St. Lawrence County, New York Genealogy


Guide to St. Lawrence 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: Canton
Organized: 03 Mar 1802 [1]
Parent County(s): Clinton[2]
Neighboring Counties
Franklin Hamilton Herkimer Jefferson Lewis Ontario (Canada)
See County Maps
Courthouse
New York, St Lawrence County Courthouse
Location Map
Ny-stlawrence.png

County Information

Description

The county was named for the Saint Lawrence River. The county is located in the northwestern area of the state.[3]

County Courthouse

St. Lawrence County Courthouse
48 Court St
Canton, NY 13617
Phone: 315-379-2219
St. Lawrence County Website

The St. Lawrence County Clerk's office has divorce, court and land records.
The Surrogate Court has probate records.

St. Lawrence 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[4]
Birth* Marriage Death* Court Land Probate Census
1880 1880 1880 1802 1802 1803 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:[7]

Cities
Towns
Villages
Hamlets
Census-designated places


History Timeline

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 St. Lawrence 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 7,885
1820 16,037 103.4%
1830 36,354 126.7%
1840 56,706 56.0%
1850 68,617 21.0%
1860 83,689 22.0%
1870 84,826 1.4%
1880 85,997 1.4%
1890 85,048 −1.1%
1900 89,083 4.7%
1910 89,005 −0.1%
1920 88,121 −1.0%
1930 90,960 3.2%
1940 91,098 0.2%
1950 98,897 8.6%
1960 111,239 12.5%
1970 111,991 0.7%
1980 114,254 2.0%
1990 111,974 −2.0%
2000 111,931 −0.0%
2010 111,944 0.0%
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.[8]
  • 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.

State

Source 1825 1835 1845 1855 1865 1875 1892 1905 1915 1925
Ancestry.com - - - - - - - - Yes Yes
FS Library Films - - Yes - Yes - - Yes Yes
FamilySearch Images - - - - Yes - - Yes Yes Yes
New York State Library Films - - Yes - Yes - - Yes Yes Yes

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.


Church Records


  • Ogdensburg Diocese Archives
    622 Washington Street
    P.O. Box 369
    Ogdensburg, New York 13669
    Phone: 315-393-2920
    Email: jvotraw@dioogdensburg.org
    Hours: Monday - Friday 9 am - 4 pm
    Holds archival material of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Ogdensburg and of its churches and institutions.
  • 1823-1874 Rev. Noah Barrell's Record of Marriages, 1823-1874at NYGenWeb
  • 1840s-1890s "Record of Marriages by Rev. Gorham Cross," The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, (Jan. 1919):55-58. Free online index at NYGenWeb; digital versions of Record at Google Books (free) and NYGBS ($).
  • Church Records of St. Lawrence County, NY at NYGenWeb; Baptist, Congregational, Episcopal, Methodist, and Presbyterian


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

Guardianship

Land and Property Records

Local Histories

Maps and Gazetteers

Franklin CountyHerkimer CountyHamilton CountyLewis CountyJefferson CountyOntarioNY ST LAWRENCE.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: Brasher · Canton · Colton · De Kalb · De Peyster · Edwards · Fine · Fowler · Gouverneur · Hammond · Hopkinton · Lawrence · Lisbon · Louisville · Macomb · Morristown · Norfolk · Oswegatchie · Parishville · Pierrepont · Pitcairn · Potsdam · Stockholm · Waddington.

Regiments. Service men in St. Lawrence County served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are companies that were specifically formed in St. Lawrence County:[9]

- 1st Battalion, New York Light Artillery, Battery D
- 6th Independent Battery, New York Light Artillery, Companies I and K
- 6th Regiment, New York Cavalry, Companies I and K
- 7th Regiment, New York Cavalry, Company D
- 9th Regiment, New York Cavalry , Company L.
- 11th Regiment, New York Cavalry, Companies D, I, L and M
- 12th Regiment, New York Cavalry, Company B
- 13th Regiment, New York Cavalry, Companies G and H
- 16th Regiment, New York Cavalry, Companies A, E and F
- 16th Regiment, New York Infantry, Companies A, B, D, F, G and H
- 18th Regiment, New York Cavalry, Companies L, M and K
- 18th Regiment, New York Infantry
- 20th Regiment, New York Cavalry, Companies H and I
- 24th Regiment, New York Cavalry, Company C
- 24th Regiment, New York Infantry
- 60th Regiment, New York Infantry, Companies A, B, C, D, F, G, H, I and K
- 92nd Regiment, New York Infantry
- 100th Regiment, New York Infantry, Company A
- 102nd Regiment, New York Infantry, Company K
- 106th Regiment, New York Infantry, Companies A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I and K
- 142nd Regiment, New York Infantry, Companies A, B, C, D, E, G, H, I and K
- 164th Regiment, New York Infantry, Company A
- 169th Regiment, New York Infantry, Company F
- 193rd Regiment, New York Infantry, Companies B, F and G

