous marital status, month and day and place of marriage, and church or civil ceremony.
  • Death entry content: Name, age, sex, color, marital status, month and day of death, native state or country, occupation and cause of death.
  • 1865 deaths of officers and enlisted men entry content: Name, age, marital status, citizenship status, enlistment date, original regiment, original rank, regiment at death, rank at death, promotions, death date and place, manner of death, surviving associates, and burial place.
  • Also on microfilm. See the FamilySearch Library line in the above State Census Chart.
  • 1864-5, 1874-5 See Mortality Schedule information in the State Census section of Census for death information for 1864-5, and 1874-5.


Church Records


Episcopal

  • 1863-1889 Methodist Episcopal Church. Copenhagen Station. FS Library film 1378829 Item 6 Contains baptisms 1865-1887, marriages 1864-1887, probationers' record 1884-1887, alphabetical list of members including deaths 1863-1879, record of the classes severally including deaths 1874-1889.
  • 1870-1915 Methodist Episcopal Church. Martinsburg Circuit FS Library film 1378829 Item 16 Contains records of members and list of classes including deaths 1872-1915, baptisms 1873-1914, marriages 1873-1912, deaths 1870-1912. Includes some members of Harrisburg Circuit.


Lutheran and Reformed


List of Churches and Church Parishes

Court Records

Ancestors may have been involved in municipal, state, or federal court cases and actions. See also New York Court Records and United States Court Records.

Directories

Emigration and Immigration

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups

Funeral Homes

Genealogies

  • Rootsweb message board for Lewis County, New York Genealogy has many information threads about families that resided in that county. There is a search engine that allows you to search by surname and topic.

Guardianship

Land and Property Records

Online Land Indexes and Records

Local Histories

Maps and Gazetteers

St. Lawrence CountyHerkimer CountyOneida CountyOswego CountyJefferson CountyNY LEWIS.PNG
Click a neighboring county
for more resources

Migration

Military Records

Civil War
Town registers. The New York town clerks kept a bound register of all soldiers from their town serving in the Civil War 1861-1865. Registers are arranged by county, and town. Some town registers are missing. The registers include an index at the start of each town.

Content. Many register entries include full name, residence, date and place of birth, parents names, marital status, date of enlistment and muster and rank, discharges, death, or promotion.

Access. The original registers are at the New York State Archives in Albany, New York. Microfilm copies are found at the FamilySearch Library (FS Library Film 1993401-37). They are also indexed and available at Ancestry.com ($). Available towns. Registers are available for: Denmark · Diana · Greig · Harrisburg · Leyden · Lowville · Lyonsdale · Montague · New Bremen · Osceola · Pinckney · Turin · West Turin.

Regiments. Service men in Lewis County served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county.[7]

- 1st Battalion, New York Light Artillery, Batteries D and H.
- 7th Regiment, New York Cavalry, Company E
- 14th Regiment, New York Infantry, Companies F and I.
- 20th Regiment, New York Cavalry, Companies A, E and F.
- 20th Regiment, New York Cavalry, Companies E and F.
- 35th Regiment, New York Infantry, Company B.
- 59th Regiment, New York Infantry, Companies B and G.
- 97th Regiment, New York Infantry, Companies B and H.
- 100th Regiment, New York Infantry, Company B.
- 130th Regiment, New York Infantry, Company I.

