Suffolk County, New York Genealogy

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Guide to Suffolk 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: Riverhead
Organized: 01 Nov 1683
Parent County(s): Yorkshire
Neighboring Counties
NassauFairfield (CT)Middlesex (CT)New Haven (CT)New London (CT)Washington (RI)
See County Maps
Courthouse
New York, Suffolk County Courthouse.png
Location Map
Ny-suffolk.png


County Information[edit | edit source]

Description[edit | edit source]

The county was named for the county of Suffolk in England. The county is located in the southeastern area of the state.[1]

County Courthouse[edit | edit source]

Suffolk County Courthouse
210 Center Dr
Riverhead, NY 11901
Phone: 631-852-2120
Suffolk County Website

The Suffolk County Clerk's office has incomplete birth and death records, marriage, court and land records.
The Surrogate Court has probate records.

Suffolk County, New York Record Dates[edit | edit source]

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 1847 1847 1725 1666 1787 1663
*Statewide registration for births and deaths started in 1880. General compliance for births by 1915 and deaths by 1890.

Record Loss[edit | edit source]

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

Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]

Populated Places[edit | edit source]

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]

Towns
Villages
Hamlets
American Indian Communities
Census-designated places


History Timeline[edit | edit source]

  • 1664 Yorkshire became the first large government unit (not actually a county) organized by New York after the English took control from the Netherlands. It was divided into three ridings including East Riding (Suffolk County). [8]
  • 1683 New York ended Yorkshire, creating Suffolk County from part of Yorkshire.
  • 15 Jun 1886 Suffolk gained from Queens when town of Huntington gained Lloyd's Neck from town of Oyster Bay.

Resources[edit | edit source]

Bible Records[edit | edit source]

  • 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[edit | edit source]

Business, Commerce, and Occupations[edit | edit source]

Cemeteries[edit | edit source]

Cemeteries of Suffolk 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[edit | edit source]

Historical populations
Census Pop.
1790 16,400
1800 19,735 20.3%
1810 21,113 7.0%
1820 23,936 13.4%
1830 26,780 11.9%
1840 32,469 21.2%
1850 36,922 13.7%
1860 43,275 17.2%
1870 46,924 8.4%
1880 52,888 12.7%
1890 62,491 18.2%
1900 77,582 24.1%
1910 96,138 23.9%
1920 110,246 14.7%
1930 161,055 46.1%
1940 197,355 22.5%
1950 276,129 39.9%
1960 666,784 141.5%
1970 1,124,950 68.7%
1980 1,284,231 14.2%
1990 1,321,864 2.9%
2000 1,419,369 7.4%
2010 1,493,350 5.2%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

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

  • 1778 Scott, Kenneth. "Suffolk County Inhabitants in 1778," The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, Vol. 104, No. 4 (Oct. 1973):225-230. Digital version at New York Family History ($); FS Library Book 974.7 B2n v. 104.
  • 1778 Scott, Kenneth. "Suffolk County, Long Island, New York, 1778 Census," National Genealogical Society Quarterly, Vol. 63 (1975):276-283. FS Library Book 973 B2ng v. 63 (1975).
  • 1778 Kearney, Michael. "A List of Persons in Suffolk County, Long Island, Who Took the Oath of Allegiance and Peaceable Behavior Before Governor Tryon, 1778," The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, Vol. 142, No. 2 (Apr. 2011):98-106; Vol. 142, No. 3 (Jul. 2011):226-236; Vol. 142, No. 4 (Oct. 2011):260-264; Vol. 143, No. 1 (Jan. 2012):65-74. Digital version at New York Family History ($); FS Library Book 974.7 B2n v. 142. Includes names, ages, and occupations.

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.[9]
  • 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
FamilySearch Images Yes Yes Yes Yes
New York State Library Films - - - - 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[edit | edit source]

Congregational

  • 1828-1900 Brown, Russell K. "Records of the Congregational Church, Orient, Long Island," The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, Membership Lists 1828-1869: Vol. 136, No. 3 (Jul. 2005):173-182; Membership Lists 1870-1900, Child Baptisms 1828-1900, Deaths 1851-1888: Vol. 136, No. 4 (Oct. 2005):285-295. Digital version at New York Family History ($); FS Library Book 974.7 B2n v. 136.


List of Churches and Church Parishes

Court Records[edit | edit source]

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[edit | edit source]

Emigration and Immigration[edit | edit source]

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups[edit | edit source]

Funeral Homes[edit | edit source]

Funeral Homes[edit | edit source]

Genealogies[edit | edit source]

Guardianship[edit | edit source]

Land and Property Records[edit | edit source]

Online Land Indexes and Records

Local Histories[edit | edit source]

Maps and Gazetteers[edit | edit source]

Fairfield CountyNassau CountyNY SUFFOLK.PNG
Click a neighboring county
for more resources

Migration[edit | edit source]

Military Records[edit | edit source]

Revolutionary War
Suffolk County men served in the 4th New York Regiment. "4th New York Regiment," Valley Forge Legacy, http://valleyforgemusterroll.org/regiments/ny4.asp, accessed 31 May 2012.