Naturalization and Citizenship

Online Naturalization Indexes and Records

Newspapers

  • Pre-1850 John M. Austin, Some Marriage and Death Notices Found in Pre-1850 Periodicals of St. Lawrence County, New York ([S.l. J.M. Austin], 2003). At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 974.756 V2a.
  • 1777-1834 Fred Q. Bowman, 10,000 Vital Records of Eastern New York, 1777-1834 (Baltimore,MD: Genealogical Pub. Co., 1987). FS Library Book 974.7 V2bfq; At various libraries (WorldCat); Online at: Ancestry ($); MyHeritage ($); Abstracted from newspaper marriage and death columns.
  • 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 ($) Index. Information extracted from the "Brooklyn Eagle" and the "New York Evening Post."
  • 1804-1850 Fred Q. Bowman, 8000 More Vital Records of Eastern New York State, 1804-1850 (Rhinebeck, New York: Kinship Books, 1991). At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 974.7 V2bfqa. Abstracts of newspaper marriage and death columns.
  • Northern New York Historical Newspapers; Search historical newspapers for St. Lawrence Co. in years ranging from 1861 - 2007.
  • 1844-2009 Northern NY Library Network Newspaper Search. Includes Canton Commercial Advertiser (1900-1952), Clarkson Integrator (1920-2007), Gouverneur Tribune-Press and others (1864-2004), Hammond Advertiser (1886-1949), Heuvelton Bee (1912-1923), Hill News of St. Lawrence University (1911-2008), Madrid Herald (1904-1918), Massena Observer (1891-1989), North Country Catholic (1946-2006), Norwood News (1879-1941), Ogdensburg Advance & Ogdensburg Advance-News (1861-1962), Ogdensburg Journal (1857-1989), Ogdensburg Sentinel (1844-1858), Potsdam Courier-Freeman (1861-1989), Potsdam Herald-Recorder (1906-1951), Potsdam St. Lawrence Herald (1879-1904), Racquette of SUNY Potsdam (1927-2009), and Waddington Recorder (1894-1896).
  • 1946-2006 North Country Catholic, 1946-2006 at Northern New York Historical Newspapers
  • 1856-1863 Index to Marriages and Deaths in the New York Herald at Ancestry – ($); Index. These newspaper notices refer to people up and down the East Coast as well as midwesterners and persons from as far west as the State of California. Also browsable.

Obituaries

Other Records

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.[10] 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 St. Lawrence County, New York Repositories. ([Ithaca, New York]: New York Historical Resources Center, Olin Library, Cornell University, 1987). Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library; also at At various libraries (WorldCat)

County Historian
St. Lawrence County Historian and Deputy County Historian
3 East Main St
Canton, NY 13617
Phone: 315-386-8133
Fax: 315-3868143
Website

Genealogical Resources: 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

Massena Public Library
41 Glenn St.
Massena, NY 13662
Phone: 315-769-9914
Website

Ogdensburg Public Library
312 Washington St
Ogdensburg, NY 13669
Phone: 315-393-4325
Website

St. Lawrence University Library
Owen D. Young Library - University Archives and Special Collections
23 Romoda Drive
Canton, NY 13617
Phone 315-229-5476
Email: mcm@stlawu.edu
Website

Southworth Library at the State University of New York at Canton
Cornell Drive
Canton, NY 13617
Phone: 315-386-7058
Email: bucher@canton.edu

College Libraries at the State University of New York at Potsdam
44 Pierrepont Avenue
SUNY Potsdam, Potsdam, NY 13676
Phone: 315-267-3326
Email: subramjm@potsdam.edu
Collection includes papers, photos and memorabilia relative to the history of Potsdam College (including the Potsdam Normal School) since 1869 and some material related to the earlier St. Lawrence Academy.

Clarkson University, Educational Resources Center, Library - Archives
Box 5590
Potsdam, NY 13699-5590
Phone: 315-268-4268
Email: myoung@clarkson.edu
Library has historical documents and materials of the University, history and genealogical records of the Clarkson family.

Potsdam Public Museum
Civic Center Park Street
Potsdam, New York 13676
Hours: Tuesday - Saturday from 2 -5 pm
Contains material gathered by the St. Lawrence Valley Genealogical Society
Website

Museums

Potsdam Public Museum
Civic Center Park Street
Potsdam, NY 13676
Website

Societies

Listed below are societies in St. Lawrence 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; publishes 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.

St. Lawrence County Historical Association
3 East Main Street
P.O. Box 8
Canton, New York 13617-0008
Phone: 315-386-8133
Email: slcha@northnet.org
Facebook
Publications: The Quarterly Journal and The Wright House newsletter.
Website

The St. Lawrence Valley Genealogical Society
P.O. Box 205
Canton, New York 13617-0205
Publication: The SLVGS News - published four times a year.
Website

Swe-kat-si Chapter, NSDAR Ogdensburg, New York
Daughters of the American Revolution
Email: kyle57@twcny.rr.com
Website

Websites

Research Guides

References

  1. Newberry
  2. Newberry
  3. Wikipedia contributors, "St. Lawrence County, New York" in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Lawrence_County,_New_York, accessed 22 Nov 2018
  4. Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), St. Lawrence 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.
  5. Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), 491. At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002.
  6. Newberry
  7. Wikipedia contributors, "St. Lawrence County, New York," in "Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Lawrence_County,_New_York, accessed 25 Feburary 2020.
  8. 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.
  9. 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.
  10. 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.