Naturalization and Citizenship

Online Naturalization Indexes and Records

Newspapers

  • 1800-1855 New York Marriage Notices at Ancestry ($); Index. This database is a collection of marriage notices published in newspapers around the state. Contains name of bride and groom, marriage date, marriage location, residence, and newspaper found in.
  • 1801-1880 Barber Collection- Newspaper Marriages at Ancestry ($); Index. Information extracted from the "Brooklyn Eagle" and the "New York Evening Post."
  • 1801-1890 Barber Collection- Newspaper Deaths at Ancestry] ($); Index. Information extracted from the "Brooklyn Eagle" and the "New York Evening Post."
  • 1813-1850 10,000 Vital Records of Central New York, 1813-1850, by Fred Q. Bowman. Baltimore,MD: Genealogical Pub. Co., 1986. At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 974.7 V2bf; Online at: Ancestry ($); MyHeritage ($); Abstracted from newspaper marriage and death columns.
  • 1831-1859 Crawford, Anna E. Marriage and Death Dates from the Black River Gazette of 1831-32 and the Northern Journal of 1838-45, 1847-53, 1855-59. Lowville, N.Y., 1986. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
  • 1856-1863 Index to Marriages and Deaths in the New York Herald at Ancestry ($); Index. These newspaper notices refer to people up and down the East Coast as well as mid-westerners and persons from as far west as the State of California. Also browsable.
  • 1856-1954 NYS Historic Newspapers. Includes Black River Democrat (1913-1943), Lewis County Banner (1856-1859), Lewis County Democrat (1867-1906), Lowville Herald & Lewis County Democrat (1910-1914), Lowville Journal and Republican (1860-1955), Lowville Leader (1943-1953), Lowville Leader and Lyons-Leyden Ledger (1953-1954), Lowville Times (1876-1884), and Lowville Times Lewis County Independent (1884-1891).
  • New York Newspapers Online at Old Fulton New York Post Cards - index & images
  • Lowville NY Lewis County Republican 1850-1857
  • Lowville NY Northern Journal 1838-1858

Other resources at Northern New York Historical Newspapers:

  • Lewis County Democrat, 1867-1906
  • Lowville Journal and Republican 1860-1940.

Obituaries

Other Records

Adoptions

Guardianship Records

  • Historical Records - Lewis County: Dower records, 1824-1866; Final settlements, 1856-1883; General index, 1805-1940; Guardianship records, 1830-1855; Letters of administration, 1805-1829, 1856-1881; Letters of administration, Letters of testamentary, 1830-1855; Letters of guardianship, 1806-1829; Letters of testamentary, 1856-1881; Sales, 1824-1894; Wills, 1806-1870

Periodicals

Probate Records

Probate records (wills, bonds, petitions, accounts, inventories, administrations, orders, decrees, and distributions) for New York are held in the office of the county Surrogate Court beginning in 1787, or when the county was formed. Prior to 1787, most are housed at the New York State Archives.
Content: Probate Records may give the decedent's date of death, names of spouse, children, parents, siblings, in-laws, neighbors, associates, relatives, and their place of residence.
Probate Petitions In 1830, state law required the Surrogate Court clerk to issue a probate petition for a deceased individual with property. This petition, unique to New York, usually lists the deceased's death date. It also lists the heirs, their relationship to the deceased, and their residence. These petitions are often found in the estate files.[8] See New York Probate Records for online resources, details, links, and more.

Online Probate Indexes and Records

School Records

Social Security Records

Tax Records

Town Records

Town records in New York may include early births, marriages, deaths, divorces, local histories, selected military records, and town meeting minutes. Vital records from 1880/1882 are kept by town and village clerks, although some (Kent’s and Putnam Valley’s) are available in the County Historian’s Office. See:

  • New York Towns, Villages, and Cities: A Guide to Genealogical Sources by Gordon L. Remington. Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2002. FS Library Book 974.7 D27r; At various libraries (WorldCat); Alphabetical list including date founded, if a town history exists, church and cemetery sources, and if a Civil War register (TCR) exists.

Vital Records

Vital records of birth, marriage or death were first recorded at the local level in the village clerk, town clerk, or city clerk’s ledger book.

Birth

Marriage

Death

Divorce

Divorce judgment papers often include date and place of the marriage and the names and birthdates of any children. Local newspapers may publish notices of divorce actions.

  • Pre–1787 All divorces were granted by the governor or legislature and were very rare.
  • 1787–1847 All divorces were granted by the court of chancery. These records are found in the New York State Archives or for the New York City area at the New York County Clerk's office.These divorces were granted only on the grounds of adultery.
  • 1847–present All divorces are handled by the county Supreme Court where the divorce was granted. Divorce files in New York are sealed for 100 years. Contact the County Clerk for information about divorce records.