  • Kearney, Michael. "A List of Persons in Suffolk County, Long Island, Who Took the Oath of Allegiance and Peaceable Behavior Before Governor Tryon, 1778," The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, Vol. 142, No. 2 (Apr. 2011):98-106; Vol. 142, No. 3 (Jul. 2011):226-236; Vol. 142, No. 4 (Oct. 2011):260-264; Vol. 143, No. 1 (Jan. 2012):65-74. Digital version at New York Family History ($); FS Library Book 974.7 B2n v. 142. Includes names, ages, and occupations.

War of 1812
Revolutionary War pension request, 1790-1837, War of 1812, 1820, 1858 1 microfilm reel; 35mm. FS Library Film 1928014 Items 5-8.

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: Brookhaven · East Hampton · Huntington · Islip · Riverhead · Shelter Island · Smithtown · Southold.

Regiments. Service men in Suffolk County served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are companies that were formed in Orange County:[10]

- 11th Regiment, New York Cavalry, Company E.
- 90th Regiment, New York Infantry, Companies F, I and K.
- 102nd Regiment, New York Infantry, Company C.
- 119th Regiment, New York Infantry, Company H.
- 127th Regiment, New York Infantry, Companies D, E, G, H, I and K.
- 131st Regiment, New York Infantry, Company K.
- 132nd Regiment, New York Infantry, Company A.
- 139th Regiment, New York Infantry, Companies A and H.
- 145th Regiment, New York Infantry, Company G.
- 155th Regiment, New York Infantry, Companies D and E.
- 156th Regiment, New York Infantry, Companies H and K.
- 159th Regiment, New York Infantry, Company F.
- 176th Regiment, New York Infantry, Company G.
- 179th Regiment, New York Infantry, Company F.

Naturalization and Citizenship[edit | edit source]

Online Naturalization Indexes and Records

Indexes

The FamilySearch Library has also acquired this comprehensive index for the years 1792 through 1906 on microfilm: FS Library Film 1419807 (1st of 294 films). The courts this index covers are:

  • City Court of Brooklyn, 1836-1894
  • Kings County Court, 1806-1906
  • New York City Marine Court, 1806-1849
  • New York County Common Pleas Court, 1792-1895
  • New York County Superior Court, 1828-1895
  • New York City and County Supreme Court, 1868-1906
  • Queens County Court, 1799-1906
  • Queens County Surrogate Court, 1888-1898
  • Richmond County Court, 1869-1906
  • U.S. Circuit Court Southern District, 1846-1876
  • U.S. District Court Eastern District, (Kings, Queens, Nassau and Suffolk counties), 1865-1906

Newspapers[edit | edit source]

  • 1696-1811 Salmon, William. The Salmon Records: A Private Register of Marriages and Deaths of the Residents of the Town of Southold, Suffolk County, N.Y., and of Persons More or Less Closely Associated with that Place: 1696-1811. New York: New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, 1918. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
  • 1777-1834 Fred Q. Bowman, 10,000 Vital Records of Eastern New York, 1777-1834 (Baltimore,MD: Genealogical Pub. Co., 1987). FS Library Book 974.7 V2bfq; At various libraries (WorldCat); Online at: Ancestry ($); 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."
  • 1804-1809 King, Rufus. "Long Island (N.Y.) Marriages and Deaths, From the Suffolk Gazette," The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, Marriages 1804-1807: Vol. 24, No. 2 (Apr. 1893):86-88; Marriages 1807-1808: Vol. 24, No. 4 (Oct. 1893):159-161; Marriages 1808-1809: Vol. 25, No. 1 (Jan. 1894):6-8; Marriages 1809, Deaths 1804-1806: Vol. 25, No. 2 (Apr. 1894):89-92; Deaths 1806-1807: Vol. 25, No. 3 (Jul. 1894):137-139; Deaths 1808-1809: Vol. 25, No. 4 (Oct. 1894):161-164. Digital version at New York Family History ($); FS Library Book 974.7 B2n v. 24-25. Internet Archive has digitized Vol. 24 and Vol. 25 - free.
  • 1839-1864 Stevens, Marian F. An Index to the Long Islander, 1839-1864, Marriages-Deaths. Huntington, N.Y.: Huntington American Revolution Bicentennial Committee Huntington Historical Society, 1974. FS Library Book 974.721 B32s.
  • 1856-1863 Index to Marriages and Deaths in the New York Herald at Ancestry – ($); 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.
  • 1871-1891 Barber, Gertrude A. Marriages of Suffolk County, N.Y.: Taken from the "Republican Watchman," A Newspaper Published at Greenport, N.Y. 1950. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
  • 1900-2003 Roberts, David. Suffolk-Times Obituaries 1900-2003 at Long Island Genealogy - free.
  • Huntington NY Long Islander 1839-1936
  • Long Island NY Daily Star 1881-1889
  • Long Island NY Star Journal 1938-1967
  • Sag Harbor NY Corrector 1827-1911
  • Sag Harbor NY Express 1862-1975
  • Sayville NY Suffolk County News 1900-1986
  • Southold NY Long Island Traveler 1872-1895

Suffolk Historic Newspapers provides access to:

  • Corrector (Sag Harbor) 1822-1911
  • Long Island Traveler 1872-1898
  • Long Islander 1839-1974
  • Mid-Island Mail 1935-1941
  • Patchogue Advance 1926-1948
  • Port Jefferson Echo 1892-1931
  • Sag Harbor Express 1885-1898
  • South Side Signal (Babylon) 1869-1879
  • Suffolk County News (Sayville) 1882-1942,1996-2007

Obituaries[edit | edit source]

Other Records[edit | edit source]

Periodicals[edit | edit source]

Probate Records[edit | edit source]

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.[11] See New York Probate Records for online resources, details, links, and more.

Online Probate Indexes and Records

  • 1669-1684 Contents of session book, Riverhead, Suffolk County, Long Island, N.Y FS Library Film 17903 Contains abstracts of wills, inventories, deeds, and other land records.

School Records[edit | edit source]

Social Security Records[edit | edit source]

Tax Records[edit | edit source]

Online Tax Indexes and Records

Town Records[edit | edit source]

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[edit | edit source]

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[edit | edit source]

Marriage[edit | edit source]

Death[edit | edit source]


Divorce[edit | edit source]

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[edit | edit source]

Research Facilities[edit | edit source]

Archives[edit | edit source]

County Historian
J. Lance Mallamo
Division of Cultural and Historical Services
Suffolk County Department of Parks
Montauk Highway
PO Box 144
West Sayville, NY 11796
Phone: 631-567-1487
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[edit | edit source]

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[edit | edit source]

Huntington Historical Society Library
High Street and New Park Avenue
P.O. Box 506
Huntington, NY 11743
Phone: 631-427-7056
Website

Suffolk County Historical Society Library
300 West Main St.
Riverhead, NY 11901
Phone: 631-727-2881
Website

Histories, genealogies, biographies, private papers, photographs, maps, cemetery records, ancestor charts, Bible records, newspapers, censuses, DAR collection.

Suffolk Cooperative Library System
Website

Maintains copies of Federal Censuses, State Censuses, New York State Records (1799-1804), and City Directories that relate to Suffolk County for use at libraries throughout the county.

Smithtown Public Library
Richard Handley Collection
East Main St.
Smithtown, NY 11787
Website

Thousands of Long Island history and genealogy books, hundreds of maps, newspapers.

East Hampton Library
159 Main St.
East Hampton, NY 11937
Website

Long Island Collection includes deeds, wills, genealogies, newspapers, family records and more.

Sag Harbor History Room
John Jermain Memorial Library
34 West Water St.
Sag Harbor, NY 11963
Phone: 631-725-0049
Website

Photographs, genealogies, local history books, newspapers (dating to 1790), births, deaths, marriages, maps, and more. Open by appointment only.

Celia M. Hastings Local History Room
Patchoque-Medford Library
54-60 East Main Street
Patchogue, NY 11772
Phone: 631-654-4700
Website

Periodicals, genealogies, maps and atlases, postcards, photographs, family files, oral history, and more.

Diocese of Rockville Centre
50 North Park Ave
PO Box 9023
Rockville Centre, NY 11571
Phone: 516-678-5800
Website

Collects and maintains records created by the parishes of the Diocese of Rockville Centre.

Museums[edit | edit source]

Societies[edit | edit source]

Listed below are societies in Suffolk County. For state-wide genealogical and historical societies, see New York Societies.
Suffolk County Historical Society
300 West Main Street
Riverhead, NY 11901
Phone: 631-727-2881
Email: schsociety@optionline.net
Website

Genealogies, biographies, town records, photographs, maps, cemetery transcriptions, Bible records, newspapers, censuses. Tables of contents for The Register are available for free.

Long Island Genealogy
Website

Repository of the holdings of the National Society of the Daughters of the Revolution of 1776.

Germany Genealogy Group
P.O. Box 1004
Kings Park, NY 11754
Email: GGG@GermanGenealogyGroup.com
Website

Patchogue-Medford Library Genealogy Research Group
54-60 East Main Street
Patchogue, NY 11772
Phone: 631-654-4700, ext. 231
Website

Genealogy Workshop of the Huntington Historical Society
209 Main St.
Huntington, NY 11743
Phone: 631-427-7045
Website

Websites[edit | edit source]

Research Guides[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. Wikipedia contributors, "Suffolk County, New York" in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suffolk_County,_New_York, accessed 22 Nov 2018
  2. Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Suffolk 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), 492. At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002.
  4. Kathryn Ford Thorne, New York Atlas of Historical County Boundaries (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1993), 181. At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 974.7 E7t.
  5. Wikipedia contributors, "York Shire (Province of New York)" in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/York_Shire_(Province_of_New_York) (accessed 7 January 2012).
  6. Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002).At various libraries (WorldCat); FSC Book 973 D27e 2002.
  7. Wikipedia contributors, "Suffolk County, New York," in "Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suffolk_County,_New_York, accessed 29 February 2020.
  8. Wikipedia contributors, "York Shire (Province of New York)" in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/York_Shire_(Province_of_New_York) (accessed 16 December 2011).
  9. 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.
  10. 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.
  11. 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.