Voting Records

Research Facilities

Archives

Cornell University, Guide to Historical Resources in Lewis County, New York Repositories. ([Ithaca, New York]: New York Historical Resources Center, Olin Library, Cornell University, 1987). At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 974.759 A3. Includes index. Includes references to some family histories and genealogies.

County Historian
Lewis County Historian
Masonic Temple Building
7552 South State Street
P.O. Box 446
Lowville, New York 13367
Phone: 315-376-2825 The County Historian may provide access to obituaries, vital records, church records, maps, and family files or journals. Some historians provide search services for their office records and others may refer you to local genealogists who research in the area.

FamilySearch Centers

FamilySearch Center and Affiliate Library Locator map - search for local FamilySearch Centers or Affiliate Libraries

  • FamilySearch Centers provide one-on-one assistance, free access to center-only databases, and to premium genealogical websites.
  • FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries have access to most center-only databases, but may not always have full services normally provided by a FamilySearch center.

Local Centers and Affiliate Libraries

Libraries

  • Lowville Free Library
    5387 Dayan Street
    Lowville, New York 13367
    Phone: 315-376-2131
    Website

Museums

Societies

Listed below are societies in Lewis County. For state-wide genealogical and historical societies, see New York Societies.

Central New York Genealogical Society
Box 104, Colvin Station
Syracuse, NY 13205
Email: contact@cnygs.org
Web Contact Form
Website

Member queries; surname research list; online resources; six meetings/year; publication: Tree Talks (At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 974.7 B2t) quarterly with annual index.
Counties served: Albany, Allegany, Broome, Cattaraugus, Cayuga, Chautauqua, Chemung, Chenango, Clinton, Columbia, Cortland, Delaware, Erie, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Genesee, Greene, Hamilton, Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Livingston, Madison, Monroe, Montgomery, Niagara, Oneida, Onondaga, Ontario, Orange, Orleans, Oswego, Otsego, Rensselaer, St. Lawrence, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, Schuyler, Seneca, Steuben, Tioga, Tompkins, Washington, Wayne, Warren, Wyoming, and Yates.

  • Lewis County Historical Society
    7552 South State Street
    Lowville, New York 13367
    Phone: 315-376-8957 or 315-376-2825
    Email: lewiscountyhistoricalsociety@gmail.com
    Website
Collection includes local and regional history books, farm and business directories, obituaries, cemetery records, early newspapers on microfilm (182501993), immigration index, photographs, genealogies, historical documents and morel

  • 4 River Valleys Historical Society
    P.O. Box 504
    Carthage, New York 13619
    Phone: 315-773-5133
    Website

Websites

Research Guides

References

  1. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Lewis, New York" in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lewis_County,_New_York accessed 20 Nov 2018
  2. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Lewis County, New York. Page 488-493 At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002; Alice Eichholz, ed. Ancestry’s Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources, Third ed. (Provo, Utah: Ancestry, 2004), 490-492.
  3. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), 489. At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002.
  4. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002).At various libraries (WorldCat); FSC Book 973 D27e 2002.
  5. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Lewis County, New York," in "Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lewis_County,_New_York, accessed 11 Feburary 2020.
  6. ↑ Arlene Eakle, and Johni Cerni, The Source: A Guidebook of American Genealogy (Salt Lake City: Ancestry, 1984), 103. At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27ts.
  7. ↑ Frederick Phisterer, New York in the War of the Rebellion, 3rd ed. (Albany, N.Y.: J. B. Lyon Company, 1912). Internet Archive digital copy; At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Film 1486494-96; Fiche 6083559-64; Book 974.7 M2p.
  8. ↑ Alice Eichholz, Red Book: American State, County and Town Sources, 3rd ed. (Salt Lake City: Ancestry Pub., 2004), 479. At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27rb 2004. Henry B. Hoff, "Navigating New York Probate," American Ancestors 12 (Fall 2011): 54.
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